In honor of National Women’s History Month and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, the WILL (Women in Learning and Leadership) Academic Program and WILL Student Organization, will host a kick-off event via Zoom called “The Intersections of the 19th Amendment: Panel Discussion and Q&A” at 7 p.m. on March 4.

The event will include a panel discussion and an audience question and answer session examining the legacy and impact of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the constitutional right to vote.

Brookdale students, alumni, and faculty members will consider important questions regarding the history of the women’s suffrage movement, especially historically marginalized activists. The event will also focus on the connections between the suffrage movement and current women’s rights issues that will affect the next generation of women’s rights leaders and activists.

Although the women’s rights movement has made a great deal of progress, gender inequality is pervasive in our society today. According to the Center for American Progress, many people still do not have voting rights. Voter suppression efforts target immigrant, racial minority, LGBTQ, and disabled female voters (Bleiwels et al., 2020). It is important for Americans to work together to ensure that every eligible individual is granted the right to vote.

The event is supported by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities through the “NJ Women Vote: The 19th Amendment at 100” initiative. Roseanne Alvarez, a Brookdale English Professor, is the advisor of the WILL Program and WILL Student Organization. For more information on the WILL initiative, go to this link: https://www.brookdalecc.edu/will/.

If you would like to learn more about women’s rights and discuss issues with the Brookdale community, you should attend this event. Contact Professor Alvarez at [email protected] for more information.