‘Women’s Votes, Voters’ Voices’  is an exhibit produced by the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Los Alamos to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which guaranteed women the right to vote. Courtesy/LWV

Los Alamos city manager plan from Dec. 12, 1947. Courtesy/LWV

LWV News:

You may have heard of Susan B. Anthony, but have you heard of  Nina Otero-Warren or Alice Paul? They, too, were prominent suffragists who fought for women’s right to vote. 

‘Women’s Votes, Voters’ Voices’ is an exhibit produced by the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Los Alamos to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which guaranteed women the right to vote.

The exhibit, delayed a year because of pandemic closures, tells the stories of the fight for voting rights in our nation, state, and county. It focuses on the numerous endeavors and successes of the League of Women Voters at the state and local levels, including the important role played by the LWV of Los Alamos to gain full suffrage for county residents. 

Come learn about the suffragists who helped gain voting rights for American women and learn about the members of the local League of Women Voters who led county citizens in formulating a governing charter, in getting their own voting rights, and in improving living conditions on The Hill. 

The exhibit will be on display Aug. 21-Sept. 21 at the Step Up Gallery at Mesa Public Library:

• See mannequins dressed in vintage clothing 
• Take a selfie with a suffragist in jail 
• Put in a piece of the jigsaw puzzle featuring famous suffragists 
• Play the Votes for Women board game 
• Watch a slide show and 
• Enter a drawing to win a suffragist sash or a poster

Step Up Gallery is located on the upper level of Mesa Public Library, 2400 Central Ave., Los Alamos.

Current hours are:

• 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday – Thursday
• 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday
• 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday
• Closed Sundays.

Masks are required for admission. 

Three talks about women’s suffrage will complement the exhibit, all talks can be attended by  registering on the Los Alamos Library Event Calendar:  

• We Demand the Right to Vote: An Evening with Meneese Wall, with artist and author Meneese Wall, 6 p.m. Aug. 23, by Zoom. Register on the Los Alamos Library event calendar. 
• Ganaron el Voto: Woman Suffrage and Suffragists in New Mexico, with Sylvia Ramos Cruz, retired general surgeon, writer, and women’s rights activist, 6 p.m. Aug. 30, hybrid event by Zoom and in person at Mesa Public Library Meeting Room 2/3. Register on the Los Alamos Library event calendar. 
• La Nina: The Story of Nina Otero-Warren, presented by Deborah Blanche in a Chautauqua  dramatization, 6 p.m. Sept. 16, by Zoom. Co-sponsored by the Los Alamos Historical  Society. Register on the Los Alamos Library event calendar. 

For further information, contact rebecca.shankland@gmail.com, libweb@lacnm.us, or  manager@stepupgallery.org.

League of Women Voters (LWV) of Los Alamos suffrage group in downtown Los Alamos. Courtesy/LWV