| Women’s Equality Day | |
|---|---|
 Page 1 of House Bill | |
| Observed by | United States |
| Type | Historical |
| Significance | Anniversary of19th Amendment giving women the right to vote |
| Date | August 26 |
| Frequency | annual |
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Women's Equality Day is celebrated in theUnited States on August 26 to commemorate the 1920 adoption of theNineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) to theUnited States Constitution, which prohibits the states and the federal government from denying theright to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. It was first celebrated in 1971, designated by Congress in 1973, and is proclaimed each year by the United States President.
The date was chosen to commemorate the day in 1920 when the Secretary of StateBainbridge Colby signed the proclamation granting American women the constitutional right to vote.[1]
In 1971, following the 1970 nationwideWomen's Strike for Equality,[2] and again in 1973, as the battles over theEqual Rights Amendment continued, CongresswomanBella Abzug of New York introduced a resolution to designate August 26 as Women's Equality Day.[3]
In 1972, PresidentRichard Nixon issued Proclamation 4147, which designated August 26, 1972, as "Women's Rights Day" and was the first official proclamation of Women's Equality Day.[4] On August 16, 1973, Congress approved H.J. Res. 52, which stated that August 26 would be designated as Women's Equality Day and that "the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation in commemoration of that day in 1920 on which the women in America were first guaranteed the right to vote".[5] The same day, President Nixon issued Proclamation 4236 for Women's Equality Day, which began, in part: "The struggle for women's suffrage, however, was only the first step toward full and equal participation of women in our Nation's life. In recent years, we have made other giant strides by attacking sex discrimination through our laws and by paving new avenues to equal economic opportunity for women. Today, in virtually every sector of our society, women are making important contributions to the quality of American life. And yet, much still remains to be done".[6]
In 1981, 21 women wore white and chained themselves to the White House to call for the ratification of theEqual Rights Amendment.[7]
As of 2024[update], every president since Richard Nixon has issued a proclamation each year designating August 26 as Women's Equality Day.[8]
Go Topless Day, an annual event started in 2007,[9][10][11] is scheduled for the Sunday nearest Women's Equality Day, because of "Sylvie Chabot's remark that August 26 is Women's Equality Day in the US because it is on August 26, 1920 that women won their constitutional right to vote."[12][13] The event encourages women to go topless in public, and men to cover their chests by wearingbrassieres orbikinis.[14][11][15]
2017.,2018,2019,2020