First Lady Melania Trump on Monday hosted the launch of the Building the Movement Exhibit: America’s Youth Celebrate 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage, an exhibit honoring the centennial anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, which gave American women the right to vote.
The exhibit was launched in front of the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue.
The exhibit follows an art competition for students in grades 3-12 that was launched in June. The winning artwork showcased in the exhibit depicts individuals, objects, and events that hold a significant meaning to the women’s suffrage movement.
The First Lady was joined by Second Lady Karen Pence, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza, Senior Counselor to the President, Kellyanne Conway, Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission (WSCC) Members, student submission winners and other elected officials.
The First Lady opened the exhibit with welcome remarks thanking those in attendance for joining her to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Ratification of the 19th Amendment and the women’s suffrage movement.
In particular, she thanked the young artists for their impressive artwork submissions and congratulated them for representing their state in the exhibit. She also noted that “This exhibit creates a platform to encourage parents to engage with their children on the important conversations taking place around equality – giving young people an opportunity to learn and understand the history behind the women’s suffrage movement.”
Following her remarks, the First Lady joined the children to review their artwork and encouraged them to continue to express themselves through art and to continue to learn more about the history of this important movement.