Votes for Women! The Oregon Story


Women in Oregon won the right to vote in 1912, nearly a decade before most women of the United States achieved suffrage in 1920. Votes for Women! The Oregon Story explores the campaign undertaken by courageous women (and men) who were determined to give Oregon women equal access to the voting booth.

The success of the woman suffrage movement propelled women into civic and political roles that may seem ordinary to us one hundred years later. More than four decades of struggle before 1912 and a century of action after it place women at the center of political and civic life in our state. Come learn about this vital chapter in Oregon’s history.


OPENING RECEPTION
Wednesday, February 1 • 6–7:30 p.m.
Collins Gallery, 3rd floor of the Central Library
801 SW 10th Avenue
Join us for refreshments and remarks from Secretary of State Kate Brown, the Honorable Avel Gordly, Professor Kimberly Jensen, and special guests. Margie Boule will provide the singing!


Petticoat Postcards!

Sunday, February 26, 2–3:30 p.m.
Author Ruth Tenzer Feldman will read from and sign her young adult historical novel, Blue Thread (available for sale). The book features a scandalous 1906 “petticoat card,” and the author will help voters-to-be design postcards to send to government leaders. Presented in conjunction with the Votes for Women! The Oregon Story exhibition. Family Friendly.


Yours for Liberty: Abigail Scott Duniway

Sunday, March 4, 2–3:30 p.m. in the US Bank Room
Jean Ward and Elaine Maveety, co-authors of Yours for Liberty: Selections from Abigail Scott Duniway’s Suffrage Newspaper, will introduce Duniway through a visual presentation followed by a lively exchange of her women’s rights and woman suffrage writings. Presented in conjunction with the Votes for Women! The Oregon Story exhibition.


C O L L I N S G A L L E R Y
3rd floor, Central Library • 801 S.W. 10th Ave., Portland
Gallery Hours: Sun. noon–5 p.m. • Mon. 10 a.m.–6 p.m. • Tue. & Wed. 10 a.m.–8 p.m. • Thu.–Sat. 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

Presented by Century of Action, celebrating 100 years of Oregon women’s right to vote and advancing the understanding of women’s citizenship in Oregon’s history.


Visit www.centuryofaction.org for related programs and more information.

Back to Top