Nicole Maugle, MCCC Director of Libraries (left) coordinated the arrival and display of the bell with Amanda Owen (right), Executive Director of the Justice Bell Foundation. The Justice Bell Replica’s three-year residency at MCCC began in August 2024 at the Pottstown Campus and continues on the Blue Bell Campus until August 2027. Photo by Diane VanDyke
In commemoration of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) will host a panel discussion and Q&A session about the 19th Amendment, which guarantees women’s right to vote, featuring four prominent female Pennsylvania judges and lawyers.
“Give Us Liberty and the Right to Vote: The Journey to the 19th Amendment” will be held Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 1:15 p.m. in the theater at Montco Cultural Center in the Science Center building on the Blue Bell Campus, 1313 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422. The event is free and open to all, and parking is free.
Students, employees and community members at MCCC’s Pottstown Campus will be able to view the livestream of the presentation in North Hall Room 202 or in the South Hall Student Commons.
The panel, moderated by Montgomery Bar Association President Seth D. Wilson, Esquire, will feature four prominent female jurists including Montgomery County President Judge Carolyn T. Carluccio, Monroe County President Judge Margherita Patti-Worthington, Montgomery County Family Justice Advisory Board Chair Melissa M. Boyd, and Montgomery Bar Association Treasurer Mary Kay Kelm. The presentation is part of the Montgomery Bar Association’s “Understanding Civics in the 21st Century Campus Series.”
This event, which will include a performance by the MCCC Choir, commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, in Philadelphia and launches a series of events at MCCC leading to the country’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026.
During the program, the Justice Bell Replica will be unveiled on stage at the Blue Bell Campus. Modeled after the original bell used in the 1915 Pennsylvania suffrage campaign, the replica honors the fight for women’s voting rights and continues to inspire civic engagement. The Justice Bell Replica’s three-year residency at MCCC began in August 2024 at the Pottstown Campus and continues on the Blue Bell Campus until August 2027. For more details, listen to episode 83 of the “Montco on the Move” podcast, when MCCC Director of Libraries Nicole Maugle, and Justice Bell Foundation Executive Director Amanda Owen share the story of the Justice Bell.
The Justice Bell Replica Residency is part of a larger initiative funded by a $95,000 grant from the Jonas C., Marian D., & Robert H. Erb Charitable Fund. This grant supports enhancements to MCCC’s library collections, particularly in areas vital to students who are parents and adult learners and will honor the legacy of the late Robert H. Erb, a dedicated librarian at the Blue Bell Campus for 45 years.
For more information about the Justice Bell Replica and corresponding programs at MCCC, contact MCCC Director of Libraries Nicole Maugle, at [email protected].
For more information about the Justice Bell Foundation, the Justice Bell and the Justice Bell Replica, contact Executive Director of the Justice Bell Foundation Amanda Owen at [email protected].
