Friend, the 19th Amendment was ratified 100 years ago today.

It said:

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Seeing this document gives me chills, still—just to think that, for more than half our country’s existence, a woman’s right to participate in our democracy was even up for debate. I think of all the work, all the organizing and activism, and all the courage millions of women displayed as they fought to secure the right to vote.

While celebrating this milestone, we must remember that it wasn’t until decades later that Black women were actually able to exercise this right. And there is still work to do to ensure every citizen has access to the ballot.

The hard-fought battles and well-earned victories of the activists in this fight laid the groundwork for women in following generations: women like my mother, who broke barriers by becoming one of the first women to graduate from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, owe these women a debt, too. When I was a young girl and dreamed of flying jets for my country, women weren’t yet allowed to fly in combat.

This centennial falls just a day before we watch a woman—the fourth woman in history, and the first woman of color—accept a nomination to a major party’s presidential ticket.

And yet, there are still so many barriers to be broken.

Eleven weeks from today, we here in the commonwealth have a chance to break yet another barrier—electing our first-ever female senator from the state of Kentucky. In doing so, we’ll show little girls and young women across our state that there are no limits to what they can accomplish.

But hitting that milestone will take the same grit and fortitude it took to make change 100 years ago. We’re up against some of the most powerful, deep-pocketed forces in our politics. It’ll take each of us stepping up with everything we’ve got.

Today, will you chip in to help us send Mitch packing and make history this November?

Thank you,
Amy