This month we commemorate in the United States the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage. It is an important event to remember a milestone in gender equality. After almost a century demanding women’s rights, activists like Susan B. Anthony raised public awareness and lobbied the government to grant voting rights to women. These trailblazers emerged victorious in August 1920 with the passage of the 19th Amendment that gave citizens the right to vote regardless of sex. Even though the passage of the 19th Amendment was granted to ALL citizens, it is important to highlight that women of color were NOT granted the right to vote right away. African-American women continued to have problems until 1960, and it was not until 1975 that Latino women were afforded the same rights.

I have been educating myself on women’s suffrage more since I proudly became a council member of Women’s Equality 2020 led by President Cindy Chavez. This taskforce brings together forty-six courageous women of Santa Clara County to assist in the County’s efforts to commemorate and honor the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, ensure a complete census count, broaden electoral participation in 2020, and advance women’s equality. I deeply admire the work and determination of the many women before us that helped create more equality. One of the many events for the centennial celebration is Soup, Salad and Suffrage, as it happened over a hundred years ago to advance women’s suffrage.

Today we still have many challenges and inequalities: particularly race and gender inequalities. For example, the mere fact that we are “celebrating” the highest number of CEO women in Fortune 500 (there are only 37, and only 3 are women of color — correction as of 8/10/2020 there are zero women of color in Fortune 500). Or the fact that 1 in 5 women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49 report experiencing physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner within a 12-month period.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated existing inequalities for women from their professional growth, economy, health, and social protection. I have seen firsthand how we, women, had to adjust our work while educating our children and keeping our households together. According to Lean In research, 31% of women with full-time jobs and families say they have more to do than they can possibly handle. Only 13% of working men with families say the same.

From the United Nations website: “Women are not only the hardest hit by this pandemic, they are also the backbone of recovery in communities. Putting women and girls at the center of economies will fundamentally drive better and more sustainable development outcomes for all, support more rapid recovery, and place the world back on a footing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”. 

This year, one of the most important ways we can celebrate our right to vote is… to vote. This time voting will present practical challenges and health risks for many. But it is our duty to face these risks and celebrate the decades of sacrifice that those before us have made to secure the rights we enjoy today. I am hopeful that we will take advantage of these challenges and treat them instead as opportunities to reduce the many remaining areas of inequality.

Let’s celebrate the 100 anniversary of women’s suffrage by exercising our right to vote on November 3, 2020.