Celebrating Women's Equality Day! (8.26.19)

[nikkiayana]

On behalf of the Diversity & Inclusion Council at Macmillan Learning, we invite you to celebrate Women’s Equality Day this Monday, August 26th!

After nationwide women’s rights marches in the 1970s, Congress designated August 26th as Women’s Equality Day. The observance of Women’s Equality Day commemorates the certification of the 19th Amendment that granted women the right to vote almost 100 years ago, and calls attention to women’s continuing efforts toward full equality.

The Macmillan Learning D&I team has assembled a number of resources for you to explore and learn more about Women’s Equality Day. 

Film Screening!

There are many ways to engage students on Women's Equality Day. One of the things we are doing with Macmillan Learning employees, are screenings of the film “He Named Me Malala” on Monday, August 26th. The documentary tells the story of Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani teenager who was targeted by the Taliban for her advocacy of girls’ education. 

The film is currently streaming on Netflix. You can license the film for $75 for large groups on campus.

The History Behind Women’s Equality Day

• The Historic Women’s Suffrage March on Washington—a short animation about one of the first national demonstrations calling for women’s right to vote (see photos from the march here).
  
  

• “The Bold Accomplishments of Women of Color Need to Be a Bigger Part of Suffrage History”—a conversation about the women of color who contributed to the suffrage movement, and their inclusion in the National Portrait Gallery’s exhibition “Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence” (running through January 2020!)
  
  

• “Millions of Women Voted this Election. They Have the Iroquois to Thank.”—an article about the political authority of women in Iroquois culture and how it impacted the suffrage movement.

• “The Day Women Went on Strike”―an overview of the 1970 Women’s Strike for Equality March and its effects.

Women’s Equality Today

• “Women’s Equal Rights Amendment sees first hearing in 36 years”—a history of the Equal Rights Amendment (first introduced into Congress in 1923) and its resurgence today.

• “We’re Inching Toward Equality for Women in Sports”—an article about new policies that support women in various sports organizations.
  
  

• “Fortune 500 Female CEOs Reach All-Time Record of 33”—an overview of the number of women in the latest Fortune 500 list, and how it has increased in recent years.

• Women in Elective Office in 2019—infographics showing the percentage of women in U.S. Congress and state legislatures.

Additional Resources

• Centennial Learning Center: Suffrage Books

• Click! The Ongoing Feminist Revolution

• Women’s Rights Resources from the National Archives

Tell us in the comments if you are talking about Women's Equality Day with your students! We'd love to hear your ideas to engage students on History!

Best,

Nikki Jones and the Macmillan Learning Diversity & Inclusion Council

Nikki is the Senior Director of Marketing Outreach and Diversity Initiatives at Macmillan Learning