Eric Blair Presents – Daily Knowledge: African-American Woman Suffrage Movement (Day 26)
In 1890, the woman suffrage movement began, black and white women fought together for the same goal — enfranchisement of women. But as the movement gained popularity, African American women found themselves being marginalized. African American women soon found themselves fighting against sexism and racism at the same time. This was a fight that continued even with the ratification of the nineteenth amendment (passed in 1920) with many efforts to keep African American women from voting. At first, African American women in the north were able to register quite easily and quite a few became actively involved in politics. Annie Simms Banks was the first African American female fully-credited delegate at the 7th Congressional District Republican Convention in Kentucky in March 1920. In some states in the south it took until the 1960s before African American women were allowed to freely exercise their right to vote.These difficulties, however, did nothing to deter African-American women.
