WASHINGTON (PRNewswire) –The Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission will commemorate 100 years of women’s constitutional right to vote with National Women’s Suffrage Month by sponsoring a mosaic of the Ida B. Wells, an iconic suffragette and civil rights leader, in the Main Hall of Union Station in Washington, D.C.
From Aug. 24-28, the 1,000 square-foot mosaic, titled Our Story: Portraits of Change, will be displayed on the marble floor, assembled from thousands of historical photos of suffragettes, with each image telling its own story about the fight for women’s right to vote. The project will be completed in partnership with visual artist Helen Marshall of the People’s Picture and Christina Korp of Purpose Entertainment. An interactive online version of the mosaic is available for visitors to zoom in on photos and learn more about the suffragettes depicted at www.ourstory100.com.
As the starting location of the suffrage “Prison Special” tour in February 1919, Union Station in Washington, D.C., played an important role in the American suffrage movement. The “Prison Special” was a train tour organized by suffragettes who had been jailed for picketing the White House in support of the federal women’s suffrage amendment. In February 1919, 26 members of the National Woman’s Party boarded a chartered train they dubbed the “Democracy Limited” at Union Station, and they visited cities across the country to speak to large crowds about their experiences as political prisoners.
“One of my favorite quotes from the suffrage movement comes from the newspaper The Revolution. Its motto was ‘men their rights and nothing more, women their rights and nothing less,’” said Anna Laymon, WSCC executive director. “This quote captures the spirit of the decades-long suffrage movement, and with her leadership in the fight for suffrage and civil rights, Ida B. Wells is the perfect example of someone who would settle for nothing less than full justice and equality. The Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission is proud to honor her legacy and celebrate the thousands of women who fought for the right to vote with this mosaic in Union Station.”
The installation is a signature event of National Women’s Suffrage Month, a month-long celebration honoring the history of women’s fight for the vote in August 2020, designated by Congress in collaboration with the WSCC. Learn more about the WSCC and upcoming National Women’s Suffrage Month events at www.womensvote100.org/suffragemonth.
The WSCC was created by Congress to coordinate the nationwide commemoration during the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which was officially signed into the U.S. Constitution on Aug. 26, 1920. The amendment prohibits the United States or any state from denying the right to vote based on sex, protecting women’s access to the ballot in the Constitution. Led by a bipartisan group of 14 women leaders, the WSCC has a nonpartisan mission to ensure Americans across the country have the opportunity to participate in the centennial and to learn about this important but often overlooked history. Learn more about the WSCC and its initiatives at www.womensvote100.org.