Prudential Center Lit in Suffrage Colors of Purple and Gold

The Women’s Suffrage Celebration Coalition of Massachusetts (WSCC) is pleased to announce that on December 4, 2018, the Prudential Center was lit in purple and gold to commemorate and celebrate the upcoming 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote.

The lighting, part of the 31 Nights of Light at the Prudential Center, began with the official “Flip the Switch” event in the Mall’s Center Court. Representatives from The Yellow Roses, a group of high school students from Quincy, participated in the event. Mall retailers White House/Black Market and Johnny Was collaborated with the WSCC with Votes for Women sashes in their windows and displayed panels from the Commonwealth Museum’s Suffrage Centennial Display Panel Project. The Yellow Roses and the Commonwealth Museum are both partners of the WSCC.

"The Suffragist, Vol. 1 No. 4, published on December 6, 1913, describes the symbolism of the colors. 'Purple is the color of loyalty, constancy to purpose, unswerving steadfastness to a cause. White, the emblem of purity, symbolizes the quality of our purpose; and gold, the color of light and life, is as the torch that guides our purpose, pure and unswerving.’ Simplified, the tri-colors signified loyalty, purity, and life.” (https://recollections.biz/blog/colors-womens-suffrage/)

The Prudential Center celebrated 10 years of raising awareness for community of nonprofit groups and the causes they tirelessly support. Each night in December, the top of Prudential Tower was lit a different color in support of that night's partner. 31 Nights of Light was created to help community organizations gain visibility during the holiday season. The Women’s Suffrage Celebration Coalition thanks the Prudential Center for the opportunity to be a part of the annual celebration.

About the Women’s Suffrage Celebration Coalition of Massachusetts (WSCC):

The Women’s Suffrage Celebration Coalition of Massachusetts (WSCC) is dedicated to commemorating and celebrating the upcoming 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote.

The WSCC presents events and activities that highlight the history of the women’s suffrage movement and women’s rights. http://www.suffrage100ma.org

Mission: Commemorate the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote.

Goals:

• Increase voter participation by motivating voters to appreciate and exercise the right to vote;
• Provide educational opportunities for all ages to learn the inspiring and dramatic history of women’s suffrage;
• Engage arts and cultural organizations to use this centennial as a catalyst for creative program planning;
• Recognize and celebrate the progress of women’s rights since obtaining suffrage in 1920;
• Shine a light on all we still need to do to achieve full equality for women;
• Showcase the many dynamic and effective existing women’s rights organizations;
• Host June 2019 kick-off for 2020 commemorative events; and
• Host 2020 event to celebrate the right to vote: inspired by the Boston suffrage parades of 1914 and 1915, the WSCC looks forward to creating a similar event in 2020.

The WSCC collaborates with many organizations throughout the country that are also planning events to celebrate this historic occasion. Seventy organizations, institutions, and governmental agencies, throughout Massachusetts, are partners of this non-profit coalition.

A variety of events and activities will take place in Massachusetts in 2019 and 2020 to commemorate the women’s suffrage movement, emphasize the importance of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 for women and men of color, and draw attention to on-going impediments to universal voting and women’s equality.

Additional Information:

The Yellow Roses, a group of high school students from Quincy, are too young to vote but too angry to accept that women’s rights are left up to “interpretation” instead of being “officially spelled out in the U.S. Constitution. http://theyellowrosesera.org/

Commonwealth Museum: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/mus/

The Suffrage Centennial Display Panel Project: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/mus/suffragists.html

The Colors of Women’s Suffrage: https://recollections.biz/blog/colors-womens-suffrage/