100 Years After the Nineteenth Amendment

A Resource Guide
The American Psychological Association’s Committee on Women in Psychology celebrates the efforts of all the women who fought for this right 100 hundred years ago.

The year 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing and protecting women's constitutional right to vote. CWP has prepared a guide, which will inform 19th Amendment celebration planners by contextualizing the impact of the 19th Amendment’s adoption on women’s lives, particularly for women of color, women with disabilities, poor women, and other women.

Why Intersectionality Matters

Many groups, of different races, ages, abilities, classes and backgrounds fought during the suffragist movement to achieve this goal. Yet, the suffrage movement was fraught with what we have come to understand as intersectionality, or the systematic oppression reinforced based upon multiple marginalized identities. When the 19th Amendment was ratified and adopted on August 18, 1920, all U.S. citizens were given the right to vote regardless of their sex. This major feat was not celebratory for non-White women. The key word is citizen. For example, while the 15th Amendment granted Black women as citizens, this was not fully operationalized. A U.S. citizen has the following rights:

  • Freedom to express yourself.
  • Freedom to worship as you wish.
  • Right to a prompt, fair trial by jury.
  • Right to vote in elections for public officials.
  • Right to apply for federal employment requiring U.S. citizenship.
  • Right to run for elected office.
  • Freedom to pursue “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Due to Jane and Jim Crow laws, laws that segregated people based on sex and race, Black women were systematically prevented from practicing their rights as American citizens. As a result, the 1920 19th Amendment did not allow for their full rights to be realized. The Civil Rights Act of 1965 is widely acknowledged as the turning point for Black or African Americans as U.S. citizens, as it granted the right to vote, among other civil rights. Indigenous or Native American women fared similarly. In fact, despite being born on lands that became the U.S., they were not granted citizenship until the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, also known as the Snyder Act was signed into law on June 2, 1924. Still, many states prevented Indigenous/Native Americans and Latinx people from voting until the Civil Rights Act of 1965, with additional voting protections up until the early 1980s. For Asian women, it was not until 1952, or the McCarran-Walter Act, which granted Asian-Americans the right to become citizens and vote. Still, their rights were further expanded by the Civil Rights Act of 1965.  

The 19th Amendment, also known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment of the United States Constitution, guaranteed women the right to vote. Specifically, it stated:

“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. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."
Failure to consider the role of intersectionality in 1920 resulted in delayed rights for all women. We are experiencing similar structural barriers to the right to vote today, 100 years later. Some of these include gerrymandering, strict identification laws, failure to restore the voting rights act and last-minute changes to polling places. Other barriers are directly related to a woman’s multiple identities.  For example, women with disabilities did not have access to vote via the 19th amendment.  Accommodations were not required until the National Voting Rights Act passed in 1965. This legislation provided provisions to allow individuals with disabilities to receive accommodations in voting. However, the most comprehensive legislation for access occurred with the passage of the American with Disabilities Act in 1990. This law has accessibility requirements for registration, polling site location, and casting ballots. The Help America Vote Act in 2002 further required jurisdictions to provide each polling place to have at least one accessible voting system in federal elections. 

“I will cut off this right arm of mine before I will ever work or demand the ballot for the Negro and not the woman.”
—Susan B. Anthony, One of Divided Sisters: Bridging the Gap Between Black and White Women by Midge Wilson & Kathy Russell, Anchor, 1996— and PBS.org

For trans women, voter identification laws may limit the ability to vote. States that require voters to present an ID that matches their name results in disenfranchisement for trans women who aren’t able to obtain identification that accurately reflects their gender, name, or appearance. Even states without ID laws may turn a trans voter away. Just knowing that this is a possibility discourages trans women voters from exercising their voting rights - they may feel disempowered and won’t even go to the polls to try to vote. In the COVID-19 pandemic era, these issues are heightened even more.

The Committee on Women in Psychology stands on the shoulders of the diverse women who fought for the right to vote for women then and today. During this centennial anniversary, we appreciate the sacrifices and struggle of the women who came before us, but we acknowledge today, the rights of women are currently under attack. The right to vote is critical to address the issues our society is facing today. And women have much more to contribute to our society. We offer the following resources for more information on nationwide celebrations and organizations protecting our voting rights.

Celebrate the vote

Ways you can celebrate women’s right to vote in this centennial celebration, ensure inclusivity, and promote psychology’s principles and practices.


1. Protect the right to vote

Work in your local community to ensure all women, regardless or race, class, sex, gender, sexuality, geography and ability are able to access their right to vote this fall.

2. Ensure full representation of all women

Address voter suppression. Partner with organizations such as American Civil Liberties Union, League of Women Voters, Fair Fight and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People who are committed to ensuring all citizens have the right to vote.

3. Encourage and support women

Support women, especially women psychologists who seek political office.

4. Participate in the #CiteBlackWomen or #CiteASista movements

Consider citing Black, Indigenous and Women of Color psychologists in your work, as well as supporting public scholarship like podcasts. Below are some to get you started. (This is not an exhaustive list.)

Black women

  • Joy Harden Bradfordopens in new window, PhD, a Licensed Psychologist, Speaker, Author, Media Personality, and the host of the wildly popular mental health podcast, Therapy for Black Girlsopens in new window.

  • Gloria Twine Chisumopens in new window, PhD, first African American woman to serve on APA Board of Directors.

  • Mamie Phipps Clarkopens in new window, PhD, was influential to the Civil Rights movement and her expertise allowed her to testify as an expert witness in several school desegregation cases. She also conducted experiments on racial biases in education at the Northside Center for Child Development she opened with her husband in Harlem.

  • Patricia S. Cowningsopens in new window, PhD, an aerospace psychophysiologist, was the first African American female scientist to be trained as an astronaut by NASA. She is the principal investigator of Psychophysiological Research Laboratories at NASA Ames Research Center. She patented the Autogenic-Feedback Training System, which allows astronauts to control their space motion sickness.

  • Jessica Henderson-Daniel, PhD, first African American woman president of the American Psychological Association.

more

Indigenous women

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Latinx women

  • Patricia Arredondo, PhD, a counseling psychologist, whose work has focused on multicultural organizational competencies and multicultural counseling competencies.

  • Martha E. Bernalopens in new window, PhD, was the first Latina to receive a PhD in psychology in the United States, and contributed significantly to the advancement of ethnic minority psychology. She applied much of her research to increase the status of ethnic minority recruitment,retention and training of graduate students. 
  • Cristalis Capieloopens in new window, PhD, a counseling psychologist, whose research has focused on examining the multisystemic and intersecting determinants of health and migration among Latinxs, particularly Puerto Ricans.
  • Ana Mari Cauceopens in new window, PhD, first Latina president of University of Washington.
  • Nayeli Chavezopens in new window, PhD, a clinical psychologist, whose research focuses on race and racial relations, barriers to mental health service provision of Latinx clients, culturally based teaching approaches, and implicit racial/ethnic bias.
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Asian American/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander women

  • Estefania Aldaba-Limopens in new window, PhD, first Filipina to earn a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and first woman named to be a special representative for the United Nations.

  • Anjuli Aminopens in new window, PhD, a clinical psychologist with a background in behavioral medicine and social justice.
  • Alice Chang, PhD, first ethnic minority woman member of the American Psychological Association Board of Directors.
  • Jean Lau Chinopens in new window, PhD, the first Asian American to be licensed as a psychologist in Massachusetts.An international voice on issues including global leadership, diversity and women’s issues.

  • Judy Chuopens in new window, PhD, first Asian American woman psychologist elected to United States House of Representatives.

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Middle Eastern/North African women

  • Kamilia Abdelfattah, pioneering Egyptian developmental psychologist, she was the founder and first Dean of the Childhood Studies Center at Cairo University.

  • Mona Ameropens in new window, PhD, is a clinicial psychologist who focuses on minority mental health, with a specialization in the Arab and Muslim American minorities.

  • Germine Gigi Awadopens in new window, PhD, is an applied psychologist who studies the effects of acculturation and identity on discrimination of people of Arab/Middle Eastern descent and African Americans. 

  • Lilia Labidiopens in new window, co-founder of the Society of Arab Psychologists and Tunisian Minister for Women’s Affairs.

  • Brigitte Khouryopens in new window, founding president of the Lebanese Psychological Association.

LGBTQ+ community

  • Tania Israel, PhD, Congressional Woman of the Year (CA 24th District), who recently published a book about how to have political conversations with people whose perspectives are different from your own. Read an interview with heropens in new window or follow her on Twitter: @Tania_Israel.
  • Dr. Connie Chanopens in new window, is the first woman of color who identifies as LGBT to be appointed as a tenured professor and as associate dean at the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston.
  • Dr. Oliva M. Espín, is a pioneer in the practice and theory of therapy with women from different cultural backgrounds, particularly immigrant and refugee women.
  • Dr. Beverly Greeneopens in new window, is the founding co-editor of the APA Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity book series Psychological Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Issues. 

Women with disabilities

  • Erin Andrewsopens in new window, PhD, is a clinical psychologist whose work primarily focuses on the needs of parents with disabilities.

  • Alette Coble-Templeopens in new window, PhD, is a counseling psychologist, works in the areas of disability research and policy, performance enhancement, coaching, and provides clinical practice to a variety of populations especially children, adolescents, and families within the legal system.

  • Anjali Forber-Prattopens in new window, PhD, is a professor in human and organizational development who studies identity, equity, and empowerment of individuals with disabilities. 

  • Sonya Kimopens in new window, PhD, is a researcher in rehabilitation psychology who examines factors related to multiple sclerosis and traumatic brain injury. 

  • Poorna Kushalnagaropens in new window, PhD, directs the Deaf Health Communication and Quality of Life Research Lab at Gallaudet University. Her primary research interests in deaf patient reported outcomes and health communication research.

5. Partner with organizations

 

Key Resources and References

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