Wednesday, August 26, 2020, between 11 and noon, the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF Burlington) and the Vermont Suffrage Centennial Alliance (VSCA) will be commemorating the historic passage of the 19th Amendment in front of Burlington's City Hall on Church Street (149 Church Street).

August 26, 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the day the landmark 19th Amendment which prohibits the federal government and any state from denying citizens their right to vote on account of their sex became law. In the final push for suffrage, women picketed in front of the White House six days a week, holding banners and using silence as protest. These Silent Sentinels, numbering approximately 2,000 over two and a half years, faced arrest, derision, torture, and jail.

Though unfortunately women of color, as did men of color, still faced barriers to voting.

Silent no more, Vermont women and men will be urging passers-by to reflect on the importance of the vote for all citizens in our democracy. We will be carrying non-partisan signs, singing suffrage songs, wearing 1920s apparel or Votes for Women sashes, engaging in dialog about the importance of voting, and passing out voter information. All attendees will be asked to observe protocols of social distancing and face coverings.

Oct 26 to 27, 2024

Oct 26, 2024, 5:30 to 7 PM

Oct 29, 2024, 3 to 5 PM