Women’s Equality Day has its own entry on Wikipedia. It tells anyone who visits the internet that the day of August 26th is to commemorate the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution guaranteeing women’s right to vote and the long and lonely decades dedicated to its passage.
Women’s Equality Day was first celebrated in 1973, and every year the US President announces the observance. But don’t be fooled. It is not a national holiday although many people are advocating for this. The National Women’s History Project (nwhp.org) has put out a call for supporters of making August 26th a national holiday. Membership is free.
NATIONAL EQUALITY PLEDGE
Kamala Lopez, filmmaker of “Equal Means Equal,” is working on distributing a national equality pledge to identify elected officials with their stand on the Equal Rights Amendment. Many grassroots and supporting organizations are using “Equal Means Equal” and other contemporary films and videos for fundraising. “Iron Jawed Angels” remains a popular choice.
INEZ MILHOLLAND IS STILL IN THE PUBLIC EYE
The New York Times has identified Inez Milholland as number three on a list of ten women who would be good choices for a statue in NYC. Milholland gave her life for women’s right to vote. She died when on the lecture trail in 1916 from pernicious anemia. In 2016, the National Women’s History Project sponsored a year to bring Inez Milholland’s story out of the background and to the attention of the nation. Marguerite Kearns and Robert P.J. Cooney directed the effort. Martha Wheelock produced a film, “Forward into Light,” a 15 minute film about Inez. Thousands of films were distributed free throughout the nation. Follow the Inez Milholland centennial blog for news and views about this continuing effort:
IN OTHER NEWS—Tennessee and Washington, DC:
The Tennessee Woman Suffrage Board has sent out invitations to a celebration on Saturday, August 25, 2018 at 11 a.m. at the Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument Centennial Park in Nashville. Completed suffrage monuments, now part of the landscape in Tennessee, include Jackson, Knoxville and Nashville. Three more are in progress: Chattanooga, Clarksville, and Memphis. Open to the public. A lawn chair and umbrella for rain or shade from the sun is recommended for the August 25th event.
The National Women’s History Museum is promoting tours, starting today, that follow the 1913 woman suffrage parade through DC. The tour starts at the Capitol Reflecting Pool by the Grant Memorial. The tour covers 1.5 miles, lasts about two hours, and ends in Lafayette Square across from the White House. Dates include August 11, 17, 18, 24 and 31, 2018. Contact the Museum web site for more information and cost.
UPDATE ON TURNING POINT SUFFRAGIST MEMORIAL:
SuffrageCentennials.com continues to work toward 2020, the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Follow us on the blog, Twitter, Facebook, and email subscription.
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