Program

National Votes for Women Trail

Subject

Event

Location

300-398 S State St, Pine Bluff, AR 71601, USA

Lat/Long

34.226201, -92.002572

Grant Recipient

National Collaborative for Women's History Sites

On July 1-3, 1919, around 500 African American men and women from across the state of Arkansas and some surrounding states gathered for a convention of the Order of the Eastern Star. The convention was held at the Masonic Temple on S. State Street in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The United States Congress had recently passed the Nineteenth Amendment, which states, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” At least 36 states needed to ratify the amendment in order for it to become law.

At the July 1919 convention, the group expressed their support of the state’s ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. Reverend J. H. Clayborn of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, Royal Grand Patron of the Lodge, stated:

The women of our race are demanding more than ever before and richly deserve more than has been given them, because they have fought as well as our men in the recent battle for civilization.”

On July 28, 1919, the Arkansas state legislature ratified the Nineteenth Amendment. By August 1920, the necessary 36 states had ratified the amendment, securing women’s right to vote across the United States.