- December 4, 2025
The Flagler Branch of the American Association of University Women celebrated Women's Equality Day on Aug. 26 at Mezzaluna Pizzeria in European Village to commemorate the 105th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote, guaranteed by the 19th Amendment.
Some of the women dressed in period costume for the occasion.
Here is a brief history Women's Equality Day:
Representative Bella Abzug (D-NY) introduced a bill in 1971 to advocate for this commemoration. The first official recognition came in 1972 when President Richard Nixon issued a proclamation to honor the day. The following year Congress passed a joint resolution officially establishing Women’s Equality Day.
The resolution included a request that the president issue an annual proclamation which has been observed for over 50 years. There are many milestones to recognize in the ongoing struggle for women’s equality which officially began in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York.
The first Women’s Rights Convention was a hastily organized event designed to coincide with the scheduled speaking tour of Lucretia Mott, a famous Quaker orator and abolitionist. The two-day event drew approximately 300 participants who attended lectures on law and various discussions about the role of women in society.
The sessions resulted in the Declaration of Sentiments, a document modeled after the Declaration of Independence, along with a list of resolutions to be debated and modified prior to being ratified. A woman’s right to vote was a contentious concept that eventually was included in the resolution at the urging of Frederick Douglass, the famous abolitionist and sole African American attendee at the convention.
On the final day of the convention exactly 100 people, 68 women and 32 men, signed the document. The first Women’s Suffrage Amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878. It would take over four more decades before the 19th Amendment would finally become law. Although this legally granted all women the right to vote nationwide it didn’t guarantee this right in practice.
African Americans were often disenfranchised due to discriminatory practices such as poll taxes and literacy tests. It wasn’t until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that legislation finally protected the voting rights of all people regardless of race.
Women’s Equality Day serves as a reminder that while progress has been made, significant work remains to achieve full equality in areas like equal pay, economic empowerment and representation.
The AAUW promotes education as the gateway to women’s economic security and offers scholarships to enhance opportunities for higher learning.
For more information about the AAUW Flagler County Branch go to www.flaglercounty-fl.aauw.net.
