Thursday, August 28, 2025

NAACP-Pasadena Reflects on Voting Rights Legacy, Saying ‘Threats … Persist’

Organization marks 19th Amendment anniversary with call to protect ballot access

The NAACP Pasadena Branch marked the 105th anniversary of the 19th Amendment on August 26 with a reflection on Black women’s voting struggles and a call to defend voting rights. 

The organization posted a statement on Facebook acknowledging the difficult path Black women faced in gaining ballot access. The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, granted women the right to vote but did not guarantee equal access for all women. 

“For Black women, that path was anything but easy,” the NAACP-Pasadena statement said. 

The group highlighted the political influence of Black women voters. Referencing “the 92%” in their statement, they said this demographic “has consistently shown that our vote is powerful, transformative, and undeniable.” 

Current voting rights challenges prompted the organization’s call for community action. 

“Today, as threats to voting rights persist, our community must stand united in fighting with everything we have to protect this fundamental right,” the statement said. 

The chapter emphasized the historical significance of past voting rights advocates. “The legacy of those who came before us demands nothing less,” they said. 

The Nineteenth Amendment prohibited the United States and its states from denying voting rights based on sex. The amendment followed decades of women’s suffrage movement activism. 

The constitutional change officially brought women into the political sphere after their exclusion throughout most of U.S. history.