LEONIA, N.J.—A century ago, women across America and their allies successfully advocated for their right to vote. Soon after the 19th Amendment was ratified by Congress on Aug. 18, 1920, the League of Women Voters formed to help organize newly-enfranchised women to take a larger role in public affairs.
The movement had taken shape, in part, in the Northern Valley, where suffragist leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton had attempted to vote in Tenafly 40 years earlier, in 1880; she later wrote a history of the suffrage movement at her borough home, along with collaborator Susan B. Anthony.
The League of Women Voters of Northern Valley (LWVNV) commemorated the centennial milestone at “Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote,” held Feb. 10 at Leonia High School and attended by about 150 people from throughout the region.
Today, the league continues to inform communities at the state and local level, while encouraging civic engagement and advocating for women’s rights in government forums.
The non-partisan and nonprofit league works with 700 state and local leagues in all 50 states, Washington D.C., the Virgin Islands and Hong Kong.
“Getting the vote 100 years ago took persistent advocacy, and the League’s focus on advocacy continues,” said LWVNV board member Vicki Sidrow. “These issues included such areas as the environment, gun control, immigration, education, healthcare, equal rights, civil rights, women’s reproductive rights, human trafficking and many others. By speaking up about what we believe in, we can and do make a difference!”
The League of Women Voters of Northern Valley was founded in 1946 as the League of Women Voters of Closter. Over the years, it expanded and now draws members from 29 municipalities in Bergen County. The LWVNV offers voters services and programs, including candidates’ forums, registration drives, dissemination of nonpartisan information about candidates and issues, and public meetings to discuss current issues.
Recalling the drama of how women fought for generations to claim their place at the ballot box, guest speaker Carol Simon Levin presented her program, “Reclaiming Our Voice: New Jersey’s Role in the Fight for Woman Suffrage.” Dressed in a turn-of-the-century outfit, she meticulously reenacted the history of the suffrage movement and the role played by leaders in the struggle.
To many people’s surprise, Levin pointed out that in 1920, the 19th amendment would not have had enough legislative votes to pass (36 was required) had it not been given a last-minute affirmative vote from Tennessee that was brought about by the lobbying efforts of the Suffragettes.
Levin chronicled events and notables in the long-fought battle for women’s rights, such as New Jersey Woman Suffrage Association founder Lucy Stone, Anthony, Stanton, and many more.
Following Levin’s presentation, several speakers discussed LWV current initiatives and events in which the chapter is involved, including the 2020 decennial census, People Powered Fair Maps and national redistricting reform, voter registration, and candidate forums.
At the event, Bergen County Division of Cultural & Historic Affairs Director Cynthia Forster presented the LWVNV with a proclamation on behalf of Bergen County.
The next generation of women voters—Leonia High School students—sat in the front row, eager to participate in the program.
Freshman Sophia Arzeno said, “It’s important to learn about how hard women struggled to get the right to vote, a right everyone should have.”
Her classmate, Kirsten Klingner, added, “I like this era of history because it is about women’s empowerment.”
The celebration ended with the cutting of a large cake that read “Creating a More Perfect Democracy” and plates of cookies that had been made by students in the Leonia High School Culinary Program.
The event was a great combination of the festive nature of LWVNV’s 100th Anniversary and an appreciation of the hard-earned victory to obtain women’s right to vote.
