Since the 19th Amendment was ratified on this day in 1920, generations of women have fought to build a better and more accessible democracy for all Americans. And in the face of existential threats to that today, the League’s presence and work to create a more equitable and perfect democracy is critical, creating impact - and being noticed.
Sometimes people think of the League as being a quiet, unassuming group with clipboards, smiling and quietly registering voters and helping people get to the polls. Registering voters and getting people to the polls is very much a part of who we are. But, quiet? Unassuming?
We have over 100 years of people fighting to build a better democracy and we have a revitalized commitment to making that American democracy equitable for all people. And on the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, we can see that the power and impact of the League has shifted and grown. Those who want to concentrate and hold onto power continue to try to silence us and the generations of women who have fought to put power in the hands of ALL people.
Change doesn’t come with quietly accepting the place we are told we should occupy. The 19th amendment didn’t come from women knowing and staying in “their place.”
It came from the Night of Terror. It came from the bravery of women willing to define and demand their own place. It came from the strength and power of women being willing to endure violence and verbal abuse and attempts to silence them. It came from women in the streets demanding access to our democracy. Women who would not back down. Women who stepped out of line. Women who took up space - because justice demanded that they not quietly stay “in their place”.
That fire is our birthright. It’s our legacy. And it’s who we are today.
People trying to hold on to power and tear down our democracy would love to see the League quietly cease our fights for equity, racial justice, climate justice, criminal justice - and our fight to empower voters and defend our democracy. We are making progress and power hates progress.
Please consider making a generous gift today in honor of more than a century of women being loud, taking up space, and moving our democracy forward. Please give as generously as possible to ensure that we can continue to take up space and work to defend our democracy and build a better one in the face of threats, misinformation, and concerted efforts to discredit our way of government and sometimes the League, itself.
Whether our fights are for reproductive justice, climate justice, racial justice, human rights, access to the ballot, or to get every voter to show up and be heard - the legacy is ours to carry forward and we must do it together.
It is our place. It is our time. It is our democracy. And it is our League.
With Resolve,
Stephanie Doute, CAE
Executive Director
League of Women Voters of California
