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Wayne County Commissioners to wear white on June 20 to honor 100th anniversary of women's vote
Female Wayne County Commissioners have been asked to dress in white for the 10 a.m. Thursday, June 20, commission meeting in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which was ratified by the state of Michigan on June 10, 1919, and adopted to the U.S. constitution in August 1920, granting women the right to vote in all elections throughout the United States.

"Suffragists - women who campaigned for the right to vote in the early 20th century - traditionally dressed in white to call attention to the cause. Wearing white made them stand out in the black and white newspaper photographs of the time," said Commissioner Melissa Daub (D-Canton) who chairs the commission's Special Task Force on the 100th Anniversary of Women's Suffrage.

"Wearing white is a great way to pay tribute to those women and the sacrifices they made for the rights we enjoy today."

The June 20 meeting will also feature a special program on the history of the suffrage movement and the 19th Amendment. The special task force was created earlier this year by commission Chair Alisha Bell and includes Commissioners Melissa Daub, Jewel Ware (D-Detroit), Martha G. Scott (D-Highland Park), Ilona Varga (D-Lincoln Park) and Diane Webb (D-Livonia).

The meeting will be held in the Wayne County Commission Chambers, located on the mezzanine level of the Guardian Building, 500 Griswold, in Detroit. It is open to the public.