A second flag is now flying beneath the American flag in downtown Oxford’s Centennial Park.

This purple, yellow and white banner celebrates the 100th anniversary of Michigan’s ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave women the right to vote. The flag bears 36 stars representing the number of states that was needed to approve it.

Michigan was among the very first states to ratify the 19th Amendment. Lawmakers in Lansing voted unanimously in favor of it on June 10, 1919. That same day, the amendment was also ratified by Wisconsin and Illinois.

Village officials held a small ceremony in the park on June 20 to celebrate the important role Michigan played in this milestone in American history.

Joe Frost, president of the village council, said they were gathered “to recognize the mothers, daughters and sisters” in the village and across the state who fought to secure their right to participate in the political process via the ballot box.

“It was indeed a fight to get this thing ratified,” he said.

Frost noted he’s “quite proud” to serve on a council where the majority of seats are held by women and he’s “quite proud to live in a state” that was among the very first to ratify the 19th Amendment.

Councilwoman Kate Logan believes the word “feminism” has carried a “stigma” because people don’t “really fully understand how important it is, this women’s rights movement.”

“We’re 51 percent of the population. We matter,” she said.

Logan said it’s important for men to recognize that women are more than just wives, daughters and sisters.

“We are your fellow human beings,” she said, and as such, it’s “immensely important (for women) to have equal rights.”

“It’s pretty basic. It’s a human right,” Logan noted.

The councilwoman thanked the “male allies” who support gender equality.

“We need more of you speaking up, advocating for women,” she said.