Gov. Kristi Noem proclaimed yesterday (Dec. 4) as “Women’s Vote Centennial Celebration Day” in South Dakota.
During a special legislative session December 4, 1919, South Dakota was one of the first states to ratify the 19th Amendment. To help commemorate and coordinate the statewide celebration of the Nineteenth Amendment’s 100-year anniversary, Noem has assembled the Women’s Vote Centennial Delegation. The group has been tasked with providing educational materials about the suffrage movement and stimulating opportunities that explore the journey to women’s right to vote.
Noem says it’s important for our young people to understand the path suffragists had to walk in order to secure this right for women in our country. She says when we understand our history, we become more grateful for the rights we have and the liberties we enjoy.
Throughout 2020, the delegation – along with the South Dakota State Historical Society and the Historical Society Foundation – will initiate projects commemorating the centennial of women’s suffrage.
Members of the delegation are:
- Pat Miller, Pierre – Chair
- Tracy Saathoff, Sioux Falls – Co-Chair
- Julie Bartling, Gregory
- Sue Gates, Aberdeen
- Peggy Gibson, Huron
- José Marie Griffiths, Madison
- Katie Hunhoff, Yankton
- Susan Irons, Canton
- Mary Jean Jensen, Lemmon
- Kay Jorgensen, Spearfish
- Kitty Kinsman, Rapid City
- Elsie Meeks, Pine Ridge
- Kristina Schaefer, Sioux Falls
- Hon. Karen Schreier, Sioux Falls
- Rep. Tamara St. John, Sisseton
- Ann McKay Thompson, Rapid City
- Suzanne Veenis, Sioux Falls
