Louisville Law hosts virtual panel on Black women's role in suffrage

On Sept. 25, 2020, Louisville Law hosted a virtual panel, Women's Suffrage: The Untold Story of Black Women in Its History.

2020 marks the centennial of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote nationally. The story of the long battle too often excludes the role of Black women who played significant roles in the ratification efforts.  

This panel conversation gave a general overview of the suffrage movement both nationally and in Kentucky and reframed that history by telling the stories of some of the key “hidden figures” of the movement. It connected that history to the voting rights activities of the 1960s and voting in 2020 and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Moderator:

Rachel Platt, Director of Community Engagement at the Frazier History Museum

Panelists:

Margie Charasika, President, League of Women Voters of Louisville

Jermaine Fowler, Creator of Humanity Archive Educational website (working on history of Ida B. Wells and her role in suffrage)

Enid Trucios-Haynes, Professor of Law, Brandeis School of Law

Marsha Weinstein, President, National Collaborative of Women’s History Sites (part of historical markers for Mary Britton and other Kentucky Suffragettes)

Fielding Questions:

Cherie Dawson-Edwards, Chair and Associate Professor, UofL Department of Criminal Justice

Co-sponsors:

  • Brandeis School of Law
  • Brandeis Law School Diversity Committee
  • Women’s Law Caucus
  • UofL Office of Community Engagement
  • UofL Office of Diversity
  • UofL Office of Advancement
  • UofL Women's Center
  • UofL American Association of University Women
  • UofL Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research