Dear John,

Today marks the 51st annual celebration of Women’s Equality Day, which recognizes the day the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was signed into law on August 26, 1920, finally granting American women the right to vote.

Add Your Name and Protect Voting Rights on Women’s Equality Day

It took decades of organizing and mobilizing for women’s suffrage to win this monumental milestone in the struggle for women’s rights. Despite this victory, many women of color continued to be denied their voting rights through harassment, poll taxes, and other forms of voter suppression. It took another 45 years for the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to pass, ensuring that all women, regardless of their race, could enact their right to vote.

In the 102 years since the 19th Amendment was ratified, women have used their vote to improve their workplaces, communities, and their own lives. But recent attacks on reproductive rights and voting rights, in addition to growing economic inequality, has made clear how much work there still is to do to protect women’s rights and improve conditions for all of us.

Now more than ever, AFGE and the broader Labor Movement must reaffirm our collective commitment to advancing gender equity and justice in the union, the workplace, and in the world.

In Solidarity,

Jeremy A. Lannan, NVP for Women’s and Fair Practices
AFGE Human Rights Committee

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