Centennial describes a 100th anniversary or something that happens every 100 years. It can also be used as a noun for the celebration of that anniversary.
From Latin 'centum' meaning 'one hundred' and '-ennial' related to 'annus' meaning 'year'. It was formed on the pattern of words like 'biennial' and 'perennial'.
The 'cent-' in 'centennial' is the same 'hundred' you see in 'century' and even 'cent' coins. Language quietly groups time and money under the same number system, so your wallet and your history book secretly agree.
Centennial commemorations (e.g., of wars or institutions) have often centered male leaders and combatants, sidelining women’s contributions. Even in events like suffrage centennials, narratives can simplify or erase the roles of women of color and working-class women.
When marking centennials, name diverse contributors explicitly and avoid framing history as driven only by male elites. For gender-related centennials, note both achievements and remaining inequities.
["hundredth anniversary","100-year anniversary"]
Suffrage and civil rights centennials are opportunities to surface the work of women whose organizing, writing, and risk-taking made legal changes possible but were not fully credited at the time.
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