Today is Women's Equality Day

President Obama, along with many organizations and group, are celebrating Women's Equality Day! Why is this important?

At the behest of Rep. Bella Abzug (D-NY), in 1971 the U.S. Congress designated August 26 as “Women’s Equality Day.” The date was selected to commemorate the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote in 1920. This was the culmination of a massive, peaceful civil rights movement by women that had its formal beginnings in 1848 at the world’s first women’s rights convention, in Seneca Falls, New York.

The observance of Women’s Equality Day not only commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, but also calls attention to women’s continuing efforts toward full equality.

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever been treated unfairly because you're a girl/woman?

2. What do you think should be done to challenge sexism and the oppression of women?

3. What are you doing to promote sisterhood and gender equity in your daily life?