Wisconsin Historical Society shows women’s suffrage exhibit at Central Brown County Library

GREEN BAY – Just in time for the midterm election season, the Brown County Central Library is hosting “We Stand on Their Shoulders,” a traveling exhibit from the Wisconsin Historical Society that explores the history of women’s suffrage and the ongoing fight for voting rights.

The exhibit features banners displaying photographs, quotes and historical information about the movement to secure women’s right to vote, as well as the struggles for equality that continued after the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920. The history holds particular significance for Wisconsin, which was the first state to ratify the amendment.

Mallory Hanson, Statewide Services Coordinator for the Wisconsin Historical Society, said the exhibit connects the history of women’s suffrage to broader civil rights movements. “The 19th Amendment laid the groundwork ... [the display] continues the conversation,” Hanson said.

That conversation extends beyond women’s voting rights to include civil rights and Indigenous citizenship movements, highlighting the connections between these efforts. The exhibit’s timeline spans from the early suffrage movement through 1982.

The Wisconsin Historical Society launched the traveling exhibit in 2020, marking the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. The initiative was designed to make Wisconsin history more accessible to communities across the state and allow people to “seek history on the road,” Hanson said.

Alongside the traveling exhibit, the library will host “Beyond the Ballot: The Unfinished Revolution of Early Women’s Rights,” a discussion led by Dr. Kimberley Reilly, chair of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s Democracy and Justice Studies Unit and an assistant professor. The discussion will explore women’s rights beyond voting, including the role of women in historical domestic life.

Hanson hopes visitors leave with a greater appreciation for the people and movements that helped shape voting rights in Wisconsin and across the country. “I hope visitors leave with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the generations of people who worked to secure women’s right to vote and of Wisconsin’s role in the history of the women’s suffrage movement,” she said.

The exhibit will be on display through November at Brown County Central Library, 515 Pine St. in downtown Green Bay. The Wisconsin Historical Society encourages community members to visit and learn more about the history of voting rights and the movements that continue to shape the state and nation.

Pass It Forward™ editorial is sponsored by Packers Give Back, Nicolet National Bank and the National Trust for Local News.