Eglin celebrates Women’s Equality Day

  • Published
  • By Air Armament Center
  • History Office
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  On Aug. 27, Eglin will join many other organizations around the country in celebrating Women's Equality Day. 

In 1971, the U.S. Congress so designated August 26 to honor the continuing efforts of women to achieve full equality. Bella Abzug, U.S. Representative from New York at the time, led the effort that resulted in this designation. 

On Aug. 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote (suffrage) became a part of the "law of the land" by a narrow vote in the Tennessee Senate when State Senator Harry Burns cast a "yea" vote for ratification. This vote culminated a 72-year civil rights movement that began in 1848 in Seneca Falls, N.Y., with the world's first women's rights convention. Since then, several generations of women's suffrage supporters wrote, lectured, marched, lobbied and spent time in jail to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change to the Constitution. Few of these early supporters lived to see victory in 1920. 

As part of that celebration, the Air Armament Center History Office will present its course, "Women's Suffrage: The Fight for Women's Right to Vote" on Aug. 27 in Building 11, Room 204 from 7:30 to 11 a.m. Utilizing a visual presentation and the well received 2004 movie "Iron-Jawed Angels," Dr. Robert Kane, Deputy Center historian, will tell the story of the small group of dedicated American women who persisted--and suffered--to obtain the right to vote through the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. 

"Interested persons can register for the course at the College of Installation Sustainment and Management, Air Armament Academy registration site," Dr. Kane said. "I am available at the AAC history office at 882-0010 for more information." 

Also scheduled is a luncheon to be held at the Eglin Officer's Club from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., featuring Judy A. Stokley, a member of the Senior Executive Service and Deputy Air Force Program Executive Officer for Weapons and Executive Director for the Air Armament Center. For more information or to purchase tickets for the luncheon contact the Equal Opportunity office (AAC/EO) at 882-4285. 

"The right to vote--the privilege of participating in the selection of one's government representatives--is the essence of representative democracy. Yet, there are those who take the privilege of voting so lightly that they don't vote--and too many people don't even register to vote," Dr. Kane said. "For the last 40 years, the average turnout of registered voters in this country has been around 50 percent for presidential elections and about 40 percentfor off-year elections. And the percentage of women voting has generally been a bit less than that of men." 

Considering that this year is a national election year, people shoud acknowledge the importance of voting and find this course particularly interesting. In early November, voters will go to the polls to elect the next President and Vice President of the United States, one-third of its U.S .Senators, all of its U.S. Representatives, and many state governors and other state and local officials. 

"It's democracy in action," Dr. Kane concluded.