NASHVILLE, Tenn. – During the Tennessee State Library & Archives' final free TN225 Lunchtime Speaker Series event on Friday, May 6, from noon to 1 p.m. CT, renowned journalist, author and speaker Elaine Weiss will explore the pivotal role Tennessee played in the women's suffrage movement.

"In 1920, suffragists across the country saw Tennessee as their best and possibly last hope to pass the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote," said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. "We are excited to welcome one of the foremost experts on women's suffrage and our great state's role, Elaine Weiss, as the final speaker for our speaker series celebrating Tennessee's 225 years of statehood."

During the lecture, attendees will learn about the pro- and anti-suffrage activity in Tennessee, hear the stories of influential Tennessee suffragists and how Tennessee became the 36th state and final state needed to ratify the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The presenter, Weiss, will also discuss how she utilized the Library & Archives' extensive collection of women's suffrage materials to research her highly acclaimed book The Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote.

The guest speaker for this event, Weiss, is a Baltimore-based journalist and author. Her work has been published in Smithsonian Magazine and The New York Times and was a GoodReads Readers' Choice Award winner, short-listed for the 2019 Chautauqua Prize and received the American Bar Association's 2019 Silver Gavel Award. She holds a graduate degree from the Medill School of Journalism of Northwestern University, is a MacDowell Colony Fellow, Pushcart Prize Editor's Choice honoree and has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists. Weiss is a frequent public speaker and commentator featured on NPR's All Things Considered, CBS Sunday Morning and PBS American Experience.

"The Library & Archives staff has had the opportunity to get to know Elaine Weiss during her multiple research visits to our facility," said Chuck Sherrill, Tennessee State Librarian and Archivist. "She is a knowledgeable and compelling speaker. We are proud to have her back as the final speaker for our free TN225 Speaker Series."

This Lunchtime Speaker Series event will be in person and livestreamed on the Library & Archives' Facebook page and the Secretary of State's YouTube channel. In-person attendees are welcome to bring their lunch. This event is free to the public. To make a reservation to attend in person, visit bit.ly/TN225WS. Seating is limited.

After the presentation, in-person attendees can view letters, political cartoons, broadsides, photographs and other items related to the women's suffrage movement in Tennessee from the Library & Archives' collections. Guided tours of the new state-of-the-art facility will also be available.

The Library & Archives is located at 1001 Rep. John Lewis Way North on Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, across from the Tennessee State Museum. Parking is available for guests in the Library & Archives garage on Jackson Street/Junior Gilliam Way.

For the latest information about the Lunchtime Speaker Series, follow social media channels: Facebook: Tennessee State Library and Archives and Instagram: @tnlibarchives and the Secretary of State's Twitter account: @SecTreHargett.

To attend the Lunchtime Speaker Series in person, reserve your spot at visit bit.ly/TN225WS. To learn more about the Library and Archives or schedule a research visit, call 615-741-2764, email ask@tsla.libanswers.com or visit sos.tn.gov/tsla/plan-your-visit.