S1: Welcome back to KPBS midday Edition , I'm Jade Hindman. Today marks Women's Equality Day. On this day in 1920 , the 19th amendment passed , granting women the right to vote in theory , for women who weren't white. It took much longer to gain access to the polls , decades and decades longer. Which is why this history can be so complicated. Because in reality , Women's Equality Day wasn't , and in many cases still isn't so equal. 105 years later , women are still fighting for equality , from reproductive rights to workplace protections , especially women of color. Joining me to talk about this is Angela de Koker. She's an associate professor of women's studies at San Diego State University , and she's affiliated with the Women's Museum of California. Professor , welcome.
S2: Thank you so much , Jade. Thank you for having me.
S1: So glad to have you here. Okay. So this day is recognized as Women's Equality Day. But using the blanket term women is pretty misleading. Only white women were granted the right to vote in theory at that time.
S2: It's a long , complicated history and it is a part of American history. Um , so yes , today marks the 105th anniversary. And unfortunately , when we look at the general stories , we typically we typically think of whiteness and maleness as sort of being the default identities in terms of individuals who have contributed to the passing of the women , having the right to vote and the participation of the diversity of women. Um , you know , we hear about , you know , when we look at our history books , we typically see large numbers of white women dressing in white , uh , Women's March. Um , but we know that there has been many of our Latina sisters. A Native American sisters. African American women who have really also done a lot of the heavy lifting , but didn't always get the air time or the exposure because of what existed at that time and in many ways still does racism and classism and sexism. And so it's been really very , um , you know , it's it's still a work in progress , um , that that women are still we have many different coalitions that are working towards the same things , but not always.
S1:
S2: Okay. All right. Yes. So you you had the passage of the 13th , 14th and 15th , 15th amendment. So the 13th amendment was 1865 , in which it freed enslaved Africans. Then we had the 14th amendment , which gave due process and gave them citizenship. So then 1870 , we finally get the right to vote. Now , that was a blanket sort of amendment , but it didn't really take into consideration issues of gender. So on paper , black people had the right to vote. But in theory and in practice and in everyday living , they didn't necessarily have that. So , um , and then women , of course , you know , the the Constitution was really sort of written by very privileged white , male , heterosexual , um , individuals who were landowners. Um , and so of course , they would write laws that would benefit them most. So then you have an adjacent to them in proximity. Their white female counterparts who said , what about me ? And they began to advocate for the right to vote. But at the same time , they did not want to include women of color because they thought that it would compromise their chances of having these bills , these policies and these amendments passed. And so , while they oftentimes accepted the help , the people who got the they were in the limelight , um , were people of color who were not people of color. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Well , let me ask you this. You know , women of color who were , like , really involved in the women's suffrage movement.
S2: We had the first women's convention and in her statement was , ain't I a woman ? Right. And so that was in part an act of resistance from being marginalized within the larger white female suffrage movement. And so she brought attention to the issues of intersectionality and the fact that women of color's concerns were not being addressed also and included in the women's suffrage movement. Mhm.
S1: You know , when we talk about women's equality , but look back in history and realize that the day itself was full of inequality and inequities.
S2: How do we contend with it ? We still we you know , we're still as a nation striving to be a more perfect union , right. It's challenging today , um , to continue to , to be advocates , but we have to do that. Um , and I think that it's important for many people to continue to be involved , remember the sacrifices of our , um , sisters who came before us , who really did the work. Um , I'm thinking of a famous quote by Kamala Harris. She says , you know , when you're a trailblazer , it's supposed to hurt. It is going to hurt. But we can't give up the fight. Um , and that we still have to keep moving forward.
S1: All right , well , so let me fast forward.
S3: To the Voting Rights Act. It passed and gave.
S1: All women , uh , the right to vote and so much more. Um , but still many women of color , many people of color faced extreme barriers to doing that.
S2: Thank you for asking that. Because oftentimes when we talk about voting rights , we forget about the contributions of our Native American sisters , who were also leaders in the suffrage movement. It was in , um , uh , one of their particular issues is , you know , did we have , uh , voting polls on reservations ? That's still a huge issue now. So representation was something that they were always fighting for. Um , it wasn't until 1924 that Congress passed the Native American Citizenship Act that granted citizenship and the right to vote to Native Americans. So that was an example of how a whole group of folks were not even included in the 19th amendment. Mhm.
S1: Mhm. Well , and , you know , you had so many issues , you had poll taxes and so on , and voter suppression laws. And then we look at today. And so my question is how are the barriers showing up in today's elections so many years later.
S2: Now that's a seminar discussion question.
S1: Yes it is.
S2: Well , I mean , as we can see , we've got new legislation. Um , the issues related to the today is not just important because it highlights women getting the right to vote. It gets. It highlights some of the other ongoing social issues , economic issues that are that women face , uh , issues like access to clean water , uh , climate change , reproductive justice , um , access to education. We just saw the dismantling of the Department of Education , which have huge impacts. And it's been my experience that oftentimes when women are involved in politics , it's typically then when a lot of these issues are addressed. So we had to wait. 1965 Voting Rights Act. We had we had to wait over almost 100 years for women of color to get this right to vote. And I think that , you know , it's always about individuals who are the other , the individuals who are marginalized , who continue to be the consciousness of this country. Right. Being silent doesn't help the country grow. It doesn't help us not become a better union. It's so important that we are involved in the work continuously , even though it's it's hard. I also want to give a shout out to , um , California's own Dolores Huerta , who was an individual who , you know , in still working even in her 90s right now on , you know , immigration rights , women's rights , and specifically around farm workers. I mean , giving them the right to vote. Um. Current day. Now we've got Shirley Weber , who is the secretary. First woman in black woman to be secretary of state. Uh , we had Kamala Harris. Uh , first black woman to be attorney general of the state of California. We've had , uh , Nancy Pelosi , speaker of the House. So we are making gains in the area , but we still need more representation. Yeah. And I think is so very critical. I also want to just point out to that , um , a very key , uh , person in our from our Latina community , particularly around , uh , Mexican American women , um , was , um , and I'm forgetting her name now. Uh , Maria Maria Guadalupe Evangelina de Lopez. Someone really forgotten in history. But she's so key because she was a Mexican-American woman who was involved in the women's suffrage movement , and she saw a key thing that was not happening. That a lot of the voting templates and a lot of the ballots and newsletters were written in English , and she was one of the first women to say , hey , we've got to translate this , and for it to be in Spanish. So she we owe a lot to her in terms of.
S1: Making it accessible.
S2: That's right. Yeah. That's right.
S1: Well , you know , we always like to shine a light on local connections to major moments in history. Like the fight for women's right to to vote.
S2: And Sarah Jacobs , as you know , is one of the first Latina women to be , uh , she's congresswoman , I think she's representing the 51st District at El Cajon. Uh , she's doing a fantastic job right now in the state.
S1: Got Monica. Monica Montgomery. Step. Yes. Doctor. Webber ? Yes. Our daughter. Yes.
S2: Yes.
S1: So many. Yes.
S2: Yes. Well. Not enough. Yes.
S1: There's still still work to be done. There.
S2: There. There is a lot of work to be done. And I think , again , this is we can't just focus on , um , Equality Day as a past event. It is really an opportunity to continue to engage in the future and to inspire other change agents and trailblazers and leaders to participate , um , in the process , in the political process and the economic process and the educational process of it all.
S1: Where do you think our efforts need to be focused on , um , to bring us into a more inclusive future.
S2: Are all over ? I'd say on the political front , you know , you're voting is key for women , and it's not just the national elections. We've got to be voting on a very local level. Our school boards , the state level , um , and again , the governmental level , we have to also be involved in , um , participating in professional organizations that advocate for this kind of work and advocate for the empowerment of women. You know , this kind of work is can be taxing on a person anytime you're advocating for individuals who may be marginalized or disenfranchised. It can get lonely and emotionally taxing , which is why I'm such a big proponent of individuals being a part of professional organizations. Because when you're tired , sometimes they're able to get put the wind on your back or connect you to resources or connect you to mentoring , uh , or just to sort of say , hey , you know , I got you. Now you take your you take a break. So being a part of those professional organizations and also supporting women's businesses. Yes.
S1: Yes.
S2: And museums.
S1: Well , I mean , okay , so to wrap it up , I mean , what advice do you have for women of all ages who are still really fighting for equal rights ? I mean , from their doctor's office to the ballot box ? Yes.
S2: Well , I you know , I have the awesome opportunity to to see freshman students coming in. So one of the ways I operationalize my responsibility is to bring these topics up in class and allow students to talk. And I think a lot of folks want to talk , but they're not always in spaces where they can have those discussions. So I think being involved in or um , and in fact , I'll say that digital spaces , I think are , you know , can also provide opportunities for young women to talk about these issues. Um , and educate yourself , I think , is an important thing that we need to do. I'd say get involved. Support others. Be around other people who care about the same things that you care about. It's hard. I mean , this next , uh , our current political situation where we've got a , um , assaults to reproductive rights , health , access to good health care. Um , uh , you know , push boundaries being pushed against our transgender brothers and sisters. I mean , there's a there's a lot to be dealt with right now , but keep the faith. I love the idea of coalition building. Community building. Um , and and and staying with it. You know , we always got to have hope , and we always have to do the work , even when it's difficult. That's. You know , that's the lesson I think , that we need to take from our , the ancestors who did the work previously to make the 19th amendment happen , that there were people in front of the scenes , behind the scenes. Um , people who had power. People who didn't have power. Who all came together to make it happen ? Mhm.
S1: Yeah. Well , I've been speaking with Angela de Koker. She's an associate professor of women's studies at San Diego State University. She's also affiliated with the Women's Museum of California. Professor Coker , thank you so much for joining us. And happy Women's Equality Day to you.
S2: Thank you. It was a pleasure being here. Thank you.
S1: So glad to have had you. That's our show for today.
S4: I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
