March is Women’s History Month. This year is also the 100th anniversary of women earning the right to vote in the U.S.
A new South Dakota delegation is commemorating this milestone with events throughout the year.
Governor Kristi Noem appointed 11 women to the “Her Vote. Her Voice” campaign delegation to celebrate 100 years of women’s suffrage. The campaign kicks off this month, Women’s History Month, appropriately.
Tracy Saathoff, Vice-President of Strategy and Media at Lawrence & Schiller in Sioux Falls and co-chair of the delegation, said that this campaign commemorates the progress of not only women, but all people.
“It’s not just about women and lifting them up, but it’s reminding everyone, men and women, that their right to vote is the way that they have their voice heard," Saathoff said. "It’s understanding the importance people to register and to be active, not just in politics, but to be counted in whatever it is they’re passionate about.”
The campaign aims to highlight how far women have come in the political process and the workforce.
Judge Keren Schreier of the U.S. District Court in South Dakota is also one of the delegates. She said that without women’s suffrage, she wouldn’t have the position she has now.
“Until they had the right to vote, they weren’t able to work in county elected positions, like county treasurer. Women also couldn’t be a judge," Schreier said. "So, for me, now being a judge, it’s really exciting for me to realize that I wouldn’t have been able to do that if the 19th Amendment wasn’t passed.”
The campaign plans to host events throughout the year to celebrate the milestone, including an event on August 26th to commemorate the date of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment being signed into law.