Women’s Equality Day
Celebrating the Fight For Equality
In the year 1920, after decades of tireless activism, suffragettes in the United States won their fight when the 19th Amendment was adopted into the Constitution. The 19th Amendment prohibits state and federal governments from prohibiting any citizen from voting on the basis of sex, and it was formally adopted into the Constitution on August 26.
Decades later, in the 1970s, the second-wave feminist movement was at its peak, with women from all walks of life coming together to fight sexism and push for women’s liberation. In 1972, New Yorker Bella Azbug suggested that, in honor of the landmark decision to protect women’s right to vote, August 26 be celebrated as Women’s Equality Day. Every August 26 since then has been acknowledged by the President of the United States as Women’s Equality Day, a day to acknowledge the fight for women’s rights, and the work which is still to be done.
The story of the fight against sexism is not yet complete, but it is still an empowering one for any woman. Now, as we approach the 50th annual Women’s Equality Day, there are still a variety of ways to acknowledge and celebrate this holiday.
The most simple way to celebrate Women’s Equality Day is to reach out to women in your life and empower them, and allow them to empower you in return. If you’re a woman, this can take a variety of forms. Reach out to your girlfriends and spend some quality time together, or connect with some of your female family members to learn their stories. If you’re able, reaching out to a younger or less-experienced woman at work to act as a mentor is also a good idea.
Another way to celebrate women, can be to support disadvantaged women in your community by donating to a women’s shelter, or even organizing a drive to collect donations for the women’s center. Reach out to the Tug Valley Recovery Shelter to inquire about donations and volunteering.
If you’d like more information and resources about Women’s Equality Day, visit here.