August 26th marks Women's Equality Day and the 96th anniversary of American women gaining the right to vote here in the United States. The struggle to fully exercise those legal rights continued for many more decades for African-American women. Thousands of black women participated in marches, wrote editorials and pamphlets, gave speeches all over the nation, held demonstrations, picketed the White House, went on hunger strikes, and spent time in jail for their activism before the Voting Rights Act was signed into law in 1965.
Our foremothers knew how important it was that they sit at the table and help shape the political, social, and economic life of our society, and they didn't take the responsibility for granted. The issues they faced were too important for them to not take action. The same is true today. In spite of the progress made in the last 7 years, our nation is still grappling with many issues including racial and economic inequality, strained relations between the police and communities of color, and rising costs of higher education, just to name a few. Our federal discretionary budget still spends too much on nuclear weapons and war and not enough on the investments needed in our communities. Women leaders and women voters can make the difference.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated: "Countries with more gender equality have better economic growth. Companies with more women leaders perform better. Peace agreements that include women are more durable. Parliaments with more women enact more legislation on key social issues such as health, education, anti-discrimination, and child support. The evidence is clear: equality for women means progress for all."
Empowered and engaged women make a difference in their communities. Though women and women's rights have come a long way since 1920, we mustn't forget the challenges we still face. Yes, Secretary Hillary Clinton became the first woman to earn a major party's nomination for President this year, but women still do not earn equal pay for equal work, are not equally represented in all levels of elected office, lack access to quality and affordable healthcare, and are threatened by gender-based violence.
The leaders we choose in November to represent us in the General Assembly, Congress, and the White House will decide if we keep moving toward equality for women, if we make needed investments in our infrastructure, schools, transit, and hospitals rather than weapons of war, and how we keep our nation safe.
Our next President will set the tone for our nation's diplomatic efforts, likely pick our next Supreme Court Justice, and hold the nuclear codes in their hands. Who do we trust with those responsibilities? Our next Congress will put together a budget that decides how our tax dollars are spent to address real issues like the Zika outbreak, natural disaster relief, educating the next generation, and terrorism prevention.
We voters have the power and the responsibility to decide. In the past two Presidential elections, African-American women have turned out to vote at a higher rate than any other demographic group. Here in Ohio, our status as a battleground state has helped reinforce the power that each vote has on an election's final outcome, but we must remember that the impact of our vote lasts far beyond the 2nd Tuesday in November. The people that we choose to represent us will make decisions that will determine if all Americans have the opportunity to live our lives with dignity, in peace, and with an equal chance at prosperity. This Women's Equality Day, let's honor the women leaders who came before us by remembering what's at stake and pledging to cast an educated, informed vote in each and every election.