Women's Equality Day: More than civil rights
"NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that will commemorate Women’s Equality Day, August 26th, as a national day celebrating the importance of the women’s suffrage movement and the work to secure and expand equal rights today".
The 19th Amendment was approved 101 years ago today in the United States. The 19th Amendment gave women a right that today seems indisputable: The right to choose our leaders.
A little bit of history
The Woman Suffrage Amendment was introduced on January 10, 1878. It was resubmitted several times until it was finally approved by both the House and Senate in June 1919. It was ratified on August 26, 1920, when Tennessee became the 36th state to approve it, and obtain three-quarters of the states necessary to ratify the Amendment.
In 1970, 50 years later, a group of 100,000 women took to the streets across the country in a strike for equality. The organizers wanted to make it clear that voting rights had not led to gender equality or equal political power.
The organizers promoted three political goals: universal child care, free abortion on demand, and equal opportunity in the workplace.
This manifestation of feminism obtained several victories, among them; The approval of Title IX of the Higher Educational Amendments Act in 1972 and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act in 1974. And the establishment of August 26 as Women's Equality Day.
Equality in the 21st century
Today, feminist movements are spread globally by social media, such as #MeToo and #TimesUp. Their goal is to end sexism and abuse of power in business, politics and American life.
It is necessary to bring awareness to issues such as support for single mothers, universal child care, access to education and healthcare and guaranteeing these rights not only to American women, but to all women and girls on the planet.
Obtaining political rights was only the first objective of these pioneers in the long list of pending debts of society towards women and their fundamental role in society.
What do you think women must fight for in this 21st century?