On Wednesday, Aug. 26, the Alice Paul Institute (API) is hosting a series of engaging virtual events in celebration of 100 years of women’s voting rights. Aug. 26 is nationally recognized as Women’s Equality Day to mark the day the 19th Amendment became law.
“The Alice Paul Institute is pleased to invite guests to participate in our festivities honoring the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which extended voting rights to women in America,” said Lucienne Beard, API’s Executive Director. “We will hold our celebrations virtually this year, to keep everyone safe during the coronavirus public health crisis. While we cannot celebrate together in person, we are delighted that people across the nation will be able to join us virtually as we celebrate 100 years of women’s voting rights.”
The highlight of the day will be the evening program, “Thanks Alice!”, a virtual toast live-streamed from Paulsdale, Alice Paul’s childhood home in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. Beginning at 7 p.m. EST, Beard and co-host Board Chair Deirdre Webster Cobb will lead guests in a national toast, honoring Alice Paul and the countless women of diverse backgrounds who fought for women’s suffrage in the United States. The event will include brief remarks about Alice Paul’s important leadership in the fight for the constitutional amendment, and a musical performance. More information can be found on API’s website, AlicePaul.org.
Earlier in the day, at 4:30 p.m. EST, API’s Program Director Alyssa Hunt will host “Our Voices, Our Votes,” a virtual event featuring a video recording of teen members of the Girls Leadership Council (GLC) reading personal “Thank You!” notes written to Alice Paul. Earlier in the week the teens gathered at Alice Paul’s gravesite to read their notes, sharing their personal stories of how Alice Paul inspires them to become leaders in their communities. GLC supports teen girls as they develop their unique leadership skills, preparing them to create positive social change, continuing Alice Paul’s work for lasting gender equality. This event will inspire guests as they witness the confidence the next generation of leaders hold within themselves.
“I am deeply proud of how quickly members of the staff and board of directors were able to adapt our long-planned, in-person centennial celebrations to a virtual format,” remarked Beard. “Recent virtual events we’ve hosted brought guests from across the nation, including California, Hawaii, and some international guests, too.”
To ensure that API has the financial support to keep working for legal gender equality and equal voting rights, the non-profit organization will hold its first ever virtual auction, with bidding opening at 4 p.m. on Women’s Equality Day. Development Director Rachael Glashan Rupisan curated an inspired array of truly unique experiences that can’t be found anywhere else.
These exclusive opportunities include a chance to win a private campout experience on the beautiful grounds of Paulsdale, a private wine and cheese happy hour on the stunning wraparound porch of Paulsdale, private virtual cooking classes, original artworks, limited edition book collections, and much more. The virtual auction will raise funds to benefit the Preserving Paulsdale Fund, which supports the maintenance of the beloved farmhouse and National Historic Landmark by funding important preservation projects. The auction will be open from August 26-30.
And for anyone seeking a non-virtual way to participate, people in the Philadelphia metro region are invited to visit Paulsdale in person to experience API’s new self-guided audio tour. Designed in accordance with social distancing regulations, the audio tour allows visitors to explore the 6.5 acres of Paulsdale at their own pace, guided by audio recordings that highlight locations and objects important to the Paul family, the functioning of the once 160 acre farm, and Alice Paul’s childhood. One special stop on the tour is the 200-year-old Copper Beech tree, under which Alice Paul spent hours reading as a young girl.
Lastly, on Women’s Equality Day the Alice Paul Institute invites readers to say “Thanks Alice!” by participating in a social media campaign by wearing purple, the color chosen to symbolize loyalty during the suffrage movement. To participate, API encourages people to post photos of themselves, wearing purple, to their favorite social media stream using the hashtag #THANKSALICE to honor Alice Paul’s role in securing voting rights for women 100 years ago.
Readers are invited to visit AlicePaul.org for more information about Women’s Equality Day events and the self-guided audio tour.
