Summerville Main Street joins forces with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition
Service (SITES) and the National Portrait Gallery in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the
Nineteenth Amendment on August 17, 2020 with Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence.
This poster exhibition shares the story of women’s suffrage of voting rights, of inclusion in and
exclusion from the franchise, and of our civic development as a nation. Based on the National
Portrait Gallery exhibition of the same name, Votes for Women will broaden visitors’
understanding of the suffrage movement in the United States. It addresses women’s political
activism, explores the racism that challenged universal suffrage, and documents the ratification
of the Nineteenth Amendment which prohibits the government from denying U.S. citizens the
right to vote on the basis of sex. It will also touch upon the suffrage movement’s relevance to
current conversations on voting and voting rights across America.
Created with generous support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative,
Votes for Women provides a unique opportunity for visitors or students to explore one of the
longest reform movements in American history. This dynamic poster exhibition will be
displayed in downtown Summerville in the following merchant windows for the public’s
enjoyment beginning Thursday, August 13 through Labor Day. Blissful Daze (formally Duff’s
Flowers & Gifts), DIRT, Jefferson’s, Los MaGuey, Merle Norman/GaGa’s Boutique, Morris
Jewelers, Thatcher’s Barbeque & Grille, The Fix Health Bar, The Furniture Shoppe and The
Ruby Slippers. Special activities that will include this exhibit will be scheduled for Labor Day
weekend. Summerville Main Street invites the public to enjoy this poster exhibition at their
leisure and is proud to celebrate women’s voting rights.
