Jackson County Commissioners issued a Proclamation Honoring the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, Women’s Right to Vote at their Jan. 7 meeting.
19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Jackson County Proclamation Honoring the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
“We are pleased to support Jackson County’s initiatives honoring an important step toward universal suffrage in Jackson County” said Jackson County Commissioner, Gayle Woody, who proposed the Proclamation.
The Centennial will be marked throughout the county, and plans are underway for Jackson County events.
Partnering with several local organizations, the local nonprofit Vision Cashiers is coordinating many of the Cashiers events.
“We hope this nonpartisan, community-wide celebration will offer activities for all to educate, inform, and entertain our community of the struggle that marked the path to full citizenship for women, and to inspire civic responsibility and engagement today,” said Committee Co-Chair, Susan Bianchi.
Kicking off the yearlong celebration will be the Cashiers Historical Society’s 2020 Jan Wyatt Symposium, set for Thursday June 18 and Friday June 19. Chaired by Western Carolina University’s Dr. Alex Macaulay, “A National Milestone with a Mountain View – 100 years of Women’s Suffrage in North Carolina” will include performances by Anna Van Curen, in the role of North Carolina suffragette leader Gertrude Weil, and lectures by noted authors including Elizabeth McRae, author of “Mothers of Massive Resistance”.
Other events on the Cashiers Historical Society calendar include The Mountain Heritage Lecture Series: “Bloomers and Bicycles” on June 11; a Suffrage Tea “She Changed The World: North Carolina Women Breaking Barriers” on Thursday, July 9 featuring Dr. Milton Ready, and a Roundtable Discussion “All About That Important First Vote” on Aug. 6.
CHS will also present in partnership with WCU a Centennial History Exhibit open from May – September at Col. John’s Cabin at the Zachary-Tolbert Historic Site.
Activities planned for Blue Ridge and Summit Schools students include a poster contest and an essay contest. Winners will be honored at a special ceremony, and their work displayed at the Albert Carlton Library.
A further highlight will be a Research Paper Contest for Blue Ridge students with the winners receiving an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C. to visit museums and historical sights associated with the Suffrage Movement.
The Albert Carlton Cashiers Community Library will host a presentation on July 31 by well-known Fashion Historian Cornelia Powell: “How Women Used Fashion to Reshape History and Win the Right to Vote”.
Celebrated monologist Leslie Goddard will recreate the women’s suffrage leader Alice Paul at a Tea at The Country Club of Sapphire Valley on July 16.
Lastly, to cap off the season’s events will be a Grand Celebration at the Village Green on Saturday August 22nd, with family activities and a play presented by Western Carolina University’s “Road Works” student theatrical group.
Pictured at the top of the article from left are Sandi Rogers, Cashiers Historical Society Events Chairman; John Barrow, CHS XIX Symposium Committee; Ann McKee Austin, Vision Cashiers 19th Amendment Committee.