08/26/2020
Today, August 26th, marks Women’s Equality Day, which commemorates the 19th amendment- granting women the right to vote!
August 26th was designated as Women’s Equality Day in 1971 by the U.S. Congress. In 1866, the American Equal Rights Association (AERA) was created to support the women’s suffrage movement. The group divided itself into two different groups known as the National Women’s Suffrage Association (NWSA), led by Elizabeth Candy Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, and the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), led by Lucy Stone and Julia Ward Howe. In 1890, the NWSA and the AWSA united to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA)!
Sojourner Truth, a former slave in New York, is recognized as the first African-American woman suffragist with her speech in Akron, Ohio “Ain’t I a Woman?”. Truth was a freed slave who not only was a leader in women’s suffrage, but also supported herself through various jobs throughout the movement. Truth’s, “overwhelming presence, personal magnetism, and unique oratorical style captivated audiences and won even skeptics to the cause.” She traveled to Washington, D.C. in 1864 where she was “received by President Lincoln in the White House.” Later that year, Truth was elected by the National Freedman’s Relief Association as “counselor to the freed people.”
While you celebrate today’s importance, please don’t forget to remember all the women who made this day possible!
“The women who call our Nation home epitomize the grit, determination, and work ethic that is indicative of the American Spirit, and their wisdom and compassion are among the greatest virtues of our society.”
Sources:
https://nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/resources/commemorations/womens-equality-day/10-ideas-for-womens-equality-day/
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-womens-equality-day-2020/
https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement/
