We Demand: Women's Suffrage in Virginia
On display from January 13, 2020 to May 28, 2021, We Demand: Women’s Suffrage in Virginia commemorated the 2020 centennial of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing women the right to vote.
Using the Library’s rich collection of Equal Suffrage League materials along with other documentary sources, the exhibition described the tactics, strategies, successes, and setbacks of women from all across the commonwealth as they attempted to add a woman suffrage amendment first to the state constitution and later to the U.S. Constitution.
We Demand highlights women who have rarely appeared in history books, including a number of African American suffragists who courageously worked for the vote despite the risks of doing so in the Jim Crow era. The Virginia woman suffrage movement was complex. It involved many more interesting women than we have realized before. We Demand introduces us to their stories.
Timeline of the Campaign for Woman Suffrage in Virginia
Equal Suffrage League of Virginia Chapters
After the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia was founded in 1909, members began organizing local leagues across the state, establishing more than 140 chapters by 1918. Click on each pin on the map to learn more about the founding of the local leagues. We would love to learn more about these groups, their members, and their activities. Check with your local library, historical society, or family members. Read old newspapers—many are available at Virginia Chronicle. The Equal Suffrage League of Virginia Records have also been digitized and are available through the Library’s online catalog. If you find more information about suffrage activity in your locality, we would love to hear from you. Please share it with us at education@lva.virginia.gov.
Additional Resources
Learn more about the campaign for women's voting rights in our book and The UncommonWealth blog, by watching our In the Gallery videos, or by browsing our digital collections.
Campaign for Woman Suffrage in Virginia
This book by Library staff documents the remarkable women who fought for voting rights in the commonwealth.
The UncommonWealth Blog
Visit The UncommonWealth to learn more about the long campaign for woman suffrage in Virginia in our series of blog posts.
In the Gallery
Watch our In the Gallery videos on our YouTube playlist with Library of Virginia staff discussing different items on display in our gallery exhibition.
Equal Suffrage League Digital Collection
Explore the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia records, including letters, meeting minutes, and local chapter information.
Congressional Union, Virginia Branch Digital Collection
The minute book documenting activities of the Virginia Branch of the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage has been digitized.
Dictionary of Virginia Biography
Learn more about notable suffragists and anti-suffragists in our online Dictionary of Virginia Biography.
Virginia Women Who Campaigned for the Vote
Black Suffragists
Many Black Virginians supported woman suffrage, but their voices were muted in Virginia as they were excluded from the groups organized by white women. Black women worked separately to promote women's voting rights through their women's clubs, political study groups, and in the pages of local and national publications. Learn about these women and more in the Dictionary of Virginia Biography.
Janie Porter Barrett
Social reformer and educator Janie Porter Barrett believed that voting was the duty of all Americans.
Rosa Dixon Bowser
Educator Rosa D. Bowser advocated numerous social reforms, including women's voting rights.
Edna Meade Colson
College professor Edna M. Colson was one of the first Black women to register to vote in 1920.
Emma Virginia Lee Kelley
Emma V. Kelley urged women to register to vote after successfully suing the Norfolk registrar to be allowed to do so.
Josephine B. Mathews Norcom
Public health advocate Josephine B. Norcom advocated a woman suffrage amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Equal Suffrage League of Virginia
A group of prominent Richmond women organized the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia in 1909 to lobby for an amendment to the state constitution allowing women to vote on equal terms with men. They sought to build support for women's voting rights at a time when most Virginians opposed woman suffrage. Learn about these women and more in the Dictionary of Virginia Biography.
Adèle Clark
Artist Adèle Clark used her talent to promote the campaign for women's voting rights while helping establish local leagues statewide.
Mary Johnston
Best-selling novelist Mary Johnston wielded her pen in support of women's voting rights.
Fannie Stratton Bayly King
As president of the Staunton Equal Suffrage League, Fannie B. King faced ostracism from family members over her beliefs.
Elizabeth Dabney Langhorne Lewis
Founder of the Lynchburg Equal Suffrage League, Elizabeth Lewis helped establish local leagues across the state.
Faith Walcott Morgan
Faith Morgan traveled across Virginia by railroad canvassing for woman suffrage and securing signatures on petitions to the General Assembly.
Eudora Woolfolk Ramsay Richardson
Eudora Ramsay Richardson organized dozens of local leagues from the Eastern Shore to the Shenandoah Valley.
Lila Hardaway Meade Valentine
President of Equal Suffrage League, Lila Meade Valentine made speeches across Virginia while organizing dozens of local leagues.
Ida Mae Thompson
As secretary of the Equal Suffrage League she kept the state headquarters running smoothly and preserved the League's records.
National Woman's Party, Virginia Branch
In 1915 a small group of women organized the Virginia branch of the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage, which advocated amending the U.S. Constitution to authorize woman suffrage. Renamed the National Woman's Party in 1917, members forced national attention on their cause by going to jail for their belief in equal voting rights. Learn about these women and more in the Dictionary of Virginia Biography.
Pauline Forstall Colclough Adams
After being arrested while picketing at the White House, Pauline Adams served 60 days in prison.
Maud Powell Jamison
Working in the National Woman's Party headquarters, Maud Jamison regularly joined suffrage demonstrations and was arrested multiple times.
Julia Somerville Jennings
As chair of the Virginia branch's legislative committee, Julia Jennings lobbied the General Assembly and Congress for woman suffrage.
Mary Morris Hall Lockwood
Chair of the Arlington branch, Mary M. Lockwood organized fundraisers, lobbied legislators, and picketed at the White House.
Sophie Gooding Rose Meredith
Founding president of the Virginia branch, Sophie Meredith advocated voting and equal rights for women.
Elizabeth Langhorne Lewis Otey
Elizabeth Otey organized suffrage education efforts in Lynchburg and called for women to be forceful in advocating their right to vote.
Marion Gould Thorp Read
Secretary of the Virginia branch, Marion Read traveled with the Suffrage Special tour of western states to organize the National Woman's Party.
Voter Registration Leaders
With ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, Virginia women were eligible to vote. These women were instrumental in helping large numbers of Black and white women navigate the complicated process to register to vote. Learn about these women and more in the Dictionary of Virginia Biography.
Eugenia Benson Jobson
After helping white women register to vote in Richmond in 1920, Eugenia Jobson was the first woman appointed to the city's electoral board.
Millie Lawson Bethell Paxton
Millie B. Paxton organized a voting club in 1920 that helped hundreds of Black women register to vote in Roanoke.
Ora Brown Stokes
Ora Stokes organized Black women in Richmond to register to vote despite their poor treatment by the city's registrar.
Maggie Lena Walker
A lifelong advocate for voting rights, Maggie Walker led voter education sessions to help Black women register to vote in Richmond.
Sarah Blair Harvie Wormeley
Sarah Wormeley volunteered in the Richmond registrar's office to help thousands of white women register to vote.
For Educators
Document Bank of Virginia
Document Bank includes classroom resources on the campaign for women’s voting rights. Browse the Women’s History theme or use the search term suffrage.
Virginia Changemakers
Learn more about some of the women who fought for their right to vote. Download our fact sheets about nine suffragists who were honored as Virginia Women in History for 2020.
Virginia Chronicle
Virginia Chronicle provides free access to more than five million newspaper pages from the Commonwealth and beyond. These full-text searchable and digitized images are a useful source documenting the fight for women’s voting rights in local communities.
