Seriously Unfinished Business: The 100th Anniversary of the Suffrage Amendment Didn't Turn Out as Planned, but We Can Make It Turn Out?Better

Issue 139 — August 24, 2020

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock in your quarantine, or have put yourself on a strict social media and television diet to get away from the political talking heads, you know this year, 2020, is the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment giving women across the U.S. the right to vote.

Thousands of women’s organizations had planned celebrations leading up to this auspicious anniversary, some on the various significant dates leading up to August 26, the anniversary of when the amendment became formally part of the Constitution. My inbox is now filled with invitations to virtual events on Women’s Equality Day, including Take The Lead’s hosted by Felicia Davis, Take The Lead Leadership Ambassador, leadership brand advisor, and founder of the Black Women’s Collective who with her special guest Jamia Wilson, author, activist, and executive director and publisher of the Feminist Press at CUNY will discuss solutions to the intersection of racial and gender inequalities that persist today — the unfinished work we must do to reach full equality and justice for all — and especially to make the 19th amendment deliver on the full promise of its words. Register here.

August 26 has been officially declared Women’s Equality Day since the loud mouthed, hat wearing Congresswoman from New York (where else?) Bella Abzug, persuaded Congress to pass a joint resolution of Congress that begins with these two whereases:

WHEREAS, the women of the United States have been treated as second-class citizens and have not been entitled the full rights and privileges, public or private, legal or institutional, which are available to male citizens of the United States;

and WHEREAS, the women of the United States have united to assure that these rights and privileges are available to all citizens equally regardless of sex;

That turns out to be both true and not true.

The first “whereas” is certainly accurate. Women had never been even mentioned in the Constitution before the 19th Amendment; however they had been excluded by implication of the references to men only. And the laws in many states explicitly placed women in secondary positions — not able to own property, with little or no protections from sexual abuse, and forget about equal pay or birth control.

Remember those “help wanted female” ads? I surely do and believe me the job opportunities available to women did not include the C-Suite! Sandra Day O’Connor, who thanks to the work of feminist leaders eventually became the first woman to be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, was unable to find a job as a lawyer after graduating third in her class from Stanford University, though men with those credentials were snapped up by major law firms.

The second “whereas” is more complicated and uglier. Though Black and white women worked together in the early 19th century on both abolition and women’s rights, and Black women have always been stalwart voting rights advocates, a patchwork quilt of racist travesties emerged over time. Carrie Chapman Catt, the suffragist leader often credited with having the political savvy to put the votes for women amendment over the top in 1920, through much of her life was known to champion the rights of all women regardless of race. But she was also quoted as saying that white supremacy would be strengthened by women’s suffrage.

And in an oblique way it did strengthen white supremacy. As with every step forward, the cultural status quo pushes back hard. Jim Crow laws, poll taxes, and other means of voter suppression kept African Americans of both genders from voting. Until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed, there was almost no recourse against these voter suppression measures.

So 2020 turns out not to be the celebratory year it deserves to be. The 19th Amendment to the Constitution did mark a big step forward for women. But we must face the fact that at the same time it is a year of reckoning about the checkered history of women’s suffrage as it pertains to race, along with a clear vision of the unfinished business that remains to be attended to before women truly have the equality that the 19th Amendment promised.

That reckoning can only make us better as a society, if, and the ifs are large, we take this moment when people are paying attention to the racism all under and around us.

Because yet again, we are facing voter suppression laws and policies, from reducing the number of polling places and ballot drop offs to reducing funds for the Postal Service and attempting to remove mail boxes, and more. This affects all voters, but is especially aimed at disenfranchising women and people of color.

Now, I’ve heard people say that the 19th Amendment only gave voting rights to white women. That is also in the both true and not true category, similar to the Declaration of Independence saying “All men are created equal.”

The 19th Amendment did in the strict words of the law give all women in the U.S. the right to vote. But as we have so often seen, laws don’t necessarily change hearts and minds, nor do they necessarily prevent various kinds of shenanigans aimed at maintaining the power status quo of patriarchy.

For example, Native American women played a vital role in passing the Nineteenth Amendment, but didn’t reap the benefits until four years later on June 24, 1924 when the American government grants citizenship to Native Americans through the Indian Citizenship Act. However, even then, many states made laws and policies which prohibited Native Americans from voting until 1948.

In 1943: Chinese immigrants, including women, received the right to vote by the Magnuson Act.

1964: The Twenty-fourth Amendment was ratified by two-thirds of the states, formally abolishing poll taxes and literacy tests which were heavily used against African-American and poor white women and men.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed, prohibiting racial discrimination in voting, resulting in greatly-increased voting by African American women and men.

It took over 70 years — two full generations, for the 19th Amendment to go from a resolution passed by a women’s rights convention to a Constitutional Amendment passed into law and ratified into the Constitution.

The battles were hard fought. Women endured despicable allegations that giving women the right to vote would be the ruination of the family and the country. President Grover Cleveland articulated the sentiment of many men and even some women when he said, “Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote.” The suffragists had to resort to hunger strikes, they were beaten, tortured, and jailed, and some women even died for our right to vote.

So the 19th Amendment deserves to be celebrated. Loudly and often during this centennial year.

But oh there is so much unfinished business yet to be done, and committing ourselves to it will be the best way to celebrate. Here are four ways to celebrate Women’s Equality Day 2020 while tackling some of that unfinished business.

1. Know your history and learn the facts about the suffrage movement, warts and all. We can’t change things unless we face them. Study the status of women and girls in society and the policies that affect their ability to achieve to their highest and best intentions. Note that the Equal Rights Amendment that would assure women’s equality under the law still hasn’t been formally placed in the Constitution though it has been ratified by the necessary 38 states. Check the ERA Coalition website eracoalition.org frequently to see how you can help rectify that historic injustice.
2. Be of service. Invest in women-owned businesses, and be sure to seek out Black women owned businesses. Mentor and sponsor diverse women in your workplace. Donate to and volunteer for organizations that help women get jobs or get ahead in the jobs they have. Patronize businesses owned by women, and look for opportunities to support businesses owned by Black, Indigenous, and other women of color to make your money especially impactful.
3. Go out and raise hell. Join organizations that work for racial and gender justice. We’re always stronger and more effective together. March if that is your preferred way of being an activist. Speak up on issues that you are passionate about. Write letters to the editor, and post on social media to express your opinions. Above all, vote in every election and work to make sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to vote in your community.
4. Go out and just do it. Run for office. Start a business. Launch a podcast. Demand equal pay. Take The Lead wherever and however you are able.

And at 1pm eastern time on Women’s Equality Day, August 26, 2020, please join us when we launch a new online series called “Power TO Change Conversations.” We chose Women’s Equality Day to kick off the series of conversations with women who can offer real solutions to the intersection of racial and gender inequalities that persist today — the unfinished work we must do to reach full equality and justice for all — and especially to make the 19th amendment deliver on the full promise of its words.

Jamia Wilson, author, activist, and executive director and publisher of the Feminist Press at CUNY will discuss the current state of women’s equality in light of recent events, with actionable solutions to today’s challenges. The series will be hosted by Felicia Davis, Take The Lead Leadership Ambassador, leadership brand advisor, and founder of the Black Women’s Collective.

Let’s celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment by committing ourselves to realizing its full promise of voting rights without impediment for all women in America.

P.S. Here’s my podcast discussing some of these questions. Please share it and this article with anyone whom you think they might help. Listen, subscribe, and let me know how it goes for you.

GLORIA FELDT is the Cofounder and President of Take The Lead, a motivational speaker and expert women’s leadership developer for companies that want to build gender balance, and a bestselling author of four books, most recently No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power. Former President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, she teaches “Women, Power, and Leadership” at Arizona State University and is a frequent media commentator. Learn more at www.gloriafeldt.com and www.taketheleadwomen.com. Tweet Gloria Feldt.