APSU commemorating women’s suffrage anniversary with year of special events
CLARKSVILLE, TN – On the unbearable hot morning of Aug. 26, 1920, anyone fanning themselves with that day’s Nashville Tennessean newspaper saw a frontpage photo of Gov. A. H. Roberts signing the state’s passage of the 19th Amendment. The historic image capped what Montgomery County Historian Eleanor Williams later called “one of the most remarkable and successful nonviolent, civil rights efforts the world had ever seen.”
“The suffragists were harassed, attacked by mobs; and thrown in jail,” Williams wrote for the Montgomery County Historical Society website. “They re-emphasized the importance of the most fundamental democratic values – the right to vote and that a peaceful political change was possible.”
During those difficult, early years, a Clarksville lawyer named Austin Peay supported the effort by joining the Tennessee Men’s League in November 1914. This year, in the lead up to the 100th anniversary of that amendment, the University that now bears his name will host a series of events to commemorate the historic milestone.
Several events are still in the planning stage and will be announced later, but an initial listing includes the following:
- 1:30 p.m., Sept. 30, 2019 – Discussion of the 2018 book, “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics,” in the Wilbur N. Daniel African American Cultural Center.
- 6 p.m., Oct. 3, 2019 – Screening of the 2004 film, “Iron Jawed Angels,” about the American women's suffrage leaders Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, in the Morgan University Center (MUC) ballroom. This event is open to APSU students, faculty and staff.
- 12:15 p.m., Nov. 11, 2019 – Discussion of the 2018 book, “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics,” in the Wilbur N. Daniel African American Cultural Center.
- Spring 2020, date TBD – The APSU Athletics Department will host an art exhibit depicting how the women’s suffrage movement influenced women in sports, particularly at Austin Peay. This exhibit is tentatively scheduled for February to coincide with National Women and Girls in Sports Day.
- 4 p.m., March 26, 2020 – Paula F. Casey, women’s suffrage scholar and author of “The Perfect 36: Tennessee Delivers Woman Suffrage,” will give the second Betty Joe Wallace Lecture in MUC 303-305. The lecture series is named after the late Betty Joe Wallace, APSU history professor and first director of the University’s Women and Gender Studies Program.
- 31, 2020 – Discussion of the 2018 book, “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics.” The time and location will be announced closer to the event.
Several other University departments are developing events to commemorate the anniversary. Information on those events will available soon at www.apsu.edu/news.
News Feed
View All News
The Graduating Class Gift Campaign, established in 2018, helps support college-specific funds and essential student resources across campus.
Read More
The event, held in the Morgan University Center Ballroom, brought together students from Teaching as a Profession (TAP) programs across Middle Tennessee for a morning of hands-on activities, demonstrations, and networking opportunities.
Read More
Two hours after his interview with the Clarksville Police Department (CPD), Army veteran Dustin Zook had a job offer in hand--a swift result powered by the preparation he built through Austin Peay State University's Military-Affiliated Professionals Program (MAPP).
Read More