Folks –

103 years ago today, the 19th Amendment was certified in our nation’s Constitution. While white women were able to celebrate this major victory without caveat, Black women across the nation still faced voter disenfranchisement and Jim Crow laws that would keep them from the ballot box for years to come.

Today’s anniversary marks one stage in women's long fight for political equality. I can’t help but reflect on that long journey and the path still lay ahead of us before reaching gender equity.

I come from a long line of formidable women.

Both my grandmother and my mother’s generations made tremendous progress towards achieving their rights as full and equal citizens in our democracy. But now, for the first time in our country's history, a generation of American women – including my three daughters – have fewer rights than their mothers did.

So on this Women’s Equality Day, I’m asking you to join me in our fight to ensure that all women – regardless of their race, sexual orientation, identity, or socioeconomic status – can lead a life of opportunity, justice, and dignity without barriers to their basic American rights.