John,

Yesterday was International Women’s Day , a time to reflect on the history and current status of women in politics, including the ways in which the women’s rights movement has too often failed women of color. With that in mind, I wanted to share some thoughts with you from my op-ed in The Hill .

In 1913, the day before Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration, the Suffragette Parade organized between 5,000 and 10,000 women and allies, marching down Pennsylvania Avenue, in search and support of the right to vote for women. It was the first major demonstration in Washington, DC in support of women’s suffrage. The parade was also marred by rampant racism, and women of color who chose to join were forced to march in the back of the procession.

Unfortunately, the issues at play in the fight for women’s political rights in 1913 still plague many of the campaigns for equal rights since then. Too often, women of color – and other marginalized women – have been excluded from the political process, especially when it is their own rights that are at stake.

The United States did not have a Black woman in Congress until 1969 , when Shirley Chisholm was elected to represent New York’s 12th District. The United States did not have a Latina in Congress until 1989 , when Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was elected to represent Florida’s 27th District. The fight for women’s representation in the halls of power has been slow, frustrating and demoralizing, but has also resulted in some of this country’s most effective and impactful policies. The inclusion of women opened new avenues of thinking and creating policy, in ways that had never been attempted or even conceived before.

In the Latinx community, in particular, young women are disproportionately relied upon to serve in administrative roles : translating for family members, filling out and submitting necessary paperwork, keeping track of appointments, etc. That was me. It falls to us because we often speak English, have more education and a better understanding of the demands of American bureaucracy. For many of us, this is our first foray engaging with the government and doing so provides some cursory engagement with our political system. That nascent political experience can easily be translated into full blown activism and engagement and – as we’ve seen since the election of Donald Trump – women have been increasingly taking leadership roles in political advocacy and organizing.

The dual ascendances of Donald Trump and women in politics are not coincidental. Hearing a presidential candidate speaking openly about assaulting women, insulting the looks of a fellow candidate and the wives of other candidates, and the vilification of the first woman at the head of a major party ticket was clearly an intense series of motivating events for women across the country. More than just plain rhetoric, this president has unleashed the full force of his administration towards the persecution of the Latinx community. From his racist border wall to his emboldening of ICE to his attempt to weaponize the census against immigrants and communities of color, Donald Trump has provided an ideal foil to the kind of empathetic, progressive society we are actively building and, in doing so, has provided a path for more women than ever to vote, organize and run for office. The result has been the most diverse Congress ever elected in 2018, featuring more women representatives than ever before in United States history.

And we can do it again in 2020. While we may no longer have women candidates remaining in the race for president, there are countless women – including Latinas – running for critical offices from city council all the way up to the U.S. Senate. And here at Voto Latino, we’re working day in and out to empower Latinxs to make their voices heard at the ballot box by registering 1 MILLION new voters before Election Day this November.

With that in mind, will you make a contribution today to support VL’s efforts to empower and support Latinas to vote, organize, and run for office in 2020?

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We have a long way to go in this country, especially for communities of color like ours. But together, we can continue to carry the torch forward for all women, and make progress together the right way, the inclusive way.

Together, Somos Más,

María Teresa Kumar
President & CEO, Voto Latino
PAID FOR BY VOTO LATINO
Voto Latino
PO Box 35608
Washington, DC 20033
United States
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