Inspiring Women

In the fight for suffrage, many were left behind as it took 45 years after the ratification of the 19th amendment for Black women to be able to vote. During her time, Ida B. Wells fought for the voting rights of women of color. Ida's work helped the Presidential and Municipal Bill in Illinois in 1913 which gave women over 21 partial suffrage. She also helped women register to vote and encouraged those who had doubts. Her work continued long after the 20th amendment passed in order to speak out for the suffrage of women of color.

At the first suffrage parade held in Washington, D.C., Ida was told to move to the back of the march as the only Black woman there. Her statement there carries on her legacy today:

"Either I go with you or not at all. I am not taking this stand because I personally wish for recognition. I am doing it for the future benefit of my whole race."

Though most know Ruth Bader Ginsburg for her time as the second female Supreme Court Justice, she had been representing women long before that. After graduating from Harvard Law School, she volunteered with the ACLU and fought for cases that set the precedent for many laws today. Her work with the Women's Rights Project set out to fight forced sterilizations, equal pay, and equal educational rights. In 1996, Ginsburg led the ruling decision in the United States v. Virginia case. Until then, women had been prohibited from attending the Virginia Military Institute. Ginsburg argued that rather than create a separate women’s program, they should be allowed to join the same program as men.

“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn't be that women are the exception.”

Angela Davis's work regarding women's reproductive rights and bridging the gap for women of color have opened the eyes of many. The issue of the reproductive rights movement being non-inclusive is one she tackled in her book, Women, Race and Class. The lack of women of color within the reproductive right movement was something that had reasons and history behind it. She sheds light on the history of forced sterilization and the importance of accessibility. Davis also states that though they were excluded from the movement, there was no one else who understood its urgency better than women of color. Her work has prompted many to view reproductive rights and feminism through intersectionality.

"No march, movement, or agenda that defines manhood in the narrowest terms and seeks to make women lesser partners in this quest for equality can be considered a positive step."