HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University’s Sims Library will host a panel discussion and exhibit opening for “Determined to Rise: The Women’s Suffrage Movement in Louisiana” on Monday, June 28, at 3 p.m., on the third floor of the library. The exhibit and discussion are free and open to the public.
The popular traveling exhibit, which will be on display through Aug. 31, commemorates the challenges and triumphs of the women’s suffrage movement on the 100th anniversary of ratification of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote.
The exhibit features eight panels focused on Louisiana suffragists, the African-American woman’s experience with women’s suffrage, a timeline of significant events, laws pertaining to women’s rights after gaining the vote, and federal and Louisiana female advocates who have made their mark on history.
Members of the Centennial Women’s Suffrage Project team will lead the discussion, including Carol Madere and Elizabeth Hornsby of Communication and Media Studies and Sam Cavell of the History and Political Science Department.
“The panelists will discuss Louisiana’s role in the suffrage movement, especially how it began, the women who advocated for it, and the societal forces that sought to defeat it in Louisiana,” said Angela Dunnington, librarian and project team member.
“After a yearlong delay, we are thrilled to welcome the Centennial Women’s Suffrage team as they tell this important story from Louisiana history,” said Interim Director of Sims Library Janie Branham.
The Centennial Women’s Suffrage Project team at Southeastern developed the exhibit with grant support from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Rebirth grant program.
The project launched at Southeastern in 2019. The team partnered with the National Women’s History Museum, Preserve Louisiana, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, and the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources regional program. The project leaders have engaged in scholarly discourse through presentations, panel discussions, a one-day conference, a virtual institute for K-12 educators, and a traveling exhibit.
“Our future plan is to look at funding a documentary on Louisiana suffragists,” said Dunnington. “We want to tell the Louisiana story and air that documentary on local television channels.”
For more information, contact Dunnington at 985-549-3485 or at [email protected].