March is recognized as Women’s History Month and AFGE’s Women’s and Fair Practices Departments will again take this opportunity to inform you of a few women - some of them you may know and others you may not - who have done great things and made history.
Each week during the month of March, we will be sharing a bit of "HERstory" with you. Please feel free to share this information with the members in your local!
Our VOTE, Our RIGHT!
Anne Clay Crenshaw was an integral part of the women’s rights movement in Virginia in the early 1900’s. In November 1909, 18 women met in Crenshaw’s Richmond home and formed the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia. She was appointed to their board of directors and led the women on a campaign to force America to give women the right to vote. Crenshaw was able to see her dream come to fruition in 1920 when the 19th Amendment was ratified, finally giving American women full voting rights.
Ladies First!
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the first elected female head of state in Africa. She made history in 2006 when she was first elected President of Liberia and repeated history with her 2011 re-election. Besides this amazing accomplishment, President Johnson Sirleaf has received numerous other honors. To name a few, she was the recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for her non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights along with Leymah Gbowee and Tawakel Karmen, and in 2014 she was listed at #70 on the Forbes list of The World's Most Powerful 100 Women.