Title
Special Recognition - Proclamation Recognizing the Centennial of the Ratification of the 19th Amendment
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Recognize the centennial of the ratification of the 19th amendment.
Report
Issue:
Whether to recognize the centennial of the ratification of the 19th amendment.
Staff Contact:
Susan Grisham, Executive Assistant, 360.753.8244
Presenter(s):
Lisa Parshley, Councilmember
Background and Analysis:
2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting some women the constitutional right to vote. The centennial is an opportunity to commemorate this milestone of democracy and to understand its relevance to the issues of equal rights today.
While we commemorate this milestone, it is important to recognize that, though the amendment was ratified on August 26, 1920, women of color were prevented from casting ballots for decades afterward because of poll taxes, literacy tests, racism, and laws that prevented the grandchildren of slaves from voting. Much of that did not change until the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and still today women of color in African American, Latinx and other communities face similar barriers more relevant a century later.
Attachments:
Proclamation