Recap of 9/25/19 Claiming Our Seats: A Kitchen Table Dialogue on Women’s Voting Rights

Thu January 1, 1970

Thank you to all who joined us as we discussed the upcoming 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, when women won the right to vote. At this roundtable, we asked – which women? Dr. Jennifer Guglielmo, Rev. Irene Monroe, and Dr. Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson engaged us in a reflective dialogue about women’s rights across the 20th and 21st centuries, moderated by Andrea Asuaje.

Despite the 19th Amendment’s passage, barriers remained in place for many women, particularly immigrant women and women of color. How has this shifted since 1920, and what challenges do women still confront in gaining full citizenship? Building on the scholarship of Black feminist Barbara Smith and the Cambridge/Boston-based Combahee River Collective, we bring a historical lens to this anniversary and discuss how the kitchen table has served as an alternative space for women—especially women of color and working-class women from all backgrounds—to gather and exchange ideas about women’s rights in the U.S. We invite you to join us at our 21st-century kitchen table to reflect, discuss, and share your thoughts about the 19th Amendment and how it has shaped both our nation and local Cambridge community since 1920.