CELEBRATING WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY
by Michelle Van Dyke, President & CEO, Heart of West Michigan United Way
Women’s Equality Day is celebrated in the United States on August 26 to commemorate the 1920 adoption of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibits the states and the federal government from denying citizens the right to vote on the basis of sex. Yet, for so many, the fight for the right to vote was not over. Martha Jones, a legal scholar and historian, said the ratification of the 19th amendment “marks for African American women a start, not a finish. It fuels a new chapter in the struggle for voting rights…a movement that Black women will lead all the way to 1965 and passage of the Voting Rights Act.”
President Obama’s 2016 Proclamation to commemorate Women’s Equality Day read, in part: “Today, as we celebrate the anniversary of this hard-won achievement and pay tribute to the trailblazers and suffragists who moved us closer to a more just and prosperous future, we resolve to protect this constitutional right and pledge to continue fighting for equality for women and girls.”
On this day, as we honor these trailblazers, let’s highlight just a few of those who were “firsts” in their fields and reflect on their own words.
Amelia Earhart (1897–1937): An American aviator, Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. After a Kansas upbringing and education, she learned to fly in California, taking up aviation as a hobby. Following a series of record flights, she made a solo trans-Atlantic flight from Newfoundland to Ireland and later flew the first solo flight from Hawaii to the American mainland.
“Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn’t be done. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; the process is its own reward. Women, like men, should try to do the impossible. And if they fail, their failure should be a challenge to others.”
—Amelia Earhart
“Cautious, careful people always casting about to preserve their reputations…can never effect a reform.”
—Susan B. Anthony
Susan B Anthony (1820–1906): Susan B. Anthony is best known as a pioneer and crusader of the women’s suffrage movement. She was the first woman to vote (and convinced 14 other women to vote with her), voting in the presidential election on November 5, 1872—48 years before it was legal for white women.
Wilma Rudolph (1940–1994): Wilma Rudolph was stricken with polio at an early age but always believed that she would walk again without braces. At the age of nine, the braces were removed. Wilma excelled as an athlete, and her years of dedication were rewarded in 1960 at the Olympic Games in Rome where she was the first woman to win three gold medals in track and field.
“The triumph can’t be had without the struggle.”
—Wilma Rudolph
“It is not easy to be a pioneer—but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world.”
—Elizabeth Blackwell
Elizabeth Blackwell (1821–1910): Elizabeth Blackwell was a pioneer in the education of women as physicians. In 1849, she became the first woman in the United States to become a physician. Blackwell raised money to open a hospital for needy women and children, and in 1868, opened a medical school for women.
Jane Addams (1860–1935): Jane Addams committed her life to justice for immigrants and Black people, equal rights for women, and the struggle against poverty. She became the first woman president of the National Conference of Social Work in 1910. She is best known as the founder of Hull House, a boarding school for working girls offering college-level classes and training young social workers.
“America’s future will be determined by the home and the school. The child becomes largely what he is taught; hence, we must watch what we teach, and how we live.”
—Jane Addams
“At present, our country needs women’s idealism and determination, perhaps more in politics than anywhere else.”
—Shirley Chisholm
Shirley Chisholm (1924–2005): Shirley Chisholm is the first Black woman to be elected to Congress. She cofounded the National Women’s Political Caucus and founded the National Political Congress of Black Women. In 1993, she was inducted into the National Woman’s Hall of Fame. The title of her autobiography, Unbought and Unbossed, accurately depicts how she lived her life.
Condoleeza Rice (1954–): Condoleeza Rice is the first African American and first woman to be appointed national security advisor. She was also the first African American woman to hold the position of secretary of state (and only the second woman to be named to the position). She was a professor at Stanford University, and then its provost, before being appointed as national security advisor to President George W. Bush.
“Differences can be a strength.”
—Conoleeza Rice
There are so many important women in history who we honor today and always. I challenge each of you to look around for the women of today who are blazing trails and modeling the way for other women. In the words of Maya Angelou, “How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!”
Sources
Excerpts from Great Quotes from Great Women, compiled by Peggy Anderson
“In 1872, Susan B Anthony was Arrested for Voting ‘Unlawfully’”, smithsonianmag.com, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-susan-b-anthony-was-arrested-1872-180975587/
Goodreads.com, https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/191150-how-important-it-is-for-us-to-recognize-and-celebrate