The Women's Museum, a Smithsonian Institution, and title sponsor, The Law Offices of Raggio & Raggio, Inc., today launched the 85th Anniversary of Women's Suffrage Exhibit and Celebration, an experience that shares artifacts, history, and activities with museum visitors--and a chance to drive change and awareness for women's voting trends.
Coinciding with the 85th anniversary of Women's Suffrage, Aug. 26, the museum's newest on-site experience provides a month-long cascade of interactive programming, encompassing education, celebration, entertainment, local research, and a call to action for voter registration.
According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau report (2000), women make up 51 percent of the population and are, therefore, a majority, but more than 70 million women are not registered to vote. To help celebrate 85 years of progress and encourage women to vote, the museum's suffrage experience includes exhibits and ongoing activities that run Aug. 9 - 28. The experience, dedicated to women's suffrage, past and present, includes:
The Suffrage Trail: A trail through the Museum, highlighting the women's suffrage movement.(1)
Ongoing voter registration drive: "Do it for Louise. Do it Now!" in honor of Louise Raggio, a pioneer for women's rights on a national scale.(1)
A detailed timeline of the suffrage movement spanning over 100 years, with educational and entertaining videos about the women's suffrage movement and current voting.
Suffrage artifacts on display from Texas Women's University and the Dallas Historical Society.
An exhibit called Citizens at Last: The Woman Suffrage Movement in Texas - created by the Woman's Collection of Texas Woman's University Library (This exhibit is based upon the landmark book about the women's suffrage movement in Texas by A. Elizabeth Taylor).
An opportunity to enjoy period photos of the women's movement.
Daily showings of Iron-Jawed Angels in the museum auditorium through August.
The museum will have deputized voter registration stewards on-site during its hours of operation, noon through 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, offering voter registration for residents of many North Texas counties. The museum also points its national and Texas-based members and supporters to national voter registration details, which are available via www.eac.gov or www.register-vote.com. Other organizations engaged in the voter registration drive include The League of Women Voters; The Texas B&PW, and The Dallas Women's Coalition, among others.
"It's no surprise that, at The Women's Museum, we have strong opinions on the voice of women in our country," said museum CEO Wanda Brice. "But it is surprising that today's trends cite many women are not making their voices heard in elections. That's why we are, not only to celebrating and demonstrating how far we've come, but also activating to help make a difference for women voters. Helping to understand these trends and helping to drive positive change is really critical."
The museum is partnering with the League of Women Voters to drive understanding of current voting trends through a new survey that will be available on-site and online at the museum and at the member meetings of a number of Dallas-area women's organizations and chambers. The museum will also host local receptions Aug. 23 and 24, honoring local civic leaders and pioneers for women's rights.
A Smithsonian affiliate, The Women's Museum is the nation's only comprehensive women's history museum that chronicles the lives of American women through interactive exhibits. The hours of The Women's Museum are Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 5:00 p.m. (closed Mondays). For information, call (214) 915-0860 or visit www.thewomensmuseum.org.
