Women's Equality Day - August 26th

When Grover Cleveland spoke those unwise words in 1905, I assume he was referring to God. What he did not envision, however; the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote, was just 15 years away. With God's constant gift of pardoning our impetuous behavior, I am positive "she" forgave Cleveland for his insensitivity to women.

Women's Equality Day - Brainchild of Bella Abzug

August 26th is Women's Equality Day and was designated so by the U.S. Congress in 1971. Women's Equality Day commemorates the 1920 ratification to the Constitution, which gave women the proper right to vote as an American citizen. It was Bella Abzug (D-NY), who brought the Women's Equality Day initiative to the table.

Congressional representative (1971-1976) Bella Abzug, also known as "Battling Bella" and "Hurricane Bella," was a celebrated woman who did more than her share to ensure equality for women in the United States and around the world.

While holding her Congressional seat, Abzug recognized the necessity to keep women's rights on a forward momentum and worked determinedly to promote and uphold the Equal Rights Amendment. She left no stones unturned and brought to light the needs of working mothers, sexual discrimination, day care centers on a national level and gay rights.

Progress Women Have Made - National Women's Hall of Fame

Women's Equality Day is a great time to stop and ponder the progress and contributions women have made over the centuries and continue to make today in great strides. One of the best resources available, to educate yourself on the mammoth accomplishments of many of the female shakers and movers of America, is a visit to the National Women's Hall of Fame online or in person.

Located in Seneca Falls, NY, and historically branded as the "Birthplace of Women's Rights," after an 1848 Women's Rights Convention formally launched the struggle for the women's rights movement; the National Women's Hall of Fame, which actually came into existence in 1969, would not find a permanent home in Seneca until 1979, when the organization bought a notable former bank building to house their artifacts and exhibits.

Who is in the Women's Hall of Fame?

Hundreds of women listed in the National Women's Hall of Fame, including the ones you would expect like Susan B. Anthony, Abigail Adams and Bella Abzug, were influential leaders in the women's rights movement, but many women are in the Hall for a vast array of achievements in other areas of exceptional leadership. The following are just a few of the great women noted by the Hall:

The "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement," Rosa Parks, declined her seat on a bus to a white man in 1955, which launched a foremost turning point in the struggle for Civil Rights. Rosa Parks passed away in 2005.

The first woman to receive the 1921 Pulitzer Price for fiction, "The Age of Innocence," Edith Wharton, wrote several novels and many short stories, but was also known for having a bit of a passion for ghost stories. Wharton was born in 1862 and died in 1937.

Not only was Grace Murray Hopper the first woman to become a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy; she was an inventor, math genius and a computer pioneer, who was known for breaking ground in user-friendly software. Grace was born in 1906 and passed away in 1992.

Women in the National Hall of Fame whom almost everyone will recognize include; Lucille Ball, Julia Child, Nellie Bly, Sally Ride, Eleanor Roosevelt and Madeleine Korbel Albright. This is just a small number of the amazing women whose leadership has paved the way for the rest of us women and in many cases, men, too.

When Women's Equality Day rolls around on August 26th, ponder the great women who have trail-blazed the way to equal rights and the considerable restrictions we no longer have to deal with in order to take our rightful place in the world.

Sources:
National Women's Hall of Fame
National Women's History Project
www.nwhp.org/resourcecenter/equalityday.php
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