Since women’s issues are so close to my heart, I wanted to share a bit about the historic significance of today.

Today is Women’s Equality Day, the day that celebrates the certification of the 19th Amendment. What is more of a barrier to free speech than not having the ability to participate in one’s own government? Thanks to the perseverance, courage, and hard work of those who believed in equality, women were given their voice in 1920, making this the 91st anniversary of that historic amendment.

The women (and men) who fought for the 19th Amendment did so under much social disapproval. They handed out fliers, held parades, and even picketed outside the White House. Authorities attempted to silence some under charges of disturbances and obstructing traffic. These women were arrested and taken to a workhouse. The prisoners staged hunger strikes, demanding that they were political prisoners and should be treated accordingly. They were beaten, abused, and brutally force-fed. Still, the women would not stop speaking out. These activists used their rights to freedom of speech to the extreme, refusing to be silenced until their goal was achieved.

When I reflect on stories like this, I can’t help but wonder if we as citizens– male and female  –use our Constitutional Rights to the fullest. So often, we seem content to sit back and complain rather than speak up and demand change. Our right to speak our minds is protected by the 1st Amendment. If courageous people throughout history had just sat around and complained, America would not be what it is today. Instead, these people stood for free speech and freedom with their very lives. Their belief that all citizens should have a voice was so vital to their existence that they took incredible risks to be heard. Their voices created change and ours can, too.