Go Exercise Your Hard-Won Right to Vote!

This beautiful lady is Inez Milholland. You may have heard of her before because she was pretty amazing. Inez Milholland grew up in New York and attended Vassar College where she was a star athlete on the track team. Despite this, she was still suspended for organizing a women's rights meeting - something forbidden by the president of Vassar. After graduating in 1909, she attended New York University Law School and became a labor and children's rights attorney. She was also one of the founders of a progressive, socialist magazine entitled The Masses, that fused art, satire and political commentary.

In 1913, Inez Milholland led the women's suffrage parade in Washington D.C.. She became a very popular leader and speaker for the National Women's Party, along with Alice Paul and Lucy Burns. These women spent the next seven years devoted to getting women the vote. Yes, your vote.

Now when was the last time you spent seven years doing something that women nearly a century later will thank you for?

Every time I think of the women's suffrage movement I feel overwhelmingly humbled and proud. Yet, at the same time I get completely pissed off because statistically only 56% of American women who are registered to vote actually go out and do it! Never mind those that aren't even registered. Apart from having this fact break my heart into a thousand pieces, I just want to shake my fists at the heavens and scream: "WHY WHY WHY?"

The apathy makes no sense and is simply unintelligent. We know American women are not unintelligent, so it should only follow that you exercise the right that Inez Milholland, Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Carrie Chapman Catt, and thousands of others fought for, went to prison for, and should be remembered for bringing to you.

You really don't have any excuse. Get out and vote. 

If you need some other inspiration, try this: 

For a great dramatization of the women's suffrage movement, I highle recommend the HBO film Iron Jawed Angels. 

Comments

[WendyB]

My kind of lady!

[Jillian]

Carrie Chapman Catt is actually one of my sorority sisters, and every year, we celebrate her birthday (January 9) and honor the work she did for women's suffrage in the US.

good post!!

[Winona]

I adore you and I think if we lived in the same city we would be great friends and have many wonderful political discussions that involved shaking our fists at the heavens and screaming, "WHY WHY WHY?"