EMILYs List Statement Celebrating Women’s Equality Day
August 26, 2017
WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, EMILYs List President Stephanie Schriock released the following statement celebrating Women’s Equality Day, commemorating the day that American women were granted the right to vote.
“Today marks 97 years since the 19th Amendment was officially made a part of the U.S. Constitution, giving American women the right to vote. This historic milestone was the culmination of decades of protest and activism on the part of brave women like Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, and countless others. Today, we acknowledge and reflect on their incredible work and consider the long road we still must travel to achieve gender parity in American politics.
“Nearly a century since women gained the right to vote, we still hold only 20 percent of seats in the House and Senate. Women of color hold only 7 percent of seats in Congress. Around the country, women make up less than a quarter of state legislators. We must do better.
“The power and importance of women’s voices in our public discourse has never been clearer. The Republicans’ cruel health care bill was defeated because women took a stand, from district offices and town halls to the National Mall and the floor of the U.S. Senate. Women stood up and fought back. Here at EMILY's List, we will continue to empower these women and the 17,000 women who have reached out to us since November to express interest in running for office. These women are scientists, lawyers, veterans, and activists who refuse to stand by while politicians strip away their rights.
“On this Women’s Equality Day, we pledge to continue that fight by electing pro-choice Democratic women candidates across the country. Theirs are the voices Americans need.”
EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $500 million to support pro-choice Democratic women candidates – making them one of the most successful political organizations ever. Our grassroots community of over five million members helps Democratic women wage competitive campaigns – and win. We recruit and train candidates, support strong campaigns, research the issues that impact women and families, and turn out women voters. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect 116 women to the House, 23 to the Senate, 12 governors, and over 800 to state and local office. Forty percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Since the 2016 election, thousands of women and counting have reached out to us about running for office. To harness this energy, EMILYs List has launched Run to Win, an unprecedented effort to get more women to run at the local, state, and national levels.
