CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – A local group in Clarksville is connecting the community to the nationwide preparations for the suffrage centennial celebration. The group, known locally as the 2020 Vision Committee, is setting the stage as next year will mark the 100th year anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote.

In honor of that momentous occasion in history, the 2020 Vision Committee has coordinated with city and county officials to commemorate the anniversary. Events will begin this year and lead up to August 2020 for the centennial celebration.

TENNESSEE TRIUMPH

This year August 18, marks the 99th anniversary of the Tennessee Legislature’s ratification of the 19th Amendment, extending voting rights to women. As the 36th state to ratify, Tennessee ensured the amendment’s addition to the U. S. Constitution.

The Tennessee Triumph, a statue dedicated to the suffrage movement, is slated to be unveiled on August 15, 2020, just three days before the centennial anniversary of Tennessee’s ratification. The statue will be included on the Tennessee Woman Suffrage Heritage Trail. The Trail has landmarks all over the state honoring women from Tennessee that fought for women’s rights.

Designed by sculptor Roy Butler, the 7-foot-tall Tennessee Triumph will take approximately ten months to complete. Butler will go from Phoenix to a foundry in Utah to begin work this Sunday, August 18. A 2-foot-tall version of the statue is on display at the Election Commission Office at Veterans Plaza. The final location for the permanent statue will be installed on Public Square.

The committee has worked with donors, local businesses, and community leaders to honor the legacy of those who came before us with this awe inspiring statue.

The 2020 Vision Committee, to date, has raised 80% of the funds needed to have the statue completed.

LOOKING INTO THE PAST
Additional plans leading up to the unveiling include Hello Yellow gardens around town to echo the Yellow Rose symbol of those who fought for suffrage.

The committee and partners continue to research to uncover Clarksville’s forgotten past of local suffragists. The 2020 Vision Committee have spent countless hours researching and digging into the past to find heroic women from our own community that fought for voting rights.

Martha Pile, Brenda Harper and Ellen Kanervo are each part of the 2020 Vision Committee and are leading the research and collection of information into the women who pioneered the suffragist movement locally.

For the next year, the committee will host events and fundraisers that will culminate in the statue’s dedication.

GET INVOLVED
To get involved with the committee or learn more about the events, there will be an informational meeting at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library. On Thursday, August 29, at 5:30 p.m., find out how you can participate in plans for commemorating the role this community played in the Amendment’s ratification.

TO DONATE
The 2020 Vision Committee is currently selling a commemorative cookbook to raise money for the statue. These cookbooks tell the story of researching the local suffragists and includes many vintage recipes from the suffragists themselves. It also has more contemporary recipes from families local to Clarksville. The cookbooks can be purchased at Smith-Trahern Mansion for $20.00. All of the proceeds from the cookbooks will go directly to the Tennessee Triumph Statue.