Last week was a good one for the 2012: Oregon Woman Suffrage Centennial project.

On November 2, Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown and State Archivist Mary Beth Herkert hosted a reception in Salem to launch the 2012 Oregon Woman Suffrage Centennial. Attended by over fifty elected officials, representatives of government agencies and women’s organizations, along with members of the academic and archival community and other stakeholders, the event began a collaboration between the many voices and perspectives needed to tell Oregon’s suffrage history and women’s history. Secretary Brown noted, “This was a vote that changed the face of Oregon and it came with the support of some brave and colorful figures from our past. This is a golden page in Oregon history.” Held at the State Archives, Herkert and the archive staff displayed the original proclamation, initiative petitions, and Abigail Scott Duniway voter registration cards. Learn more at Secretary Brown’s blog.

We also learned that the Oregon Heritage Commission granted our request for funds to develop a comprehensive educational and informational centennial website for 2012: Oregon Woman Suffrage Centennial. A project of the Northwest History Network, the website will provide interpretive essays written by scholars, primary documents, and archival links to women’s historical collections.

Keep your eyes here and on the Oregon Suffrage Centennial blog for more news as we move onward!