Our country will celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution on Aug. 26, 2020. The first paragraph of the Nineteenth Amendment, also known as the “Susan B. Anthony Amendment,” establishes that “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”

Prior to its adoption, women had no guaranteed right to vote in state or federal elections. When they tried to cast their vote at their local polling place, they were often turned away or had their votes invalidated after the fact, as happened to the well-known suffragist Susan B. Anthony in November 1872.

Susan B. Anthony continues to be an inspiration. Beginning at the age of 17, she worked to make society more equitable, and her accomplishments on behalf of the abolitionist and suffragist movements remind us of how far our country has progressed. Her persistence in the face of setbacks also reminds us that we must continue to face present challenges with courage and fortitude.

We are proud and excited to be partnering with the federal Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission to commemorate the achievements of Susan B. Anthony and all her fellow suffragists. From now through Aug. 26, we will work to educate Hawaii’s keiki about the significance of the Nineteenth Amendment, voting rights and women’s equality.

In commemorating this centennial year, we more broadly celebrate the concept of women’s equality. Women have come a long way since 1848, when the first women’s rights convention met in Seneca Falls, N.Y., and 68 women and 32 men signed a Declaration of Sentiments that set the agenda for the women’s rights movement. Over the next 72 years, multiple generations of suffragist women and men fought for this basic right to be recognized, and the Nineteenth Amendment finally secured women’s right to vote in 1920.

This victory opened other doors to achieving gender equality. Women today are productive, fully contributing members of society, with their own voices, and with the ability to make their own professional and personal life choices.

We, the authors of this article, are proud to represent the state of Hawaii as its attorney general, first deputy attorney general, and solicitor general. And, we are proud that the Department of the Attorney General, through its many dedicated employees, is so deeply committed to the continued fight, in the courts of law, to preserve and further expand equality for all people.

We should all, men and women alike, honor the suffragists’ hard-earned constitutional victory by participating in the electoral process. However, our message is not simply to “go vote.” Our democracy depends upon an informed electorate of Hawaii citizens who are educated about the important challenges that have historically and presently face Hawaii and our nation.

We hope that in sharing the suffragists’ story and celebrating their legacy, Hawaii’s keiki will more fully appreciate the extraordinary responsibility that underlies the right to vote, and that, as they come of voting age, they mindfully embrace this important civic duty.

Over the next few months, our office will bring our Nineteenth Amendment centennial campaign directly to Hawaii’s keiki. We will be introducing them to “Flat Susan B,” an iconic cartoon drawing of Anthony that is modeled after the well-known “Flat Stanley” educational tool. We will be encouraging them to decorate “Flat Susan B,” to take pictures with her, and, ultimately, to learn about her life and her efforts to achieve equal voting rights for women.

We are excited to bring “Flat Susan B” into classrooms, to youth groups, and to as many boys and girls as we can reach. We hope that you and your children will join us on this educational and historical journey.

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MORE ABOUT THE 100TH

For more information on the 100-year anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment and the “Flat Susan B” project, see the Department of the Attorney General website (ag.hawaii.gov) and the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission’s website (womensvote100.org).

School or youth organization representatives interested in partnering with the attorney general on this project can call (808) 586-1360.

Clare E. Connors is the attorney general of Hawaii; Dana O. Viola is first deputy attorney general; Kimberly T. Guidry is solicitor general.