5 Ways to Celebrate Women's Equality Day
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment in the United States, which guaranteed women the right to vote. Though we’ve come a long way since then, the journey is far from over. Today, the fight for equal rights continues around the world as we work to eliminate issues such as the gender wage gap and gender-based discrimination, as well striving to make our efforts truly inclusive and intersectional.
To recognize the work that has been done in the past and the work that is yet to come, Congress designated August 26 as Women’s Equality Day in 1971. Wondering how you can honor Women’s Equality Day? Check out these five ways to get involved.
Learn about the history of women’s rights
For many of us, we learned about the women’s suffrage movement in school — and the lessons stopped there. Or perhaps you were only taught about women’s rights from the perspective of your own country. Now is the perfect time to brush up on the history of women’s rights and learn about what’s happening in the women’s rights movement on a global scale.
Here are a few resources for learning about the history of women’s rights:
Watch this short Instagram video from UN Women on the history of women’s rights around the world.
Read about the history of Women’s Equality Day from the National Women’s History Museum.
Check out this timeline of milestones in women’s history from History.com.
Scroll through the interactive Suffrage at 100: A Visual History from the New York Times.
Learn about the true effects of the 19th amendment and the history of voter suppression tactics from Vox.
2. Tune into virtual events.
No matter where you live, you can take part in virtual events for Women’s Equality Day that are happening around the world. Here is a list of virtual Women’s Equality Day events online:
Women Take the Stage commemorates the centennial of the 19th Amendment by amplifying women's voices in order to get more people to vote; support free, fair, and safe elections; and increase the number of women in elected office. Headliners include Gloria Steinem, Lily Tomlin, Indigo Girls, Dolores Huerta, Billie Jean King, Rev. Jacqui Lewis, Idina Menzel, and many more.
Women’s Equality Day Write-In by WomensActivism.NYC
In honor of the 100th anniversary of women beginning to gain the right to vote in the United States, we are inviting you to write women into history. This virtual event has the goal of gathering stories of inspiring women from around the world who have made a difference through their activism — from world leaders to the everyday women who have had a direct impact on our lives.
Women on Wednesdays: Women's Suffrage Centennial by Women & Politics Institute
Co-editors Dr. Stacie Taranto and Dr. Leandra Zarnow will discuss their new book, Suffrage at 100: Women in American Politics Since 1920, “the first wide-ranging collection to historically examine women's full political engagement in and beyond electoral office since they gained a constitutional right to vote.”
Toast To Tenacity™ by Vision 2020
Join a virtual tribute to Women’s Equality Day with inspiring speakers, music, and a salute to the suffragists. Webcasting from Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Vision 2020 will host a 90-minute program that includes well-known speakers, music by the Philadelphia Orchestra and singer Meghan Cary, a visit with the Philadelphia Eagles, a ceremonial ringing of the Justice Bell, and a nationwide toast to the tenacious suffragists whose efforts won voting rights for American women.
The Women’s Hour: 100 Years and Counting
Acknowledging that not all women have had the same experience, the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall has assembled an expert and eclectic panel for a virtual panel discussion featuring moderator Jessie Ramey and panelists Jessica Benham, Dr. Dana Brown, Monica Ruiz-Caraballo, and Ciora Thomas as we explore the journey to women’s suffrage and where we have yet to go.
3. Update your bookshelf.
Take a deep dive into women’s rights with these books to read for Women’s Equality Day:
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
We Should All Be Feminists is a personal, eloquently-argued essay from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, award-winning author of Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah. Here Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century, one rooted in inclusion and awareness. Drawing extensively on her own experiences and her deep understanding of the often-masked realities of sexual politics, here is one remarkable author’s exploration of what it means to be a woman now — and an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists.
Broad Influence by Jay Newton-Small
Jay Newton-Small, one of the nation's most deeply respected and sourced journalists takes readers through the corridors of Washington D.C., the offices and hallways of Capital Hill and everywhere else conversations and deals are happening to demonstrate how women are reaching across the aisles, coalescing, and affecting lasting change. Broad Influence is an insightful look at how women are transforming government, politics, and the workforce, and how they are using that power shift to effect change throughout America.
Women, Race & Class by Angela Davis
A powerful study of the women’s liberation movement in the U.S., from abolitionist days to the present, that demonstrates how it has always been hampered by the racist and classist biases of its leaders. From the widely revered and legendary political activist and scholar Angela Davis.
Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
From the best-selling author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists comes a powerful new statement about feminism today — written as a letter to a friend. Here are fifteen invaluable suggestions — compelling, direct, wryly funny, and perceptive — for how to empower a daughter to become a strong, independent woman. Dear Ijeawele goes right to the heart of sexual politics in the twenty-first century. It will start a new and urgently needed conversation about what it really means to be a woman today.
Women and Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard
At long last, Mary Beard addresses in one brave book the misogynists and trolls who mercilessly attack and demean women the world over, including, very often, Mary herself. In Women & Power, she traces the origins of this misogyny to its ancient roots, examining the pitfalls of gender and the ways that history has mistreated strong women since time immemorial. With personal reflections on her own online experiences with sexism, Beard asks: If women aren’t perceived to be within the structure of power, isn’t it power itself we need to redefine? And how many more centuries should we be expected to wait?
Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado-Perez
Award-winning campaigner and writer Caroline Criado Perez brings together for the first time an impressive range of case studies, stories and new research from across the world that illustrate the hidden ways in which women are excluded from the very building blocks of the world we live in, and the impact this has on their health and wellbeing. From government policy and medical research, to technology, workplaces, urban planning and the media — Invisible Women reveals the biased data that excludes women. In making the case for change, this powerful and provocative book will make you see the world anew.
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
In her searing collection of essays, Mikki Kendall takes aim at the legitimacy of the modern feminist movement arguing that it has chronically failed to address the needs of all but a few women. Drawing on her own experiences with hunger, violence, and hypersexualization, along with incisive commentary on politics, pop culture, the stigma of mental health, and more, Hood Feminism delivers an irrefutable indictment of a movement in flux. An unforgettable debut, Kendall has written a ferocious clarion call to all would-be feminists to live out the true mandate of the movement in thought and in deed.
The Women’s Suffrage Movement edited by Sally Roesch Wagner
An intersectional anthology of works by the known and unknown women that shaped and established the suffrage movement, in time for the 2020 centennial of women's right to vote, with a foreword by Gloria Steinem. Comprised of historical texts spanning two centuries, The Women's Suffrage Movement is a comprehensive and singular volume that covers the major issues and figures involved in the movement, with a distinctive focus on diversity, incorporating race, class, and gender, and illuminating minority voices.
4. Donate to the cause.
If you’re able to financially contribute to the cause, here are some resources that can help you determine where to vote with your dollars.
5. Register to vote!
Your voice matters. Your vote matters. By voting, you’re taking an active role in creating change. You have the chance to elect people that will represent you and your community’s best interests. These people will make decisions that affect you, your loved ones, and future generations.
If you’re eligible to vote in the United States, make sure you’re registered to vote in your state. Check out Vote411.org (created by the League of Women Voters Education Fund) to register to vote, check your voter registration status, and learn more about what’s on your ballot.
No matter where you live in the world, it’s always a good idea to stay engaged with your local community. Vote if you can vote. Write to your local politicians and make your voice heard. Take part in community discussions or town halls. Spark family conversations and educate your children. Volunteer for leadership positions and be the change you wish to see. Everyone has their role to play, and every step forward is a step in the right direction.