The civic duty and moral responsibility of exercising the fundamental right to vote — making one’s voice heard — is at the very core of our nation’s founding principles. And without it, we lose the very thing that identifies us as Americans: democracy. The suffrage movement, and subsequent ratification of the 19th Amendment, signified a watershed moment in history — women could now vote and become active participants in the “greatest democracy in the world.” But not all women, not Black women. Our voices continued to be suppressed. Despite playing a powerful role in the fight for universal suffrage, by organizing political societies and mobilizing local communities, Black women were ultimately left out of the culmination of decades of effort. It wasn’t until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that we finally got the right to vote — 45 years later. It would be a grave injustice to celebrate the 102nd anniversary of the 19th Amendment without acknowledging its deficiencies and crediting...