Happy Women’s Equality Day!

Imagine an America where women aren’t allowed to vote. An America where all political leaders are men, and only men get to play a role in determining who those leaders are. An America where pretty much every important decision about the law, the economy, society, and the US’s role in the world is made without the input of women. It may be hard to imagine, but that was the reality in the early 1900s, which, when you think about it, wasn’t all that long ago.

That’s why today, August 26th, is so significant. It was 90 years ago today, that the 19th Ammendment of the US Constitution affirmed the right of women to vote in all public elections, the culmination of a massive, peaceful civil rights movement by women (and their male supporters) that had its formal beginnings in 1848 at the world’s first women’s rights convention, in Seneca Falls, New York.

Voting is a right I feel passionately about, and I’m grateful to the women who worked so tirelessly to ensure that right is available to me and women everywhere!

For more information the history of Women’s Equality Movement, check out the Susan B. Anthony Center for Women’s Leadership. And don’t miss this great article on Huffington Post by  Kate Kelly about what went into making this day a reality.