Metuchen To Commemorate Women’s Suffrage Centennial

METUCHEN, NJ — To celebrate Women’s Equality Day, Metuchen will change the colors of lights in front of Borough Hall to purple and yellow on Wednesday, said Mayor Jonathan M. Busch in a Facebook post. This is being done for the first time ever to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote, he said.

Busch said he was inspired by the legacies of suffragists like Ida B. Wells, Alice Paul, Sojourner Truth and Susan B. Anthony.

“As we all know, many barriers still exist for women and many others throughout the United States. The work of these heroes inspires us to continue our fight for the equal treatment of all Americans,” he said in his post.

The 19th Amendment was first passed in Congress on June 4, 1919. It was not ratified until Aug. 18, 1920 and African American women were denied their voting rights in many Southern States until 1965.

Many monuments across the country will light up in yellow and purple to mark the anniversary.