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Like many Amendments to the Constitution, the 19th Amendment was a part of the ongoing struggle for equal rights. It provided suffrage for American women, but these rights did not extend to indigenous women (or men), who were not considered citizens until 1924 and then routinely disenfranchised through various schemes such as the 1925 Alaska Literacy Law.
The 19th Amendment also did not necessarily provide the ballot to other women (or men) of color, who also encountered continual voter disenfranchisement. Access to the ballot and equal rights was and has been an ongoing struggle led by diverse women throughout the country.
The 19th Amendment, which granted American women the right to vote, was passed by Congress in 1919, ratified by the states on August 18, 1920, and adopted as a part of the U.S. Constitution on August 26, 1920.
Alaska recognizes February 16th (the date the Alaska Equal Rights Act was signed) as "Elizabeth Peratrovich Day. For the 75th anniversary to landmark Anti-discrimination Legislation in Alaska the U.S. Mint is commemorating her on the one-dollar coin during 2020. Inscribed with Elizabeth’s likeness in honor of her historic achievements in the fight for equality.
For Peratrovich and the Alaska Native Sisterhood, the Alaska Equal Rights Act was not the end of the fight for equal rights and the improvement of Alaska Natives' lives—it was only one component of a longer struggle.
