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A Year of Suffrage Commemoration

As a result of the innovative and forward thinking by former Lieutenant Governor Donna Lynne, on January 3, 2019, former Governor John W. Hickenlooper issued an Executive Order creating the Colorado Women’s Vote Centennial Commission. Along with support from staff at History Colorado and grassroots groups across the state, the Commission embarked on  a mission to engage residents of all 64 Colorado counties on the history of women’s suffrage, commemorate the centennial of women’s suffrage, and to elevate the struggle for women’s suffrage as a learning opportunity. For many people involved in this mission, including myself, it evolved from examining the past to getting a glimpse into the future.

Colorado Elected Women Firsts Panel

(L to R) State Senator Angela Williams; former State Senator and Colorado Women's Vote Centennial Commissioner Polly Baca; State Representative Brianna Titone; and former Speaker of the House and Colorado Women's Vote Centennial Commissioner Lola Spradley.

Governor Hickenlooper appointed several inspiring and history-making women to serve on the Women’s Vote Centennial Commission. Lauren Casteel, Commissioner and President and CEO of the Colorado Women’s Foundation, moved to diversify the commission by including women like Polly Baca, the first Latina State Senator and Lucille Echohawk, Executive Director of the Denver Indian Family Resource Center. Governor Jared Polis expanded the commission to include several more outstanding women to help carry out this mission.

The committee consists of 33 women from all ranks of state leadership throughout Colorado. Each woman selected has a proven sense of commitment to democracy by their public service to others. The commissioners have dedicated their lives to the betterment of Colorado and our nation by taking roles in local, state, and national levels of government, education, non-profit leadership, and community activism, many in multiple capacities at once. As a direct result of the commissioners’ commitment to the advancement of our country, many more women are inspired to rise up and make a difference.

History demonstrates that the fight for women’s suffrage did not stop after the passage of the 19th Amendment. History Colorado’s speaker series Bold Women. Change History. centers scholars, activists, journalists and even an astronaut who challenge the misconception that women cannot make change. The power of the vote for women became the catalyst for a revolution, but not the end of the fight for equality. A network of collaborating partners that range from scholars to community partners have used this past year to examine suffrage and its leaders.

Two labor leaders meet

Labor leaders Dolores Huerta (left) and Josette Jaramillo meet at the reception for Huerta's talk in the Bold Women. Change History. speaker series.

This work also uncovered that there is little to no information on Latina women in Colorado who took part in the suffrage movement. However, I have no doubt that they were part of the struggle. This fact is disheartening to me as a woman with Mestiza ancestry, but I am equally inspired by women like former State Senator Angela Giron,  and former Speaker of the House Crisanta Duran, the first Latina to hold the position. Both won a seat at the table and will now be recognized in the history of Colorado. On their shoulders, Latinas will continue to represent Coloradans from all walks of life.

This incredible mission took many shapes and forms from symposiums, lectures and events that have informed our past and our future. Without the many partners in this work this endeavor would not have transformed to something so meaningful. Standing with many of them on the steps of the State Capitol on August 26, 2019, the Women’s Vote Centennial Commission set off an extraordinary year of activities and will culminate from August 22-27, 2020, with a week of events in concert with as many commissioners and partners as possible. 

It has been an incredible year of history and an inspiring look into the future.