More than 400 people attended the 84th anniversary celebration of the 19th Amendment rally held by East Tennessee Women for Kerry at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Thursday night.

“We are here to celebrate the past struggle of our right to vote and organize for the future,” former County Commissioner Madeline Rogero said.

Rogero said that of the 22 million single women eligible to vote, 15 million are between the ages of 18 and 34. And if this age group had voted last year, votes would have increased by 6 million.

Rogero said women who do not vote fail to realize their ability to change issues and how the issues impact all women.

Some women at the rally were dressed in clothes of the past, which “symbolizes what lasts today and what women’s suffrage has done for today,” Rogero said.

County Commissioner Diane Jordan said in interview that voting helps women to establish who they are in the community. She said it is important to “step out and be role models on the front line for Kerry.”

“Times are hard; we have the power; let’s take the power,” Jordan said in the rally.

Cindy McGill, candidate for Tennessee Senate’s 6th District, also spoke about the importance of women’s issues.

“Women’s issues are near and dear to my heart,” she said. “I had a single mother and am a single mother. Women are unaware of issues, and they don’t think they can make a difference,” McGill said.

“I want to challenge all women to step up to the plate, if not for anyone else, for our children,” she said.

Rogero said that there will be several committees organized to “reach out” to the community in order to help future voting. Different committees targeted toward teens, moms, healthcare, and labor were on display around the room.

Wanda Sobieski, former president of the Tennessee Lawyer’s Association for Women, announced the creation of a memorial.

“It’s a shame there’s not one memorial because East Tennessee is the birthplace of women’s suffrage,” she said.

The statue will symbolize the three grand divisions of Tennessee with three leading Tennessee suffragists: Lizzie Crozier French, Anne Dallas Dudley and Elizabeth Avery Meriwether.

The statue will be placed in Market Square.

“It’s the least we can do for these women who gave us this opportunity to have opportunity,” Sobieski said.

In her closing remarks, Rogero encouraged the rally to “use the next 68 days to pay tribute to the 74 years women spent fighting.”