Today is the 90th anniversary of the 19th Ammendment giving women the right to vote, and has become known as “Women’s Equality Day.” Jewish women undoubtedly played pivotal roles in Suffrage Movement. Take a look at their stories of activism on jwa.org:

But Jewish women’s history is nothing if not diverse. These women fought for women’s advancement, but did not buy into women’s suffrage as the mainstream saw it.

  • Emma Goldman did not support the mainstream suffrage movement, arguing that it would result at best in the illusion of improvements to a fundamentally corrupt system. [History Makers]
  • Ray Rank spoke against women’s suffrage, asserting that women’s influence on their male relatives already brought them a say in the political process and that they lacked the education and experience necessary to use the vote wisely. [History Makers]

Today is also the 40th anniversary of the Women’s Strike for Equality, when Betty Freidan led a slew of women’s organizations in a march down New York’s 5th Avenue to demand free abortion on demand, free 24-hour community-controlled child care centers, and equal opportunity in jobs and education. Ten years later, a second march was held to mark the 10th anniversary of Women’s Strike for Equality and the 60th anniversary of women’s right to vote. 

To see how we are commemorating the 90th anniversary of women’s right to vote today, take a look at these articles and blog posts both celebrating this historic victory, and asking: have we achieved real equality?

  • A Forgotten Fight for Suffrage [New York Times]
  • The Echoes of Suffrage [Ms. Magazine]
  • My Favorite August [New York Times]
  • Aniston-O’Reilly Tiff Mirrors Gender Disparities on Women’s Equality Day [Gloria Feldt]
  • The Pink Elephant Women: Awards for those who set us back [Washington Post]
  • And in a bizarre twist on “equality,” a new movement fighting for women’s rights to go topless like men – founded by a sketchy cult leader – tries to appropriate the legacy of women’s suffrage to support his cause. [Jezebel]

If you would like to support JWA and our mission to uncover, chronicle, and share the rich legacy of Jewish women’s history, why not buy a poster of Gertrude Weil or another suffrage activist?

These posters ($5 each, $25 for the whole series of 18) have been displayed in museum exhibits, offices, bedrooms, classrooms, and even bathrooms! Where would you like to be inspired by a the story of a Jewish woman who made history?

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