Celebrate Women’s Suffrage in Wyoming

Nov 5, 2019

As the state of Wyoming nears December 10, 2019 — the Equality State’s sesquicentennial anniversary of women’s suffrage — the Governor’s Council for the Wyoming Women’s Suffrage Celebration wants to encourage organizations and communities to participate in statewide celebrations through September 6, 2020.

On December 10, 1869, the Wyoming territory passed the first unconditional law in the United States guaranteeing women their inherent right to vote and hold public office — more than 50 years prior to the U.S. ratification of the 19th amendment. Then on September 6, 1870, the first woman to vote in a general election cast the ballot in Laramie, Wyoming. As the nation prepares for the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment in 2020, Wyoming will continue to celebrate its milestone anniversaries well before.

Wyoming is celebrating not only the women who blazed trails in the 1800s, but all women who have had a positive impact on Wyoming. Check out travelwyoming.com/wyoming-womens-suffrage) for  a variety of simple, creative ways for libraries to celebrate and honor the upcoming anniversaries, such as art exhibits or programs. Consider applying to ThinkWY Wyoming Humanities for a humanities/cultural Spark Grant to help your community conduct a suffrage-related event. To learn more about Wyoming’s pioneering history, organizations can secure a speaking engagement through the Governor’s Council for the Wyoming Women’s Suffrage Celebration. To request a speaker for your program, email andreasun4@gmail.com.

Are there upcoming events in your library or community? Contact Chris Van Burgh, Wyoming State Library Database Instruction Librarian, at chris.vanburgh@wyo.gov or (307) 777-3642. She’ll help you share your event on Wyoming Tourism’s calendar and within the Wyoming Library Community as well as answer any questions you may have about how to get involved.

If you have a question about this or any other article, please contact us at statelibrary@wyo.gov

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