OKLAHOMA CITY -Almost a century ago, the Oklahoma State Legislature ratified the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote.
On Feb. 28 the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma will welcome several female political leaders in the state to campus to discuss a century of successes in the struggle for women’s rights, the challenges they still face, the importance of voting and of women’s voices in government during “Votes for Women in the 21st Century: An Insider Perspective.” The free event will be held in the USAO Ballroom and features a panel discussion with state Reps. Emily Virgin and Cyndi Munson, Sen. Carri Hicks, Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn, and Oklahoma City councilwoman Nikki Nice will begin at 6:30 p.m. National Public Radio political correspondent Mara Liasson is the keynote speaker and will begin 7:45 p.m.
“Since the Oklahoma College for Women was educating women before they even had the right to vote, there is no better place to celebrate this important moment in the forward march of democracy,” said President John Feaver. “The women who studied here didn’t come to college to learn how to be a wife, they came to develop their minds in order to achieve their promise. The dozens of distinguished scientists, engineers, businesswomen, musicians and others who figure among our alumni prove this, and we are thrilled that so many of Oklahoma’s foremost female leaders will soon come to our campus to celebrate over a century of success and service.”