One Hundred Years and Counting!

Our country marked one of the most significant milestones for women this week with the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment.  Although women have made enormous strides since, it has not been for all women and in all countries. Empowerment is the flagship of choice, having a voice and right now and most importantly about everyone’s right to vote.

I wasn’t aware of the Nineteenth Amendment until grade school. It never occurred to me that women didn’t already have equal rights to men. My grandmother was the brilliance behind a manufacturing line at a plastics factory, and my mother who began as a teacher in special education rocked it when she managed to earn her PhD at the age of 58 working full-time in University administration while raising five children. And no matter what, they found time to vote.

My mother always emphasized the importance of voting and making your voice heard. She even made time to work the polls after she retired, which is very hard because she does not like to sit still—ever! My mother and grandmother along with so many others worked hard to achieve more equality for women by voting. For me, skipping an election? Just not an option!

Wednesday night, while watching Colin Powell Speak at the Democratic National Convention, which was super cool as I just had the honor to interview him at Ellucian Live Online, I registered for an absentee ballot. I had resisted doing this, because I just love going to the polls. Prodded by my husband, I decided it was the safest thing to do for everyone during a global pandemic. Still, the thought of not voting in person and getting the “I Voted” sticker and saving it until the stickiness wears off much to my kids chagrin just makes me, well, kind of sad!

While the world is certainly absorbed in the November elections in the U.S., many other elections are taking place around the world. I thought back to my many trips in the past where women did not have the right to vote and thought of Saudi Arabia. Women there are just celebrating five years and only three years since they gained the right to drive. I recalled celebrating that one in 2017 as I had wondered in 2015 how many women could vote if they could not drive themselves to a polling place. For me, the ability to Register to Vote is just as important as having a Driver’s License. It is a reminder that we must never take these privileges for granted.  

My mother told me at a young age, “You can be anything you want to be.” I wondered this week whether Senator Kamala Harris’s mom told her something similar as she highlighted what a strong, hard working mother she had. Having the first woman of color to join a major political party’s presidential ticket is the second amazing milestone this week no matter what political party or country you are from. As we all celebrate the suffragists who marched into history a hundred years ago, we must honor them by all getting out to vote!