“Ashley Hall Honors Women’s Right to Vote,” a presentation by History Department faculty member Chris Frisby

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Ashley Hall is proud to host “100 Years After the 19th Amendment: Their Legacy, and Our Future,” a traveling exhibit by the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Library of Congress that honors the women’s suffrage movement. On campus through early October, this award-winning exhibit features photographs of historic documents and artifacts and details the story of the battle for ratification and the challenges that remain. Students will interact with the exhibit during several special events held in the coming days.

“The centennial anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment gives state and local bar associations, lawyers, judges and other legal professionals, educators, and civic organizations the opportunity to celebrate 100 years of women’s constitutional right to vote, to educate the public about the Nineteenth Amendment and the battle for women’s suffrage, and to promote law that ensures women’s full and equal exercise of their right to vote and to participate in our democracy,” the ABA noted.

History Department faculty member Chris Frisby addressed students on the lasting importance of the 19th Amendment and its relevance to both their present and future selves. “I hope you will take time these next few days to pause to review the interpretive banners and reflect on the history of a movement that has profoundly shaped and benefited your own lives,” he said. “When we think and speak about the 19th Amendment, I always encourage students to work from the idea that women earned the right to vote through the 19th Amendment. I discourage students from making statements like, ‘The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote.’ This seemingly small difference matters. I do this because it is critically important to acknowledge the agency of women in working to advance their own rights.” (Watch his presentation by clicking the link above).

As an all-girls’ school founded a decade prior to women gaining the right to vote, Ashley Hall’s history is uniquely tied to the suffragist movement. The School’s founder, Mary Vardrine McBee, was active in the first Women’s Suffrage Organization in South Carolina. “For me personally, it’s really created this kind of drive at the School to continue that legacy, the legacy of advocacy, of being grounded in community and place, of understanding the importance of beauty in the lives of everyone, what it means to be a citizen and civically responsible, not only for ourselves but for others,” said Head of School Jill Muti, who discussed the Nineteenth Amendment and the path ahead for the female leaders of tomorrow as part of the Post and Courier’s “We the Women” series.

Ashley Hall plans to continue its celebration of the 100th anniversary throughout the year.

Read more about Ashley Hall’s celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment