August 26, 2020: Women's Equality Day

WHEREAS, on June 10, 1919, Michigan ratified the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which would grant national suffrage to women; and, 

 

WHEREAS, prior to passage of the 19th Amendment, Michigan passed an amendment to its state constitution granting Michigan women the right to vote in 1918; and,

 

WHEREAS, Michigan was one of the first three states to ratify the 19th Amendment, ratifying on the same date as Wisconsin and Illinois; and,

 

WHEREAS, Michigan was once home to prominent suffragists such as Sojourner Truth, Anna Howard Shaw, Clara Arthur, and Lucia Voorhees Grimes; and,

 

WHEREAS, Michigan’s early ratification paved the way for other states to ratify the 19th Amendment; and,

 

WHEREAS, Michigan civil rights leaders have continued the fight to ensure access to full voting rights for all Americans, including passage of the federal Voting Rights Act, and continue to work to prevent racial discrimination in voting laws, policies, and procedures; and,

 

WHEREAS, states and communities across the nation are celebrating the 19th Amendment and the date of their state’s ratification; and,

 

WHEREAS, August 26, 2020, will mark the nationwide centennial of the addition of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution after the required number of states had ratified it, and the U.S. Secretary of State signed the amendment into law;

 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim August 26, 2020, as Women’s Equality Day in Michigan and encourage residents to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the passage of the 19^th Amendment to the United States Constitution guaranteeing and protecting women’s constitutional right to vote.