All library locations are closed Monday, May 25 in observance of Memorial Day.
What it feels like to have the power of the vote—and to lose it
It’s one thing to consider the power of the vote in the abstract.
It’s altogether different to weigh it in a place where you can actually see and feel its impact.
In the Votes for Women Room at Nashville Public Library, students, civic groups, and people from across the city and country can cast ballots at an interactive voting simulator.
As they make choices on various questions in a hands-on demonstration of community engagement, they can consider—in a powerful, direct way—what happens when you vote, when you are blocked from voting, and even when you decide not to take part at all.
The exhibit offers living testimony to why voting matters and recounts vividly how people fought, bled, and died for a seemingly simple right—but one that represents a pillar of democracy.
This is the final of a four-part series, created in collaboration with the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) as a special, behind-the-scenes project.
In March, SUFFS—the acclaimed, Tony Award-winning musical about the brilliant, passionate, and funny American women who fought tirelessly for the right to vote—took Nashville by storm at TPAC.
This series has taken Library readers and TPAC fans alike deeper, to explore elements from the show that are also found in NPL’s Votes for Women Room.
We hope you’ll visit this very special Room, soon and often, to discover and learn more about the history and legacy of the 19th Amendment.
But—if you still need a nudge to make the trip—don’t take our word for it: take it from the talented poet, writer, and “voice of a generation,” Alora Young.
Check out the rest of the series
