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Women’s (In)Equality Day: Don’t Celebrate, Take Action

Rachel Scott Everett | August 26, 2020

Topics: 14th Amendment, 19th amendment, Equal Rights Amendment, equality gap, gender equality, Global Gender Gap Index, international women's day, nancy pelosi, paid maternity leave, These Things Can Be Done, US Constitution, women's equality, World Economic Forum

On the 100th anniversary of women receiving the right to vote, women still remain unequal under United States law. That won’t change until the Equal Rights Amendment is added to the Constitution, writes Rachel Scott Everett.

On August 26, 1970, over 50,000 women marched nationwide in the Women’s Strike for Equality. The date marked the 50th anniversary of the addition of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution: women’s right to vote.

The demonstration was considered the largest gathering for women’s rights since the suffrage protests at the turn of the century. Inspired by the rally, Congresswoman Bella Abzug (also known as “Battling Bella”) introduced a resolution to designate August 26 as Women’s Equality Day.

Today, on the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment in our country, women may be able to vote, but we are still not guaranteed constitutional equality.

History books often state that women were “given” the right to vote. In reality, women fought, marched, and organized for more than a century to obtain it. Even when the 19th Amendment was enacted, the right to vote was not available to all women. Laws restricted the vote for women of color, many of whom made the same sacrifices and contributions to achieve suffrage as their white counterparts, under greater hardship.

The historical documentary, These Things Can Be Done: Women’s Suffrage in Virginia, by Boedeker Films, was recently released by VPM, in association with the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, and highlights the fight for the 19th Amendment, as well as voter suppression in Virginia after the right to vote was won.

A group of contemporary “agents of change” recreate an iconic photograph of the Virginia suffrage movement showcasing the efforts and impact of female activists in the Commonwealth. Photo courtesy of Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

Like racial discrimination, gender discrimination is part of the systemic inequality that has existed in our country since its founding. While women’s rights have made great strides over the years, many Americans don’t realize the U.S. Constitution doesn’t guarantee equal rights for women.

The moment I learned this, it was something I couldn’t ignore, much less forget. How can the U.S. be considered a world leader if all of its citizens are not truly equal? How can we succeed as a nation if this basic, fundamental right is not included in our foundational document? What can be done to rectify the status of women, including trans women, who continue to be treated as second class citizens in this country? Who is working on this issue and how does the general public not have more awareness of it?

When the U.S. Constitution was written, the majority of Americans were intentionally excluded; this institutionalized the racial and gender inequality we still experience today. The promise of equal protection in the 14th Amendment has never been fully extended to women. The late Justice Antonin Scalia summed it up best, “Certainly the Constitution does not require discrimination on the basis of sex. The only issue is whether it prohibits it. It doesn’t.”

Equality advocates gather on the steps of the Virginia State Capitol on March 8, 2020 to celebrate Virginia becoming the 38th and final state needed to ratify the 28th Amendment (Equal Rights). Photo by EVERGIB.

To put this glaring disparity into context, let’s consider the facts. Currently, 168 international constitutions (85 percent) include gender equality – the U.S. Constitution does not (source: Southern Legal Counsel). That means the United States is one of just 28 countries worldwide that does not recognize its citizens as equal under the law, regardless of sex.

This doesn’t play out well in our daily lives – or our international status. In 2018, the U.S. was ranked as the 10th most dangerous country in the world for women. We tied for third with Syria regarding risk of sexual violence, harassment and coercion into sex (source: Reuters). America is also one of only two countries in the world that does not guarantee paid maternity leave (source: Evoke). And our gender equality gap costs our economy a whopping $2 trillion per year (source: Fast Company).

Given these facts, it’s no surprise that we do not lead the world in gender equality. Every year, the World Economic Forum (WEF) measures gender equality in countries around the world and America recently dropped below the top third. The Global Gender Gap Index 2020 reports that the U.S. is now ranked 53rd out of 153 countries. At this rate, America will not achieve gender equality for another 208 years (source: Equality Can’t Wait). The Constitution is supposed to serve as the supreme law of the United States. This egregious “equality gap” not only negatively impacts our justice system, but enables continued gender discrimination.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi makes a statement about the revival of the 28th Amendment (Equal Rights) at a press conference in Washington, D.C. earlier this year. Photo by EVERGIB.

According to Quartz, a global business news publication, most of the world’s constitutions guarantee more rights than America’s. Indeed, our national leaders spend time and money promoting gender equality abroad, but not at home. Why? Because they know gender equality is beneficial – economically, politically and socially.

Overseas, constitutional equality is served up as “American values,” but here, it’s considered too “controversial,” despite the fact that 97 percent of Americans say it’s somewhat, or very, important for women to have equal rights with men (source: Pew Research Center).

The notion of equal rights is not something new in our country. The same year that Women’s Equality Day was established, the 28th Amendment (Equal Rights), commonly known as the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), was approved by both houses of Congress. First proposed in 1923 by American suffragist Alice Paul, the amendment was designed to provide legal equality to all American citizens. The text is simple:

Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or by any state, on account of sex.

The amendment immediately received wide, bipartisan support from both Republicans and Democrats. By 1977, it had received 35 of the necessary 38 state ratifications to be enacted. However, that all changed when a group of conservative women, led by Republican Phyllis Schlafly, organized a scrappy campaign against the ERA in defense of traditional gender roles. The recent period drama, Mrs. America, starring Cate Blanchett, offers an interpretation of this pivotal moment in our nation’s history with repercussions that remain with us today.

Further complicating the issue of the 28th Amendment (Equal Rights) is the arbitrary deadline that Congress imposed on it when it was first introduced. Earlier this year, the House of Representatives passed a resolution to remove the ratification deadline.

Before the onslaught of COVID-19, I had the privilege, with fellow equality advocates, of witnessing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi make a statement on the revival of the much needed amendment. At the press conference, Pelosi declared that this was “not just about women; it’s about America” and that gender equality will strengthen our country, “unleashing the full power of women in our economy and upholding the value of equality in our democracy.” It can’t be overstated, gender equality benefits everyone (see the $2 trillion statistic above).

Liza Mickens (right), great, great-granddaughter of American businesswoman Maggie Walker, represents the next generation of equality advocates who must carry the torch for gender equality. Photo by EVERGIB.

On March 8, 2020, International Women’s Day, people from all over the country gathered in Richmond to celebrate Virginia becoming the 38th and final state needed to ratify the 28th Amendment (Equal Rights). Currently, this amendment is the only fully ratified amendment ever kept out of the Constitution. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once said, “Just like freedom of speech [and] freedom of the press, a fundamental tenet of our society should be the equal citizenship stature of men and women.”

Equality, diversity, and inclusion are American imperatives. To dismantle systemic inequality, these values must be priorities for policy makers and candidates in 2020 and beyond. It will require everyone to take action. From increasing awareness and elevating these points in conversations to voting for leaders who support and champion gender equality, each of us has a role to play in fixing our Constitution and making equality for all Americans a reality.

Empty gestures do not create the change we need: a posthumous pardon, companies that promote gender equality in the press but have not built the infrastructure to ensure equal opportunity, or another “women’s employee resource group” (where women organize everything on their “free time”) from an employer who does not support the 28th Amendment.

As with the Confederate statues coming down on Monument Avenue, we cannot go through the motions of addressing systemic inequality without meaningful change. It’s not enough to remove symbols or have a commemorative holiday. We must recognize that the fight for women’s equality continues to this day, and that it’s up to all of us – women and their allies – to keep fighting the good fight. As long as our Constitution is missing the 28th Amendment (Equal Rights), we fall short on our promise of “liberty and justice for all.”

For more information on the 28th Amendment (Equal Rights), or to join the fight for equality, visit VoteEquality.US. Internships and fellowships currently available.

Top Photo: Equality flag from Celebrate!38, an equality parade in Richmond on International Women’s Day, celebrating Virginia becoming the 38th and final state needed to ratify the 28th Amendment (Equal Rights). Photo by EVERGIB. All photos were taken pre-pandemic.

Photos: Richmond Women’s Strike

Ash Griffith | March 9, 2018

Topics: Abner-Clay Park, city hall, Democratic Socialists of America, international women's day, Richmond capitol, women's strike, Women's Strike Coalition, womens rights

If the Women’s March in January was a guttural response to misogyny and Trumpism, then the Women’s Strike in Richmond yesterday was a well-calculated promise. Protesters in Richmond braved the painful cold Thursday to march down Broad Street to City Hall as they sang and chanted their demands for administration number forty-five for the 109th International Women’s Day rally. While the Women’s March had a very tainted stain of white feminism, the Women’s Strike made sure that everyone knew that they were as intersectional as possible in order to make sure that the voices of all women were heard. Various groups were in representation as well including, but not limited to, Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), and Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

The protest was originally organized by various coalition groups including Democratic Socialists of America. The 4 to 6 p.m. time frame was chosen intentionally to be as inclusive as possible so that women who may not have a viable option to not attend work. One DSA member who identified herself as Laura contrasted the Women’s Strike  with the recent Women’s March, saying, “This one is just a continuance of a women’s strike that has been going on, and we are specifically anti-capitalist.”

Another protester who only introduced herself as Caitlin talked about how she hoped that witnesses to the protest saw that these are community values.

We will do what we have to make our voices heard, and this is just one component of our activism,” she said. “We all are very active in the community, and just because we are screaming in the streets doesn’t mean this is the end of our activism, but this is a really great way for us to come together and show our activism and solidarity,” she added.

The protest began under the gazebo at Abner Clay Park in Jackson Ward, where all participating united together to sing and listen to speakers before walking down Broad Street toward City Hall. Various signs and banners waved as protesters marched down the streets, including a striking one in particular that read, “I am not free while any other women are unfree”.

Upon arriving at Capitol Bell Tower and City Hall, more speakers including Del. Debra Rodman, Delegate Elizabeth Guzman (Virginia Intercollegiate Immigrant Alliance), and Tram Nguyen of New Virginia Majority continued to share their stories, with some deeply personal, about why this protest was important to them.

Near the end of the speaking segment, Guzman talked about a hardscrabble life in America as an immigrant from Peru before pivoting to state and federal policy matters, ending with a call to other women to step up and run for office. “Decisions take place at different levels. The local level, the state level. Please reach out if you are inspired today, because we need more women in elected office, so you can be our voice.”

Rodman followed Guzman by sharing her reflections on International Women’s Day, referencing her academic degrees in anthropology and women’s studies. “This is a day where we recognize the determination and struggles of women all over the world. As feminists, we have our priorities, and International Women’s Day centers us,” she said, talking about solidarity with women worldwide, and stressing the importance of fighting for the rights of women everywhere.

Before Guzman and Rodman, other speakers took turns at the mics, with Nguyen stepping up first to talk about her mom, who she called, “one of the most resilient, brave women I know.” She said her mother raised her sisters after her father became a political prisoner in North Vietnam, and then bravely fled with him as a refugee after his escape. Their brave acts, she said, were what let her live her own dream in America, and what makes her do her work.

“We fight every day for social justice,  we fight every day to represent, to make sure that we all have a say in the decisions that impact our lives,” she said, detailing immigrant rights, living wage, healthcare, and workplace rights like medical leave.

Shardai McLean stood up to speak for low-wage workers like herself, calling on strikes and echoing the words of Laura when she said, “Trump and his people are just a symptom of the problem.”

She listed sexism in the workplace, racial and sexual discrimination, and employment policies around parental and medical leave, before ending with a challenge to the crowd, saying, “What are we going to do tomorrow to ensure safe working conditions for all of us women? We can not stop here.”

One of the women participating in Richmond’s stripper strike couldn’t appear in person, instead,  Twila Jane Sikorsky, who was there on behalf of Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice, and Equality, spoke on behalf of sex workers. Sex workers are an overlooked part of the economy and rarely given a platform even at events supporting women; today, they were given a voice.

Flyers for the strike proclaimed to not only “strike from heteronormative, cisgender roles” but “feminism for the 99%”. While no protest will ever be perfect, today the Women’s Strike did its damnedest to ensure that all 99 voices were heard loud, clear, and bellowing.

Photos By: Ash Griffith

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