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Cultural and Religious Observances title with an image of a man smiling, a religious stained glass window, a woman wearing a hijab and colorful Indian art made with sand and flower petals

Cultural and religious observances – August 23-29, 2021

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Women’s Equality Day

Photograph of Mary Winsor, standing outside, holding a banner that reads: "To Ask Freedom for Women is Not a Crime. Suffrage Prisoners Should Not be Treated as Criminals."
Mary Winsor, 1917. Photo credit: Library of Congress.

Culture/religion: National Observance
Date: August 26

In 1973, Congress designated August 26 as Women’s Equality Day. This date was chosen to commemorate the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote. This followed and was the result of a peaceful civil rights movement by women that began in 1848 at the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York.

Not only does Women’s Equality Day recognize the passage of the 19th Amendment, it also calls attention to women’s continuing efforts towards full equality.

Sources:

National Women’s History Alliance