Experience Downtown Blog

Downtown Commemorates Centennial Anniversary of Women's Suffrage on August 26

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Milwaukee landmarks will be bathed in purple and gold on August 26 in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, providing women’s constitutional right to vote. Churches throughout the area will also ring their bells for one minute at noon. 

The Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission has partnered with leaders throughout the country for the Forward Into Light celebration. Locally, they have partnered with the Wisconsin Historical Society, the League of Women Voters, and Governor Evers’ Suffrage Centennial Commission to commemorate Women’s Equality Day. 

Milwaukee Downtown has recognized the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage as part of the “Road of Democracy” collaborative project. The street pole banners, displayed between the 2020 Democratic National Convention and Election Day, feature collage work by Della Wells alongside excerpts from Dasha Kelly Hamilton’s 2020 poem, “Of.” Brad Pruitt will create a film narrative highlighting pivotal moments in history and parallels to the current climate to premiere this fall. 

The Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee County Historical Society, Discover World, Fiserv Forum, as well as freeway overpasses will be participating in the national lighting initiative. View the full list of national participants here. 

On August 26, share photos of the illuminated buildings on social media using the hashtag #ForwardIntoLight to be included in their official Forward Into Light online album.