Equality Day 2021
A day in Women’s History - August 26, 1920 was the day in women’s history we need to acknowledge and always remember the 19th amendment was certified by Bainbridge Colby, the Secretary of State. It was 72 years after women’s suffrage started. 26 million women were granted the ability to vote. 9 million women voted that year. Yet in 1776 women had the right to vote, but in 1807 it was taken away from every state’s constitution.
Women of color were given this right only by name. Many states didn’t allow them access to the polling booths that November. It took decades before they were granted to vote.
It wasn’t given to us; it was a fight that we won. In February 1913, a group of women including Rosalie Gardiner Jones and Ida Craft walked from Hudson Terminal in New York City to Washington DC. On the first day they had over 200 women that followed them, by the second day, there were 16. Those 16 women continued to fight for the right to have women vote in our country and be equal to men.
Did you know that Yellow roses were a symbol of the suffragette movement in the 1920s?
On May 21, 2019, some members of the U.S. Congress all wore yellow roses to mark 100 years since the House of Representatives voted to pass women's suffrage. ... It is "the torch that guides our purpose, pure and unswerving," reads "The Suffragist" regarding the gold color. The book was published in 1913.
https://www.wcpo.com/news/national/why-some-members-of-congress-are-wearing-yellow-roses-today
In 1919, when the state legislators were to vote, the men wore red roses to signify they were against the amendment and the yellow rose meant you were for it. Harry Burns of the Tennessee General Assembly switched his red rose to yellow, because his mother asked him to. This allowed the 19th amendment to pass. Alice Paul said “It is incredible to me that any woman should consider the fight for full equality won. It has just begun."
Tennessee (April 23, 1974) and 4 other states Nebraska, (March 15, 1973), Idaho (February 8, 1977), Kentucky (March 17, 1978) & South Dakota (March 5, 1979) retracted their earlier ratification of the ERA. On March 22, 2017, the Nevada Legislature became the first state in 40 years to ratify the ERA. Illinois followed on May 30, 2018. Then earlier this year, Virginia’s General Assembly passed on January 15, 2020 with the Virginia House of Delegates passed it on January 27th. We are still at 36 states. And the fight is still going 101 years later.
Since 1971, Women’s Equality Day has been celebrated annually on August 26. The celebration falls on the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment which granted women the right to vote. The Woman Suffrage Amendment was first introduced on January 10, 1878.
Join us on August 26th and celebrate women and girls for Women’s Equality Day.