As we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, we recognize that women's work for equal voting rights began long before 1920 and continues long afterward.

Hannah Kaaepa (R) and her mother Makanoe Kahluhilaau Kaaepa (center) emigrated from Hawai'i to Utah in 1898, the year the U.S. annexed Hawaii as a territory.

In 1899, Hannah spoke to the National Council of Women in Washington, D.C., urging members to support Hawaiian Queen Lili'uokalani in her efforts to secure suffrage for Hawaiian women.

Hawai'i had a long tradition of women in government before the U.S. takeover, so the passage of the 19th Amendment enabled women there to regain a small portion of the political power they once held.

Still, as citizens of a territory, Hawaiian women couldn't vote for President until after Hawai'i became a state in 1959. The 4 million residents of U.S. territories today have no votes in the Electoral College.

Learn more about Hannah's leadership and suffrage work at the link! #HardWonNotDone #19thAt100
@OCANational https://www.utahwomenshistory.org/bios/hannah-kaaepa/

Learn more about Hawaiian women's fight for suffrage here. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-19th-amendment-complicated-status-and-role-women-hawaii-180975551/