This date, August 26th, was selected to commemorate the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the constitution, granting women the right to vote. This was the culmination of a massive, peaceful civil right movement by women that had its formal beginnings in 1848 at the world’s first women’s right convention, in Seneca Falls, New York. August 26, 2012 will mark the 92nd anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment,
The observance of the Women’s Equality Day not only commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, but also calls attention to women’s continuing efforts toward full equality. Workplace, libraries, organizations, and public facilities now participate with Women’s Day Equality Programs, displays, video showings, or other activities. Riverside is no exception. To celebrate this day, participants will sing-a-long with a recording of a forgotten 1917 Suffragist-era song and will also make newspaper hats that speak to the times. The event will take place at the Riverside Art Museum from 1:00 to 3:00 PM today.
Women’s Equality Day was instituted by Bella Abzug (1920-1998)in
1971. Bella was known for her feminism, peace activism, large hats, fiery personality, and many highly quotable quotes, a few of which follow.
- They used to give us a day–it was called International Women’s Day. In 1975 they gave us a year, the Year of the Woman. Then from 1975 to 1985 they gave us a decade, the Decade of the Woman. I said at the time, who knows, if we behave they may let us into the whole thing. Well, we didn’t behave and here we are
- “Our struggle today is not to have a female Einstein get appointed as an assistant professor. It is for a woman schlemiel to get as quickly promoted as a male schlemiel.”
- “Our struggle today is not to have a female Einstein get appointed as an assistant professor. It is for a woman schlemiel to get as quickly promoted as a male schlemiel.”
- Maybe we weren’t at the Last Supper, but we’re certainly going to be at the next one.
- Women will change the nature of power, rather than power changing the nature of women.
- We have done almost everything in pairs since Noah, except govern. And the world has suffered for it.
- The inside operation of Congress — the deals, the compromises, the selling out, the co-opting, the unprincipled manipulating, the self-serving career-building — is a story of such monumental decadence that I believe if people find out about it they will demand an end to it.