Thank you, Facebook, for taking the time to remind me--amid all of the photos of everyone's adorable dogs--that not only is today National Dog Day, but it is also Women's Equality Day.
95 years ago today, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution extended basic voting rights to yet another group of misrepresented citizens in this country--women.
History fascinates me. When I'm reminded of the anniversaries of monumental milestones like this, my own heritage comes to mind. I like to imagine what those moments and experiences were like for my ancestors.
Today, I'm thinking of my great grandmother. The first seven of my years on earth overlapped with the last seven of hers, so I remember her fairly well.
Ruth Harvey Daniel was wicked-smart. And opinionated. She drank copious amounts of coffee and smoked unfiltered Camels constantly. She was rail-thin. I don't think I ever saw her in anything other than a dress and hose. She loved babies. I am also opinionated, and I remember vividly an argument that we had when I was four about whether or not peanut butter and jelly sandwiches should also have margarine on them. She maintained yes. I was in the "Eww! Gross!" camp. She gave me a beautiful clear umbrella with blue butterflies on it for Christmas one year.
I wish she had lived so much longer. I wish she had lived long enough for me to ask her about her life back in the "olden" days.
Today I wish I could ask her what August 26, 1920 was like for her.
Maybe there were celebrations in the street.
I wonder if it was just an ordinary day. Perhaps she wasn't aware anything of significance had taken place until she read it in the Kansas City Star on the morning of the 27th.
I want to know if she was a staunch Democrat even then--excited to cast her vote for James Cox and Franklin Roosevelt in the upcoming presidential election.
I imagine that she held her two month-old infant and was filled with gratitude that her baby daughter would grow up always have a voting voice in American politics.
I wonder if she imagined the possibilities that this event would present for her future granddaughters, great granddaughters, and great-great granddaughters.
I hope that she sees me today, raising a glass in toast to her and to all of the women and men of her generation who worked tirelessly for the 19th Amendment.
Equal Rights for All!
