08/18/2026
🚺On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment—the final approval needed to expand women’s voting rights across the United States.
But the right to vote was not accessible to all women. Black women faced discriminatory laws, intimidation, violence, and other barriers designed to keep them from the ballot box. Through the courage and persistence of Black suffragists and civil rights activists, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 became a landmark step toward protecting all Black Americans’ right to vote.
Today, we stand on the shoulders of Black suffragists and voting-rights activists, including Mary Ann Shadd Cary, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Mary Church Terrell, Nannie Helen Burroughs, Daisy Elizabeth Adams Lampkin, Ida B. Wells, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Mary McLeod Bethune, who fought for voting rights, racial equality, and democracy.
Their legacy reminds us that generations of courageous women fought for, expanded, and protected the right to vote. Please honor them by protecting and exercising that right. ✊🏾🗳️
Southern Area of The Links The Links, Incorporated 💚🤍🔗
