Women's INequality Day and Exploring Local Women's History

Finding Perspectives

Many of us know that on August 24, 1920, Tennessee became 36th and final state to ratify the 19th amendment - or the women’s suffrage amendment, which passed by only one vote. That one vote belonged to Harry Burn, who heeded the words of his mother when she urged him to vote for suffrage. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby signed the amendment into law on August 26, 1920. Fifty years later on August 26th, 1970, Betty Friedan and the National Organization for Women organized a nationwide Women’s Strike for Equality, the largest protest for gender equality in United States history. There were demonstrations and rallies in more than 90 major cities and small towns across the country and over 100,000 women participated, including 50,000 who marched down Fifth Avenue in New York City.

In 1971, Representative Bella Abzug (D-NY) introduced a successful bill designating August 26th of each year as Women’s Equality Day. But how much do you know about local women’s history? In this episode, host Krysta Jones speaks with Gayle Converse, co-founder and vice president of Alexandria Celebrates Women -a 501c3 organization designed to promote voter education, history and women’s empowerment. She is also the author of The Alexandria Celebrates Women History Walk and shares some interesting facts about women’s history in Alexandria.