My right to vote is a spritely gal of 105. August 26, 1920 was sincerely a day to be celebrated, yet often gets overlooked.

In honor of the anniversary of the 19th Amendment, I’d like to note a few things about the women of our past and honor who they were and what they accomplished.

First, when the American suffragettes began their movement, they had to do something no man in our country had to do (ok, no white man): they had to prove their worth and their value to society before even considering asking for the right to vote.

Second, when they amassed a modest amount of political power (generally through influence, not position), they did it with acts of kindness and service to the needy. They were true agents for the people, unlike the politicians we see today, who are agents for the highest bidder. They protected children, fought for the poor, and aimed to improve the welfare of communities to which they didn’t necessarily belong.

Third, all manner of women marched and fought for the right to vote, not knowing how it would pan out for each of them, but as is so often the case, black women were not included in the 19th amendment and had to wait another 45 years before they were given their own voice (via the Voting Rights Act of 1965). They rallied on, only to be denied a basic human right. It should not be forgotten that white women found success, partly, on the shoulders of African-American women, despite their common goal.

Side Quest: Wyoming was the first territory to grant women the right to vote and hold office in 1869, then in 1890, when it became the 44th state, it was the first STATE allowing women the right to vote and hold office. Interestingly, the state has consistently voted Republican by wide margins with their last democratic Senate and House seat in the late 1970’s and the last democratic presidential vote in 1964.

The Suffragettes worked tirelessly to give women the right to vote. Each generation, thereafter, has continued to fight harder for more rights and autonomy, granting us more agency over our own lives and bodies.

I’ll be honest – there are days I get up, listen to the news, and feel worried. And like so many others, I was the frog in the boiling water. The past eight months has motivated me to read more and learn more about our Nation’s history, without the veil of patriotic sentiment and propaganda that our schools doled out. We are an imperfect Nation, but we were always moving forward. When people would ask what I thought made us such a great country, I would always think about our innovation, contributions to science, cultural diversity, the unimaginable beauty of our diverse landscapes, the support we offered people with disabilities to work and assimilate into our societies rather than shun them away, and I thought to how I, as a female, had the right to live my life, unencumbered by the oppression of men (even if my financial status still shackled me to some degree and the glass ceiling for how high I could climb was also still much lower than any male).

Whatever happens in the coming years, I will still be proud of the women who led the charge for equal rights and my freedom to live happily and authentically. They didn’t just set a standard for our country, but they helped set one for other countries. So, cheers to them…and piss on the men who wish to hold us down.

These are a few of the amazing women in my life and I love them all!

For a short little video on the 19th Amendment, here is a nice one from Heather Cox Richardson and her team 🙂