-
Osceola History Curator Michelle Finnegan (left) and visitor services staff member Thalia Betancourt are pictured with the new “Rightfully Hers” exhibit at the Osceola County Welcome Center & History Museum. The exhibit from the National Archives commemorates the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment and the generations-long fight for women’s voting rights.
The Osceola County Welcome Center & History Museum is hosting a new pop-up exhibit from the national archives called Rightfully Hers.
The exhibit is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Rightfully Hers contains simple messages exploring the history of the ratification of the 19th amendment, women’s voting rights before and after the 19th, and its impact today. Despite decades of marches, petitions and public debate to enshrine a woman’s right to vote in the constitution, the 19th Amendment – while an enormous milestone – did not grant voting rights for all. The challenges of its passage reverberate to the ongoing fight for gender equity today. This exhibit runs through Nov. 30, 2020.
Rightfully Hers co-curator Jennifer N. Johnson states: "The ratification of the 19th Amendment was a landmark moment in American history that dramatically changed the electorate, and although it enshrined in the U.S. Constitution fuller citizenship for women many remained unable to vote.”
Osceola History Curator Michelle Finnegan said, “We are pleased to offer this special exhibit commemorating the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. It’s appropriate that this milestone is occurring during an election year when women voters can make their voices heard during local, state and national elections.”
The Osceola County Welcome Center & History Museum serves as a polling location for precincts 107, 110, 139 and 158. Voters will have the opportunity to view the exhibit while casting their ballot during the Aug. 18 primary and the Nov. 3 General Election.
The Osceola County Welcome Center & History Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is located at 4155 W. Vine St. in Kissimmee. Admission is free.
In conjunction with the Rightfully Hers exhibit, Osceola History will host a special free program on Nov. 5, 2020, featuring Kathryn Chesley portraying Carrie Chapman Catt, who was one of the leaders in the suffrage movement. Catt served as president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association and she is credited with getting the last state to vote to pass the amendment. The program will begin at 6:30 p.m. Seating will be limited to allow for social distancing. To accommodate those who cannot attend, the program will be available on Osceola History’s Facebook Live.
For more information, contact Osceola History at 407-396-8644, Ext. 3, or visit our website at www.osceolahistory.org.
Rightfully Hers is organized by the National Archives and Records Administration. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, the National Archives has launched a nationwide initiative and major exhibition that explores the generations-long fight for universal woman suffrage. The exhibition is presented in part by the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission and the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of Unilever, Pivotal Ventures, Carl M. Freeman Foundation in honor of Virginia Allen Freeman, AARP, and Denise Gwyn Ferguson.
