Smithsonian poster exhibition at the Fernandina Beach Library

Friends of Fernandina Library announced the opening of a new exhibit in the Fernandina Beach Library Community Exhibit Room: “Votes for Women — A Portrait in Persistence.” The exhibit, part of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition program, opened September 21, 2024. It highlights the more than 80-year effort it took for women to gain the right to vote.

The Smithsonian’s poster exhibition celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and explores the complexity of the women’s suffrage movement. The struggle for women’s suffrage is one of the longest reform movements in American history. Between 1832 and 1920, women organized for the right to vote, first agitating in their states and eventually petitioning for a federal amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Based on a National Portrait Gallery exhibition, the poster exhibition reminds us of the hard-fought battles that women fought to finally get the right to vote.

The Fernandina Beach Community Library is located at 24 N. Fourth St. The current exhibit is open for viewing until Dec. 20 during regular library hours.