August 26th - Day of Action, Not Celebration!

(Courtesy of equalrepresentation.org)     Subscribe in a reader

How will you spend "Women's Equality Day" next Friday? Hopefully by recognizing that the main purpose of the day is not to celebrate women's right to vote. Something that came so late and took so many sacrifices by suffragists like Alice Paul (see the movie "Iron Jawed Angels") is hardly cause for celebration. Would Alice Paul want us to live in the past or focus on the future?

Yes, the date was selected to commemorate the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution -- but the main purpose as proscribed in a 1971 Congressional Resolution introduced by Rep. Bella Abzug was to shed light on the fact that women still did not have equal rights: ``Whereas, the women of the United States have been treated as second-class citizens and have not been entitled the full rights and privileges, public or private, legal or institutional, which are available to male citizens of the United States; and.." (more on that HERE). Bella was not about organizing tea parties. In 1970, women organized a "Women's Strike for Equality" which ignited demonstrations/rallies in 90 cities/towns in 40 states -- and was also memorialized in that Congressional resolution.

235 years after independence from the British Empire and 40 years after the establishment of Women's Equality Day, women still do not have equal rights under the U.S. Constitution and hold a measly 16.8% of seats in Congress. 20 states send NO women to Washington. And the U.S. is 70th in the world for electing women, or #91 if you count the ties. Totally disgraceful!

On Women's Equality Day you can take action to shed light on the the truth about the political status of U.S. women and invest in your future:

1) Remind/inform your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers about these inequities -- win their support, get them involved. Use email, Facebook, Twitter, the "bully pulpit," blog comments, bullhorns -- whatever it takes! (Sample message: Women's Equality Day - but no equal rights, 16.8% seats in Congress. Would US govt be in such a mess if there were more women in Congress? [138 characters])

2) Distribute this flyer (or your own version) to your community center, school, place of worship, neighborhood, professional group, etc.

3) Write a short Letter to the Editor of your local news paper talking about lack of equal rights and equal representation - insisting that the media shed light on the gross lack of equal representation when covering the 2012 campaigns/elections and also treat women candidates fairly. (Sample HERE - feel free to plagiarize :-)


4) Write a check to a woman running for Congress. (Don't waste time/money on opposing women you disagree with; spend those resources on women you agree with. 30% by 2020 is realistic if women can win 50% of "open seats" plus challenges.)

Onward & upward!

Tweet -- then click HERE to access "The Truth About the Political Status of U.S. Women: What are we going to do about it?" on smashwords.com..