Women's Equality Day, 2011

Proclamation 8699 of August 25, 2011

Women's Equality Day, 2011

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution
tore down the last formal barrier to women's
enfranchisement in our Nation and empowered America's
women to have their voices heard in the halls of power.
This Amendment became law only after decades of work by
committed trailblazers who fought to extend the right
to vote to women across America. For the women who
fought for this right, voting was not the end of the
journey for equality, but the beginning of a new era in
the advancement of our Union. These brave and tenacious
women challenged our Nation to live up to its founding
principles, and their legacy inspires us to reach ever
higher in our pursuit of liberty and equality for all.

Before the Amendment took effect, women had been
serving our Nation in the public realm since its
earliest days. Even before they gained the right to
vote, America's women were leaders of movements,
academics, and reformers, and had even served in the
Congress. Legions of brave women wrote and lectured for
change. They let their feet speak when their voices
alone were not enough, protesting and marching for
their fundamental right to vote in the face of
heckling, jail, and abuse. Their efforts led to
enormous progress--millions upon millions of women have
since used the power of the ballot to help shape our
country.

Today, our Nation's daughters reap the benefits of
these courageous pioneers while paving the way for
generations of women to come. But work still remains.
My Administration is committed to advancing equality
for all of our people. This year, the Council of Women
and Girls released ``Women in America: Indicators of
Social and Economic Well-Being,'' the most
comprehensive report in 50 years on the status of women
in our country, shedding light on issues women face in
employment, crime, health, and family life. We are
working to ensure that women-owned businesses can
compete in the marketplace, that women are not
discriminated against in healthcare, and that we
redouble our efforts to bring an end to sexual assault
on college campuses.

On the 91st anniversary of this landmark in civil
rights, we continue to uphold the foundational American
principles that we are all equal, and that each of us
deserves a chance to pursue our dreams. We honor the
heroes who have given of themselves to advance the
causes of justice, opportunity, and prosperity. As we
celebrate the legacy of those who made enormous strides
in the last century and before, we renew our commitment
to hold true to the dreams for which they fought, and
we look forward to a bright future for our Nation's
daughters.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim August 26, 2011, as
Women's Equality Day. I call upon the people of the
United States to celebrate the achievements of women
and recommit ourselves to the goal of gender equality
in this country.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord two
thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.