The year 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage. As part of a national campaign to commemorate this historic event, North Carolina’s Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) is coordinating a campaign titled “She Changed the World: NC Women Breaking Barriers” March 2019, continuing through November 2020. American women were granted the right to vote with the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified on August 18, 1920, after a 72-year fight by suffragists. The 19th Amendment did not resolve the issue of suffrage for women of color, who continued to battle for voting rights for decades. 

Our goal is to share and celebrate the achievements of ALL North Carolina women and illuminate North Carolinian women's pivotal role in breaking down barriers in North Carolina and the nation. 

The 19th Amendment was an incomplete victory. The amendment did not guarantee suffrage for all women, and the struggle for full enfranchisement continues today. Until recently, many of the suffragists who struggled to secure a place for women in American democracy—both before and after the 19th Amendment—were left out of our history books. We’ll tell their stories.

For questions or more information, please contact:

Kaytee Smith
Chief Content Officer
kaytee.smith@ncdcr.gov