Lighting the Country in Purple and Gold to Celebrate 100 Years of Women's Right to Vote on August 26

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission (WSCC), in partnership with federal, state, and local leaders, will illuminate the country in purple and gold on August 26 in celebration of 100 years of the 19^th Amendment and women's constitutional right to vote. The WSCC invites institutions, organizations, and individuals nationwide to join them in marking this historic moment by signing up to participate in the Forward Into Light campaign.

Through this nationwide initiative, named in honor of the historic suffrage slogan, "Forward through the Darkness, Forward into Light," the WSCC is working with America's leaders to light buildings and landmarks across the country in the historic suffrage colors of purple and gold on August 26, 2020. That date marks 100 years since the 19^th Amendment became fully certified into the U.S. Constitution, effecting the single largest expansion of voting rights in our nation's history.

Historical photographs and photos of buildings lit in purple and gold are available here.

Institutions nationwide have committed to illuminating their structures to honor the suffragists who lobbied, marched, picketed, and protested for the right to the ballot, never giving up on the fight for equality. Buildings and landmarks that will light up in purple and gold at nightfall on August 26 include The White House, the One World Trade Center, Niagara Falls, the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, Smithsonian museums, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Library of Congress Jefferson Building, the National Archives Building, and presidential libraries, and more than 50 National Park Service sites across the U.S. plan to join the celebration. Additionally, the WSCC has partnered with Snapchat to virtually commemorate the Forward Into Light campaign. Starting on August 26, Snapchatters will be able to use augmented reality lenses to apply a purple and gold gradient to their surroundings and add their photos to a digital mosaic of suffragists inspired by the WSCC's Our Story: Portraits of Change mosaic, created by artist Helen Marshall.

Forward Into Light is a culmination of a year-and-a-half-long commemoration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment's passage and ratification, beginning in May and June 2019 on the anniversaries of the 19^th Amendment passing through the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, before going to the states for ratification. Learn more about Forward Into Light and sign up to participate at www.womensvote100.org/forwardintolight. On August 26, 2020, share photos of your illuminated buildings on social media platforms using the hashtag #ForwardIntoLight, and submit photos here to be included in the WSCC's official Forward Into Light online album.

"On August 26, exactly 100 years since the 19th Amendment was added to the Constitution, we will honor the courageous suffragists who fought for women's right to vote," said Susan Combs, Chair of the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission and former Assistant Secretary at the Department of the Interior. "During the suffrage movement, these women marched, lobbied, picketed, and faced imprisonment in order to expand our democracy, and it is our duty to remember them. The Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission is thrilled that hundreds of sites across the country will light up in suffrage purple and gold for the Forward Into Light celebration. Together, we will share the suffragists' message of hope, persistence, and resilience with the American people, and ensure that the legacy of these trailblazing women is celebrated this year and every year."

"I am proud to join the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission in celebrating this historic moment," said U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. "When the White House is illuminated in purple and gold on August 26, it will be a symbol of our nation's commitment to remembering the history of the suffrage movement and honoring the courageous women who secured women's right to vote 100 years ago."

The Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission is grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts for their support in recruiting Forward Into Light participants nationwide.

"Light art has always served to illuminate and commemorate public events in public spaces," said National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Mary Anne Carter. "We are delighted to join with the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission and arts organizations across the country in this festive event that honors the past, celebrates the present, and points to the future."

The WSCC was created by Congress to coordinate the nationwide commemoration during the 100^th anniversary of the 19^th Amendment, which was officially signed into the U.S. Constitution on Aug. 26, 1920. The amendment prohibits the United States or any state from denying the right to vote based on sex, protecting women's access to the ballot in the Constitution. Led by a bipartisan group of 14 women leaders, the WSCC has a nonpartisan mission to ensure Americans across the country have the opportunity to participate in the centennial and to learn about this important but often overlooked history. Learn more about the WSCC and its initiatives at www.womensvote100.org.

Contact: Kelsey Millay
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission

Related Links

https://www.womensvote100.org