WOMEN-CENTERED Scholarship
A
t Louisville Law, we are fortunate to have faculty and students who are interested in exploring and celebrating the role of women in the law and in civil discourse. Below are a few examples of events from the past year that focused
WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF BLACK WOMEN IN ITS HISTORY
on women as changemakers.
This year marks the centennial of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote nationally. The story of the long battle too often excludes the role of Black women who played significant roles in the ratification efforts.
COMPARATIVE #METOO MOVEMENT Professor JoAnne Sweeny spent the 2018-19 academic year at the University of Turku in Finland as a Fulbright Scholar. While there, she taught two classes, Comparative Constitutional Law and Freedom of Expression. She also presented her research on comparative #MeToo movements in the United States and Europe and joined a feminist legal scholarship group. In January 2020, she presented “The #MeToo Movement in Comparative Perspective” for Louisville Law’s Faculty Speaker Series.
Organized by Professors Les Abramson and Laura Rothstein, this panel conversation gave a general overview of the suffrage movement both nationally and in Kentucky and reframed that history by telling the stories of some of the key “hidden figures” of the movement. It connected that history to the voting rights activities of the 1960s and voting in 2020 and the Black Lives Matter movement. Professor Enid Trucios- Haynes contributed to the panel.
ABA 19TH AMENDMENT EXHIBIT Louisville Law was proud to host this exhibit from the American Bar Association. “100 Years After the 19th Amendment: Their Legacy, and Our Future” featured historic photos and artifacts and details the story of the battle for ratification and outlines the challenges that remain. The exhibit was on display in the Law Library in September, along with a curated collection of related publications by Professor Robin Harris.
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