Mercer will celebrate 100 years of women at Mercer Law School on Nov. 21 at Macon’s historic Douglass Theatre with a panel discussion featuring eight female law alumnae as well as the American Bar Association (ABA) traveling exhibit commemorating the centennial of the 19th Amendment.

Online registration is free and closes Nov. 15. The event will begin with a reception at 5:30 p.m. followed by the panel at 6:30 p.m.

The panel will be moderated by Mercer Law School Dean Cathy Cox, ’86, and will feature Professor Leah F. Chanin, ’54, the Hon. Mary Alice Buckner, ’73, Ann Baird Bishop, ’76, the Hon. Wendy L. Shoob, ’77, the Hon. M. Yvette Miller, ’80, and Evett Simmons, ’82.

“We are excited that a panel of trailblazing women alumnae will be sharing their stories, many of which I’m sure will both amuse and shock our current students,” said Cox. “It will also be a wonderful occasion to celebrate the incredible successes of so many Mercer Law women who have used their legal educations to serve the state of Georgia – and the world – in a wide range of practice and leadership positions.”

The ABA exhibit, “100 Years After the 19th Amendment: Their Legacy, and Our Future,” will be available for viewing in the theater’s lobby on Nov. 21 and also at the Law School from Nov. 13-23

Organized by the ABA’s Standing Committee on the Law Library of Congress, the exhibit chronicles the history of the women’s suffrage movement, the legacy of post-1920 efforts to expand voting rights and the obstacles of disenfranchisement and voter suppression today.

“A century ago, a brave woman opened the door at Mercer Law School for all the rest of us women, and we certainly did not want to let this historic anniversary pass without notice,” said Cox. “Kathryn Jackson (who was usually referred to as Mrs. W.E. Jackson) was Mercer Law’s first woman graduate and, as best we can tell, only the second-ever graduate in the state of Georgia. But by 1960, only 10 more women had followed in her footsteps here. Thankfully, we now routinely enroll classes that are comprised of 50% or more of women, and I want our students today to know the path to equality was not an easy one.”