Monday, Oct. 3, at 12:10 p.m., U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will announce the bipartisan Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission Act at Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute, 310 Genesee St., Utica. This legislation would establish a Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission in honor of the 100th anniversary of the passage and ratification of 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guaranteed women the right to vote.
The Commission will work with federal, state and local governments, private organizations, as well as Congress to develop and coordinate educational activities for Americans to learn about the suffrage movement. Under this legislation, the Commission would have the ability to award grants to organizations in New York and across the country to support programs commemorating the anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
The State of New York was the birthplace of the women’s suffrage movement and it hosts some of the most legendary landmarks that helped shape this monumental gain in America’s history. New York was a powerful force in the movement for equal rights for women and the passage and ratification of the Nineteenth amendment.
This bill provides the opportunity for New York to be recognized as an instrumental part in the struggle for women’s suffrage by providing grant funding for programs and activities that commemorate the efforts of the movement and the role of New Yorkers who promoted the core values of our democracy.