A Legacy in the Balance: The Unfinished “Fight”

Carrie Chapman Catt proposed the organization of the League of Women Voters to “finish the fight”. Catt, and others, realized that the winning of suffrage would not be an ending, but rather a beginning- the beginning of new struggles for full citizenship for women. As the nation celebrates the legacy of the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment and the founding of the League of Women Voters, we recognize that after 100 years, the “fight” is still not finished, particularly for the marginalized and underrepresented segments of the society.   The significance of the events of 2020 ad 2021 place us at a crossroads. The basic tenets of our democratic nation are being challenged.  By celebrating the unabridged version of the past, and acknowledging lessons learned, we have this opportunity in the present, to define the future- to “finish the fight”. This is our call to action for the next 100 years!