Centennial Celebration of Women's Suffrage at Wilson Park on 10/03/2020

On October 3, 2020, we are pleased to invite the community to help commemorate the Centennial Celebration of Women's Suffrage in Lake City and Columbia County.

Following the passage of the 19thAmendment, voter registration opened to women on September 10th and remained open through October 22. During that time, over 900 women registered to vote representing 26 communities with 14 white precincts and 12 African American precincts.

To commemorate the occasion, we have invited women who have held or ran for political office or are politically active through their advocacy and are from or work within the community. By offering a forum for women to speak about their own activism, we hope to honor the ladies who blazed that path and opened that door for them.

We are planning to have a commemorative event on Saturday October (3rd). Thanks to the sponsorship of the City of Lake City, the speeches will be given at the Darby Pavilion in Wilson Park.

Because of Covid, we will have seating situated six feet apart for social distancing. Masks will also be made available if anyone needs one. We will also have refreshments and food. Because of the heat, we are going to schedule the speeches for the morning to begin around 8:30.

We are encouraging guests to dress in the colors of the movement -purple, yellow/gold, and white, or patriotic- red, white, and blue, or the color of your cause for which you champion. We are also welcoming anyone who wants to dress in period costumes to celebrate the unique moment, but we suggest that everyone wear whatever makes them feel most comfortable.

I hope that you are able to join us and welcome anyone who wants to help commemorate this momentous occasion as we celebrate the many wonderful ways in which women's political voices have helped to shape our community.