The Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum is decked out in suffragist colors to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote.

“Because of COVID-19, we are trying to encourage folks to celebrate the centennial outside, so our board president coordinated decorations of purple bunting and yellow and purple flags,” says Cassandra Peltier, executive director of the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum.

Peltier says they hope to have the full centennial celebration next year, complete with a parade through downtown Adams and the dedication of a new Susan B. Anthony statue.

“It’s finished, but she’s not here yet. So the statue should get to Adams in September, and then hopefully next year, we can actually hold the hometown parade unveiling ceremony that we were planning for this August.”

Although the pandemic has put a damper on the celebrations, Peltier says there are some interesting parallels to be drawn with how the Spanish Flu impacted the suffragist movement.

“A lot of really well-known suffragists, like Carrie Chapman Catt, wrote about how the pandemic sort of stymied their efforts. They couldn’t gather for conventions, they couldn’t protest in large numbers,” she says.

Peltier says she hopes the centennial will highlight the values championed by Anthony and other suffragists, like equality and teamwork.

“The people that you see in the foreground aren’t necessarily the people doing the hardest work. So I think one thing we can learn from that is to use our platforms like social media to spotlight people who are working hard in the background,” Peltier says.

The museum will be giving free tours throughout the day on Wednesday, which is the day of the 100^th anniversary of the adoption of 19th Amendment. Reservations can be made by calling ahead or by visiting the museum’s website.