TRAVIS CELEBRATES 84th ANNIVERSARY OF WOMEN’S RIGHT TO VOTE

Monroe County Council at-large candidate Sophia Travis noted today that this Thursday, August 26^th, marks the 84th anniversary of a woman’s right to vote in the United States.  “It’s hard to believe but there was a time, not too long ago, when women in the United States were arrested just for trying to vote, “ said Travis, referring to the arrest of Susan Anthony and others who attempted to vote in the 1872 presidential election.

“And it’s even harder to believe that women here were not formally given the right to vote until August 26^th, 1920 -- twelve years after our Monroe County Courthouse, which is the center of our County Government today, was built” she continued.  “Thursday is the anniversary of the day when, in what is perhaps our nation’s greatest progressive event, nearly half of the country’s population became enfranchised with the stroke of a pen.”

Travis described the struggle through which the 19^th amendment to the United States Constitution had gone from its initial proposal in 1878 to its ratification in 1920.  “It took forty-two years between when the 19^th amendment was first introduced to Congress and when it was finally ratified” she said.  “Many of those who worked so hard to bring it to our nation’s government never lived to see the fruition of their work.  We owe a debt of gratitude to them and to all citizens who work tirelessly to promote positive social change even as they understand that they will not, themselves, live to see the results of that change.”