Presidential Document2021-18921
Women's Equality Day, 2021
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
August 31, 2021
Signed
August 26, 2021
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 166 (Tuesday, August 31, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 166 (Tuesday, August 31, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 48479-48480]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-18921]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 166 / Tuesday, August 31, 2021 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 48479]]
Proclamation 10239 of August 26, 2021
Women's Equality Day, 2021
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Today, we celebrate Women's Equality Day, a reminder
not only of the progress women have won through the
years, but of the important work that remains to be
done. One hundred and one years ago, the ratification
of the 19th Amendment moved our Nation one essential
step closer to fulfilling its foundational promise--
establishing at long last that no American's right to
vote could be denied or abridged on the basis of
gender. As we reflect on the decades-long effort to win
the fight for universal suffrage, we also remember the
women of color who helped lead the movement to ratify
the 19th Amendment, whose own rights would still be
denied for years to come despite their hard-earned
victory. We celebrate their extraordinary courage and
resolve, and rededicate ourselves to the work we still
have ahead of us to protect voting rights across our
country.
When the 19th Amendment was ratified, millions of women
across the country could finally make their voices
heard at the ballot box. But even with its
ratification, millions were denied those rights by law
or by practice through poll taxes, literacy tests, and
campaigns of violence and terror that targeted voters
of color. It took another 45 years before the Voting
Rights Act secured the voting rights of millions of
Americans of color, and an additional 10 years before
voting protections would reflect the many languages
Americans speak.
Through these measures and others, our country has
taken major strides to strengthen voting rights and
expand access to make it easier for Americans to
exercise their sacred right to vote. These victories
have been especially vital for women, who often face
increased caregiving demands and take on a
disproportionate amount of low-wage and inflexible
work--making it harder to take time off to vote in-
person or wait out longer lines at the polls. Women are
also disproportionately impacted by voter ID laws--
especially married women who change their names, or
those whose IDs do not accurately reflect their gender.
Efforts to improve voting access have paid off; in
2020, we witnessed the greatest number of votes ever
cast in American history. And one barrier that had
stood for more than two centuries was finally
dismantled with the inauguration of America's first
woman Vice President, Kamala Harris.
But the struggle to ensure that every American is able
to exercise their right to vote continues, especially
for women of color. In the years prior to the 2020
election and in the months since, we have seen a wave
of shameless attacks on voting--burdening a
constitutional right with obstacles that overwhelmingly
impact voters of color, low-income communities, and
people with disabilities. These tactics are nothing
new. But they are an affront to our most cherished
values and rights as a Nation.
As I have said before, some things in America should be
simple and straightforward. Perhaps the most
important--the most fundamental--is the right to vote
and to vote freely. With it, anything is possible.
Without it, nothing is.
[[Page 48480]]
My Administration is committed to bearing out the
promise of the suffragists, who understood that for
women to attain true equality in our country, they must
have an equal place at the ballot box. As the Vice
President has said, the status of women is the status
of democracy. This is true abroad, too, where we are
committed to strengthening women's political
participation and leadership around the world.
In fulfillment of my Administration's commitment to
equality for all, we are focused not only on the sacred
right to vote, but on making sure that all Americans
have the opportunity to fully participate in our
society. It is long past time we pass the Equal Rights
Amendment, to enshrine the principle of gender equality
in our Constitution, because no one's rights should be
denied on account of sex. On Women's Equality Day, we
recognize the unique challenges and barriers women
face, and the rights that need defending and
strengthening. These rights include a woman's
constitutional right to reproductive freedom and access
to health care, regardless of zip code or income--and
the right of every woman and girl to live free from
violence, whether online, in the home, at school, or in
the workplace. To ensure that women are treated fairly
in our economy and in the workforce, we are also
committed to fighting for pay equity, combating
discrimination in the workplace, and passing family-
friendly policies that help women and all of us manage
caregiving and career responsibilities.
Today, as we celebrate Women's Equality Day, we
recognize the pioneers whose fight for suffrage paved
the way for future generations of leaders--and we
recognize our duty to continue that fight to ensure
that our daughters can enjoy the same rights and
opportunities as our sons. Let us honor the efforts of
trailblazers and barrier-breakers with meaningful
action to promote gender equality and make exercising
the right to vote more equitable and accessible for
all.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim August 26,
2021, as Women's Equality Day. I call upon the people
of the United States to celebrate and continue to build
on our country's progress towards gender equality, and
to defend and strengthen the right to vote.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
sixth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2021-18921
Filed 8-30-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on August 31, 2021.
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