On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the last state needed to ratify the 19th Amendment. Although it wasn’t officially part of the Constitution until a week later, many recognize this date as the final step toward the constitutional right to vote after a century-long fight for equal representation. August 26 marks the actual 100th anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
With less than 80 days to the 2020 election, the urgency to mobilize working women to vote is paramount in the goal of electing women candidates and candidates who advocate for women, and to getting this country back on track in the wake of the pandemic and its disproportionate impact on women, especially women of color.
Labor is hosting two events tonight, Tuesday, August 18, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote.
1) The Office of AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler is hosting a roundtable discussion to celebrate women’s right to vote and uplifting the issues affecting working women. Join us for a conversation between Shuler, AFT President Randi Weingarten, UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) Executive Director Alvina Yeh, Laborers (LIUNA) Women’s Caucus Co-Chair Cassandra Hammond, and Institute for Women’s Policy Research President and CEO Dr. C. Nicole Mason today at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT. Click here to RSVP.
2) The Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) is hosting a candlelight vigil on Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, DC, in commemoration of the suffragists who fought for our right to vote. The candlelight vigil will be live streamed on CLUW National’s Facebook page. Click here to watch the candlelight vigil on Black Lives Matter Plaza, starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
The post Tonight: Labor Commemorates Women’s Right to Vote appeared first on IAMAW.