August 25, 2022 I www.ggrwhc.org I

Celebrate Womens Equality Day, August 26th!
Continue the Work Begun by Our Suffragist Sisters!

Suffragist and Grand Rapids League of Women Voters leader, Grace Van Hoesen (second from left) with other League volunteers, September 9, 1924
Grand Rapids History Center, Archives, GRPL, GR, Michigan
On August 26, 1920, the moment that suffragists had long fought for finally arrived: the U. S. Secretary of State certified the 19th Amendment, the final step in suffragists' 70-plus year fight for voting rights for women. Women's Equality Day celebrates this important milestone. Even as suffragists cheered their victory, they recognized that more work was needed to ensure that voting rights for women became a reality. Suffragists had formed the National League of Women Voters months before the 19th Amendment went into effect. Once it became law, League volunteers worked tirelessly to enroll new voters. In the south, however, Black women who were eligible to vote as a result of the passage of the 19th Amendment, were kept from the polls by intimidation and state laws that disenfranchised Black voters. Native American men and women faced similar barriers to voting, even after they secured voting rights through the Dawes Act of 1924. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was an important step in addressing discriminatory voting laws, but even it is now under attack.
Steps you can take to honor the work of women and men who fought for passage of the 19th Amendment:

Learn more about women's suffrage history and important local suffrage leaders by browsing the GGRWHC digital suffrage exhibit.

Register to vote (or share information on how to register to vote in Michigan)


Take action!:

  • Volunteer to help with local voter registration drives through the League of Women Voters or other nonprofits.


  • Learn about legislation and policies affecting voting rights in Michigan and express your views to legislators.

  • Run for office, work on a campaign, or find other ways to participate in the democratic process.
Poster given to women in Grand Rapids who registered to vote, circa 1919
Image Courtesy of Grand Rapids Public Museum
Although the Grand Rapids League of Women Voters was not formally organized until 1921, Grand Rapids women and men enthusiastically joined the effort to promote voter education and registration after a Michigan constitutional amendment passed in 1918 granted women the right to vote. Working through the schools and directly with potential voters, they organized a massive campaign to register voters before the early 1919 primaries. Women received this poster as they registered to vote and proudly displayed their posters in windows across the city.
Celebrate year round with the Greater Grand Rapids Women’s History Council. Follow us on Facebook and sign up (www.ggrwhc.org/contact/) for our newsletter, if you haven’t already!
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Hats off to the women who have shaped West Michigan!
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Thank you for your interest in preserving and celebrating the history of the many phenomenal women who've helped to shape West Michigan!  If you aren't already a supporter of the Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council, consider investing in our work as a volunteer or with an annual donation.  Visit our website for more information and the ability to donate online.