In 2020, we commemorate the centenary of the passage of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution which officially gave women the right to vote in the United States. This effort was strongly promoted by the American Association for Women’s Suffrage (NAWSA).
NAWSA worked nationwide with different groups of suffragettes (women seeking the right to vote through organized protest) in favor of the amendment. For several decades, the movement and its main leaders (Alice Paul, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady) lobbied and led peaceful protests and marches to bring this change to the US Constitution.
Finally, on August 18, 1920, the amendment was approved, which officially stipulates that: “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”.
While the language says the right to the vote cannot be denied by sex, it did not provide protection based on race. Therefore, at the time of passage, this approval only included white women and created boundaries in political participation and excluded certain groups of women, such as the working-class populations, immigrant populations, and Blacks. It was not until 1965, after many years of agitation and struggle, that Black men and women were allowed to practice suffrage.
One hundred years after the passage of the 19th amendment, women from all backgrounds are taking greater electoral prominence. An example of this is Shirley Chisholm, who became the first Black/African American woman to be a presidential candidate for a major party. This and many more achievements reflect the changing role of women in society and the need to continue opening spaces that provide just and equitable opportunities for them.
Today, women’s suffrage will have a significant impact on the results of the upcoming presidential election, to be held on November 3, 2020, thus their political participation is crucial to America’s democracy and the direction the country will take.
Equal political participation must be a true reflection of United States democratic system. NHCOA supports all efforts oriented to fully recognize everyone’s rights in politics and all fields of their lives, in an effort to achieve decent and discrimination-free aging for all older adults.
Latinas, it’s time to exercise the right to vote and make your voice heard and be part of America’s future!
References
Share America
https://share.america.gov/es/mujeres-en-la-politica-cronologia/
Our Documents
https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=false&doc=63
Univision
https://www.univision.com/noticias/politica/la-historia-de-una-lucha-en-la-enmienda-que-permitio-el-voto-de-las-mujeres-en-eeuu-cumple-100-anos-fotos
