The Power of Women in Democracy

This month we celebrate all the women in the world, especially those pioneers who preceded us and fought for women’s rights in our country, who not only revolutionized democracy, but also left their mark and are part of our history.

Throughout history, women have lacked many rights, including the right to vote to elect their representatives. It was not until 1851 that women’s suffrage began as an anti-slavery movement, with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony leading this important movement.

Some years later, Victoria Woodhull, an iconoclast who fought for her beliefs no matter how controversial they were at the time, joined the movement, making history in 1871 when she became the first woman to testify before a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives and being the first woman to run for president of the United States one year later.

Thanks to the efforts of these brave women, Jeannette Rankin, representative of Montana, was the first woman elected to a seat in Congress in 1916 and then in 1920, white women were given the right to vote, but it was not until 1965 that Diane Nash, founder of the student wing of the civil rights movement, fought for voting rights in the South, helping to pass the Voting Rights Act, which prohibited racial discrimination in voting, resulting in greatly-increased voting by African American women and men.

These great and brave women significantly influenced American democracy, allowing women of all races to become involved in politics and setting a record in the number of women serving in today’s congress (including delegates).

We have the fortune to have Kamala Harris as the highest representative of women in democracy, the first woman from a Southeast Asian and African American background to serve as the Vice President of the United States.

As Vice President, Kamala Harris has worked with President Joe Biden to vaccinate America, rebuild the economy, reduce child poverty, and pass infrastructure legislation to help communities left behind. She has led the Administration’s efforts to build coalitions to protect voting freedom, expand the rights of workers to organize and bargain collectively and advocate for women’s rights.

It is time to continue raising our voices and be part of the revolution. The power of women will always bring us closer to a better future.

At Rideshare2Vote, we help remove one of the barriers to voting by supplying the wheels of democracy. You can schedule your FREE round-trip ride by downloading our mobile app, filling in a form on our website, or calling us at 888-977-2250.

by Paula Gonzalez.