Throughout our nation’s history, change has not come overnight. Wrongs do not right themselves, and injustices do not disappear on their own. Progress has always been driven by strong, courageous individuals who knew we could do better than the status quo. This March – Women’s History Month – we honor the women whose perseverance broke down barriers and shattered glass ceilings to create a more equal and just America. From one movement to the next, they refused to be silenced and forged ahead.

In 1848, nearly 300 people gathered in Seneca Falls, New York, for the first women’s rights convention, setting the groundwork for the long battle for full women’s equality that continues today. The convention was organized by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton after they were turned away from the 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention because they were women. The Declaration of Sentiments was drafted in Seneca Falls, calling for women’s equality in politics, jobs, family, education, religion and morals,^[1] and spawning similar conventions throughout the country.

As the fight for suffrage continued, the women’s rights movement expanded its reach, exposing society’s evils and injustices. Jane Addams spearheaded the creation of America’s first settlement house in Chicago to assist poor immigrant families and make life better for those who had been neglected. Muckraking journalist Ida B. Wells-Barnett wrote numerous articles revealing post-slavery racism and lynching.^[2] And at a time when talking about birth control was considered obscene, Margaret Sanger broke the mold by opening the nation’s first family planning center in Brooklyn in 1916. She was subsequently imprisoned because of her boldness, but her efforts paid off in a major way in 1918 when doctors were permitted to prescribe birth control.^[3]

After finally winning the right to vote in 1920 with the ratification of the 19th Amendment,the battle for full equality evolved and carried on, continuing to challenge the traditional roles society pushed on women. Women fought for financial liberation, winning the right to apply for credit cards in their own names as well as mortgages. They fought to outlaw marital rape, increase awareness of domestic violence and support for its victims and legislate against workplace sexual harassment.^[4] Their efforts were also deeply entwined with the civil rights movement, employing the same tactics of nonviolent protest and civil disobedience. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 marked an important victory in the fight for equality, prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin and sex.

Although this brief history of women’s rights movements demonstrates that undeniable progress has been made, we must not forget that we’re not there yet. Women are still paid less than men, and, most recently, the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements have shone a light on the harassment far too many women have to contend with on a daily basis. And as more and more women are running for office to ensure the fight for equality does not falter, the Assembly Majority is also committed to continuing the movement that began in Seneca Falls over 170 years ago. We’re fighting to close the gender pay gap; we made paid family leave a reality so that women do not have to choose between caring for a loved one and a paycheck; and after years of spearheading the Reproductive Health Act, it’s finally become law – so that a woman’s constitutional right to choose is always protected in New York State.

To learn more about women’s history, or any community issue, please contact my office at 631-537-2583 or thielef@nyassembly.gov.

[1] history.com/topics/womens-rights/seneca-falls-convention

[2] crusadeforthevote.org/progressive-era-reformers

[3] plannedparenthood.org/files/9214/7612/8734/Sanger_Fact_Sheet_Oct_2016.pdf

[4] vox.com/2018/3/20/16955588/feminism-waves-explained-first-second-third-fourth