One Half of the People: Advancing Equality for Women

As we continue to reach—in the 21st century—for the last several, all too critical, rungs on the ladder to gender equality, it remains as urgent as ever to recognize the hard-won battles of the women who came before us. 

The West Baton Rouge Museum's exhibition from the National Archives, One Half of the People: Advancing Equality for Women explores how many of the rights and privileges women enjoy today—voting, owning property, making contracts, going to court, controlling their money—were obtained. Divided into three themes, the exhibition focuses first on a diverse group of suffragists, and the strategies they employed in the 70-year fight for voting rights. In the second phase, the exhibition displays the continued journey towards equality even after the 19th amendment was added to the United States constitution. The third part of the exhibition includes eleven profiles on women—exploring how they lived and worked, pushing the boundaries of the boxes their society placed them in. 

One Half of the People will be on display until January 5, 2020. westbatonrougemuseum.com.