Women's Equality Day Is August 26th
A time to celebrate the triumph of women
August 19, 2007
By: Guest Columnist
Celebrate the triumph of those women and men who worked to obtain the opportunity for women to be part of the elective process.
(Special to MyBayCity by Dee Dee Wacksman)
August 26 is Women's Equality Day in the United States. This is a time to celebrate the triumph of those women and men who worked to obtain the opportunity for women to be part of the elective process.
It is important to remember that women have had the right to vote for only 87 years. This political campaign began at the first women's rights convention at Seneca Falls,New York in July, 1848.
After a long, hard, non-violent, struggle the female half of our population won that right on August 26, 1920 with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to our Constitution.
This amendment was first introduced in 1878 by Susan B. Anthony. Michigan was the third state to ratify it.
May Stocking Knaggs and Mrs.G.B.Jennison were members of the Bay County Equal Suffrage Association. Bay City had a visit from seventy-eight year old suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony in 1893 when she spoke at the Universalist Church.
May Stocking Knaggs went on to become president of the Michigan State Equal Suffrage Association and was the first woman elected to the Bay City Board of Education. She was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 2002.
An opportunity to learn more about the Women's Suffrage Movement is through an exhibit at the Michigan Womens' Historical Center and Hall of Fame in Lansing.
The "Votes for Women" exhibit features national, state and local women and organizations involved with the many aspects of obtaining the right to vote. The Hall of Fame website is http://www.michiganwomenshalloffame.org
A nearby opportunity would be a walk through the Women's History Park behind the Bay Area Women's Center. There are trees with plaques commemorating local women who were important in the history of Bay County.
With the presidential election coming in 2008 let us not forget those strong women who came before us and worked so diligently that we women may now make our voice known in this country.
Let us all,men and women, remember that voting is our chance to express our opinion. When you vote, you are taking action to support this democracy.