Today is #WomensEqualityDay, the anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment.
Back in 1920, when the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified, only white women could exercise that right to vote.
Many women, Black, brown and white, fought and died — not for the Nineteenth Amendment to be passed, but for meaningful participation in the political process.
But it wasn’t until another 45 years, when the Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed, that Black women finally earned the full right to vote. With voter suppression and systemic racism still standing in the way of true equity, this work continues today, especially since misogyny and sexism are a core organizing principle for the white supremacist movement.
At Women’s Foundation California, this #WomensEqualityDay we acknowledge that until Black transgender women have all the rights enjoyed by cis white women we will not have equality. Let’s continue to do the work for all sisters not just cis-ters!