By Maria Salette Ontiveros
Trending Reporter
Photo credit: Texas Women’s Foundation/Brandon R. Gibson
Wearing purple and white, about 100 women, resonating with pride and hope, sang the national anthem, recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and reaffirmed their commitment to equality in America 104 years after women were given the right to vote.
The League of Women Voters of Dallas celebrated Women’s Equality Day with a special event on Wednesday at Dallas City Hall, designed to empower and inspire as well as celebrate.
The certification of the 19th Amendment was on Aug. 26, 1920. In 1973, the United States Congress officially designated Aug. 26 as Women’s Equality Day.
This year’s theme, “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress,” reflected the organization’s dedication to advancing gender equality and empowering women within the community. Karen Hughes White , president and CEO of the Texas Women’s Foundation, was the keynote speaker.
White said it took over 70 years for white women to gain the right to vote and even longer for women of color to have the same right.
“…That was just really the first step in granting more equal rights. … I’m inspired by the firepower, by the suffrage, and really inspired by the people who took it that next step of the work,” said White to The Dallas Morning News.
During her speech, White gave a preview of the fifth edition of the Texas Women’s Foundation’ report on Economic Issues for Women in Texas, which will be published in October. Her talk highlighted that despite the progress on women’s rights, there’s still work to do.
As women of all ages gathered and listened, their energy was palpable.
Shaking their heads, they reacted to the latest statistics: a working woman in Texas earns 83% of what her male counterpart earns, and despite outpacing men in academic achievement (1.4x college degrees), women still earn considerably less than their male counterparts, with the largest gap in earning between men and women with graduate or professional degrees.
White remarked that the steps that were necessary to achieve equality are needed to address the barriers to women’s economic security.
“We’ve got to look at the things that really keep women from participating fully in the economy. We’ve got to address access to health care. … We need to look at the challenge of acquiring affordable care … to look at stable housing … for women not only to survive, but to thrive. We want to look at those things as a society.”
Dallas College trustee Catalina E. Garcia, who attended the event, told The News that the first thing that people have to do is to discuss, between older groups and younger groups, things that are taken for granted.
“They need to discuss some things that they take for granted, like your citizenship and the ability to vote … you can’t take things like this for granted.”
Texas Women’s Foundation, is a nonprofit organization that uses research, advocacy, innovative programs and solutions to create an equitable society in which woman and girls can fully engage and participate.
