Accessibility links
Black Women, The Right To Vote And The 19th Amendment : 1A Civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer fought for voting rights. She questioned why we have to fight for basic rights and freedoms because of the color of our skin. "Is this America, the land of the free and home of the brave?"

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

1A

Black Women, The Right To Vote And The 19th Amendment

Black Women, The Right To Vote And The 19th Amendment

Listen · 33:15
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/903237839/903269514" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Enlarge this image

The 19th Amendment was ratified 100 years ago this week. ANDREW HARNIK/Andrew Harnik / POOL / AFP hide caption

toggle caption
ANDREW HARNIK/Andrew Harnik / POOL / AFP

The 19th Amendment was ratified 100 years ago this week.

ANDREW HARNIK/Andrew Harnik / POOL / AFP

In 1920, the United States ratified the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. But the struggle to attain that right was a long one. It was fraught with violence, political turmoil and social upheaval.

Many of the earliest activists in the women's suffrage movement didn't even live to cast their ballots. And Black women, who were among the first suffragists, continued to face barriers to voting for decades.

We delve into the lives of some of those Black women who were on the front lines of African American activism and helped all women secure the right to vote.

We heard from Brittany Packnett Cunningham, co-founder of Campaign Zero, an organization that researches policy-backed solutions to ending police brutality and Kate Clarke LeMay a historian at the National Portrait Gallery during the episode.

Like what you hear? Find more of our programs on our website.