The Battle for the Right to Vote

It has been nearly a century since women won the battle for the right to vote with the passing of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920. The fight leading up to that win spanned decades and involved both women and men fighting for suffrage across the country and right here in Northeast Ohio.

This half-hour documentary, produced by Larry Baker Productions and PBS Western Reserve, explores moments in Cleveland and Akron history that fueled the battle for the right to vote. Examples include Sojourner Truth’s famous “Ain’t I a Woman” speech that took place at the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron in 1851, and the efforts of Belle Sherwin, daughter of the founder of Sherwin-Williams, who led the suffrage movement in Northeast Ohio.

The men and women who fought for women’s suffrage faced ridicule, immense challenges and many hardships on the road to equality but in the end, it all led to success in accomplishing their ultimate goal—the right to vote for all American women.

Premiered on PBS Western Reserve, April 2017.