The debate will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, passed June 4, 1919.
The Amendment was championed by several of the historical figures that will be on the stage at the Debate. All of them are contemporaries, but each experience the period in a different way.
We are particularly excited to have two scholars from off campus and a student participating in the debate this time. The participants are listed here.
Barbara Jones Brown (Mormon History Association) will play Martha Hughes Cannon
Jane Hafen (UNLV emeritus) will play Zitkala-Sa a.k.a Gertrude Bonnin
Kalya Jackson (BYU student) will play Ida B. Wells
Jamie Horrocks (BYU English) will play Alice Paul
While we will commemorate the 19th amendment, we will also be considering the Equal Rights Amendment. The Equal Rights Amendment was passed by both organs of Congress March 22, 1972. However, this amendment, which did not require a time limit for ratification, still requires a single state’s vote to be ratified, and the State of Utah has not yet ratified it.
In addition to hearing about the historical figures’ lives, we’ll consider what changed in some communities before, between, and after the legislation of the two amendments, one ratified, the other still not.
We hope to see a large crowd, and welcome anyone who is interested.
After the event, Jane Hafen will host a book signing for her brand new book, Help Indians Help Themselves: The Later Writings of Gertrude Simmon Bonnin (Zitkala-Sa) (Texas Tech University Press, 2019).
