The Women’s Center kicks off a Gather and Give Back event titled #ThisiswhyIvote Wednesday afternoon in The Williamson House with voter registration, the history of suffrage and an opportunity to take action. 

Women were granted the right to vote in 1920.  The event’s attendees were informed the end to women’s suffrage is still in process today, according to a presentation created by Jessie Starkey, the Women’s Center programming intern.

The presentation was given by the Women’s Center director Cassandra Pegg-Kirby.

“Yes, women won the right to vote,” Pegg-Kirby said. “Are people still disenfranchised? Yes. Is there still voter suppression of certain populations? Absolutely. So, it’s something that we have to continue to fight.”

The center’s Gather and Give Back events occur monthly and focus on different topics, such as Indigenous women and LBGTQ+ advocacy. The goal is for people to gather information about the subject and then give people a direct opportunity to do something about it, said Pegg-Kirby. 

With reproductive rights being on the Ohio ballot this year, the club wanted to give women an opportunity to get educated and do something about it, said Hannah Toth, a writing assistant for the Women’s Center. 

Voting registration resources were given to the event’s attendees, along with statistics of gerrymandering in Ohio.

“People fought hard for the right to vote,” Pegg-Kirby said. “If you want to see change, you need to weigh-in even if you feel like your vote may not make a difference in Ohio on the ballot. Women won the right to vote by just one vote in 1920.”

For the “give back” part of the event, each person who attended was given a poster with the event’s tag, #ThisiswhyIvote, and were encouraged to write why voting was important to them. To advocate for the right to vote, participants could upload their poster on social media and tag the Women’s Center, so that other women can participate in the activity, Pegg-Kirby said.

Starkey’s presentation took viewers through the beginning, middle and end of the history of women’s suffrage, ending in another piece called “end, but not the end,” referring to advocacy for the right to vote today. 

The final portion of Gather and Give Back focused on resources for those who want to continue learning and advocating for the right to vote. Pegg-Kirby listed the League of Women Voters, Students for a Democratic Society, College Democrats, College Republicans and the Ohio Student Association as resources available to students. 

“Two issues that are on the Ohio ballot, important ones impacting college students, are for reproductive rights and for the legalization of marijuana,” Pegg-Kirby said. “So think about those two things and figure out how you want to vote for that. Your voice is important.”

Audrey Trevarthan is a digital assistant. You can contact her at [email protected].