I was so excited when I realized
2020 would not only be an election year but also a year where people would
celebrate a monumental achievement for women all around the globe. The right
for women to vote on American soil freely and proudly this moment was momentous
because it meant with the 19th amendment a woman could vote and
there would not be a cease to it. No matter her socioeconomic, race, religious,
or ethnic background.
It came at a cost for women during the 1900s
and earlier. It was a long road for these women to protest, march, and fight
against many naysayers who didn’t believe some women didn’t deserve that
privilege. If it weren’t for Lucretia Moss, Susan B. Anthony, Ida Wells, and
the thousands of female protestors who picketed and stood outside with their
homemade signs marching down the blocks of streets, in front of their homes,
and even making bold moves to discuss it with Congress, the White House, and
many female organization groups. They were relentless creating rallies and
fighting tirelessly to see a miraculous change in our country. They spoke of
the injustices, racism, sexism, inequality, mistreatment in the workplace,
affordable homes, and educational benefits for the public to become more
successful and to function better in society.
The
power and right to vote is 10-minute process. I voted for the first time
November 4, 2008. I had to wait an additional four years because my 18th
birthday was literally a few days after the Election back in 2004. Every time I
think of the 2008 election I smile and beam with pride. That was the night I
voted for the first time I went inside the Newport George Washington Complex
building near my old apartment in Jersey City, NJ. I was excited I stepped
behind the burgundy curtain pushed the lever (we hadn’t become electronic yet),
and casted my vote. There was a sense of accomplishment and pride that night. I
was 22 years old when I voted for the first time a young African American woman
who was excited for that moment. I had been registered to vote since I was 17
actually. I remember that night of the announcement when they announced who
would receive the nomination. President Barack Obama became our 44th
president and he brought hope, change, and addressed many issues we needed and
still have to resolve in our country.
It was a historical moment that
touched all of us around the globe it doesn’t matter who you are. The right to
vote is not only a perk for a U.S. Citizen and resident of that state. It’s a
privilege it’s blessing the power of your vote can affect the turn of your
country and the globe. It decides which way do you want your country to go in
the next four years with the leadership, the administration, the executive,
legal, and judicial systems, how the economy is ran, how education is ran, etc.
Your vote doesn’t just affect you it affects all of us and it is life changing.
It changes literally everyone’s life in this country. People don’t realize how
much weight they carry when they go into the voting booth. People look to
America as a symbol of power, freedom, liberty, and equality. It’s a shame that 100 years ago a 22 year old
African American, Hispanic, Asian, Biracial woman couldn’t do the same. That is
why this anniversary is important because this amendment affected women across
the globe that live in the Western Hemisphere, the Eastern Hemisphere, the
Southern part of the equator, the northern part of the equator, all of these
females who saw this movement. They imagined themselves living in a country and
migrating somewhere they felt free and could start fresh and a brand new life.
That’s a powerful moment for a woman who is seeking freedom from her country to
feel safe and that her decisions and her voice carry weight and that her hard
work when she gets a job won’t be unacknowledged or she will not be valued or
appreciated. The woman who migrates to
America for a fresh start deserves everything and more. She sacrificed her life
and her native country for one she wanted to achieve success and believed it
would be great for her, her children, and theirs.
The 100th
Anniversary will not be ignored and women from all walks of life will come and
stand together to celebrate this Amendment, they realize Times Up, they see we
still need equal pay, and they still see the discrimination exploding and
coming to the surface. Ladies and Gentlemen please don’t let 2020 go down
without speaking up for women’s right to vote it is just as important as all of
the other social issues our country is facing every single day.
We deserve better
and so much more today, tomorrow, and the next day. To all of those women who
worked so hard and helped achieve this goal.
Thank you to them that you, your friends, your family, your neighbors,
your community can walk inside a voting booth and cast her vote to decide who
will be in charge, have the great responsibility of running our country.
For information on this topic visit websites like http://www.womenssuffrage.org
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