Grant #157
Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument
September 7, 2015
A monument to honor the Tennessee women who secured ratification of the 19th Amendment and made Woman Suffrage the law of the land.
Did you know only 8% of public statues in the U.S. are of women? More specifically, of the 5,193 statues of individuals, only 394 are of women, and only five are women of color. Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument, Inc. (TWSM) is working to change this ratio by erecting a woman suffrage monument honoring women who fought for the right to vote, and who broke barriers in their public service to Tennessee.
95 years ago, on August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th, and final state, needed to ratify the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote in America. It was the greatest nonviolent revolution in our country’s history, and more than 27 million American women were enfranchised with Tennessee’s vote (that’s half of the American population!). The monument – which is being built by artist Alan LeQuire – features seven women, including two significant women of color, who were instrumental in the passage of the 19th Amendment in Tennessee.
We are proud to support TWSM in their efforts to make (and retell) history through art, and we encourage you to support as well (click here)! Learn more about these remarkable women and this extraordinary story by visiting TWSM’s Facebook, Twitter, and Website. The photos are incredible!
