On November 17, 2019, the museum’s Women, Arts, and Social Change initiative gathered artists and activists, including Adjoa Asamoah, Jackie Payne, Kim Loper, and Alexandra Bell, at NMWA for Fresh Talk: Art, Power, and the Vote—100 Years After Suffrage. The speakers explored the history and legacy of women’s suffrage and the ways that artists and activists can collaborate in the fight for social change.
As the 2020 presidential election nears, we revisit the powerful talks and wisdom shared by these women. This week, listen to Adjoa Asamoah, a political strategist and racial equity advocate, set the stage for a greater understanding of the suffrage movement. She explains how the movement failed to welcome Black women and how, despite Black women’s advocacy for the 19th Amendment, they would wait nearly five decades longer before being able to exercise that right. Today, with Black voters continuing to face suppression, the fight continues.
“It is impossible for many Black women to share in the celebration and excitement [of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment] when we are here still fighting for those rights.”—Adjoa Asamoah
Asamoah, who travels the country mobilizing the Black community for collective political action, also spoke of the urgent understanding within her community that “it is up to us to do what we’ve always done—mobilize our people to get out the vote.”
Listen to Asamoah’s presentation and the full conversation:
Fresh Take Bonus Clip:
Learn about Asamoah’s work to introduce and pass the Crown Act, which seeks to create a respectful and open world for natural hair.