On August 26, 2020, America celebrated 100 years of voting rights for women. It’s been over 100 years since women have been granted the right to vote in our country. And that does not include all women. Black women were not given full voting rights until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. And yet, they were an incredible part of the struggle back in the beginning of the 20th century. America’s troubling history with women’s rights has included black women. Black women were at the forefront of every major battle in U.S History – the abolition movement during the 1850s, the suffragist movements of the 1860s and 1920s, and the Civil Rights Movements of the 1950s and 1960s. Together, black and white women have paved the way for all women to have racial and gender equality. And yet, we have a long, long way to go.
Dare to Run is a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to train women how to run for public office in New York and in 14 states around the country. We have a two-semester certification program that gives women all of the tools and skills they need to run ambitious campaigns for public office in their respective communities. This year, in honor of Women’s Equality Day, Dare to Run is proud to celebrate 100 years of voting rights – and what that means for our country. Since 1920, women have impacted every single election in our nation’s history. They have contributed to what is known as the gender gap in electoral politics – the difference between the men and women vote. As you may have guessed, overall, women tend to vote for more Democratic Candidates; men tend to vote more Republican. The gender gap between men and women’s voting trends is deeply partisan and has grown increasingly so over the last thirty years. Experts predict it will continue to be that way for a long time. Dare to Run is proud to celebrate women’s history this year with a small celebration in honor of the past, the present and the future.
We toast the ladies of the past – the women suffragists who fought for our right to vote in the early 1900s, who went on hunger strikes and protests so that future generations of women would be able to vote.
We toast the ladies who completed the first Cohort of Dare to Run – Giselle, Keyla, Nayma, Shanequa, Melissa, Jillian, Wanda, Sheba, and Jusinta – you are a phenomenal group of women and we are so proud to recognize the contributions you have made to your communities in New York City and beyond. We look forward to watching all of your accomplishments as you embrace your journey to public office. We toast the ladies of the future – the incoming class of Dare to Run for Fall 2020 – Karinna, Stephanie, Dorian, Tammy, Sharon and JoEllen – we salute your dedication to running for office and changing your communities and the world you will one day leave behind. We know you will do amazing things with this information and we are so happy to have you be a part of this program.
And finally – we toast YOU: the person who is reading this blog post. Check out https://www.daretorun.org and learn how YOU Can enroll in the program, get the hands on tools and skills you need to run a successful campaign for public office, and change the world. It is within reach. Happy Women’s Equality Day!
Rachelle Suissa
Founder and CEO
Dare to Run
#womensvoicesmedia