National Women's Equality Day

Probably only a handful of women of today are aware that August 26th is National Women's Equality Day. It commerates the anniversary of the passing of the XIX Amendment that gave women the right to vote and to hold office. The day comes and goes with little or no media recognition, with no celebration, or with hardly a remembrance of the courageous women of the 1800s and early 1900s who faced verbal and physical abuse during their suffrage campaign that lasted over one hundred years. I did a pseudo-research survey on my own, asking a sampling of women to tell me the name of just one women rightist from past history. One named Lucretia Mott; a few could name Susan Anthony - most were lost after that.  

And think for a minute: we might have a woman president in 2008. I am aware that there is still inequality in the work place for women, but the gap is narrowing, and the same drive that was present among the women rightists of years past is present yet in todays women.But all of you out there: go to the Internet and read a little history. You'll gain appreciation for what went on in those days. By all means read the speech by Sojourner Truth, Ain't I a Woman? given in 1851 at a womens rights convention that was a turning point in the campaign. And if you haven't already done so, read "Return to Dos Encinos" - a novel based on the life of a young, dedicated rightist. Incidentally she was an immigrant from Germany.