It’s been 101 years since the 19th amendment was ratified, granting the right to vote to millions of women. But as monumental as the 19th amendment was to the women's suffrage movement, it left out Black women and Women of Color who also campaigned for the right to vote alongside famous white suffragists like Susan B. Anthony and Alice Paul.
Black women had to fight for another 45 years to gain their own right to vote through the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Asian American immigrant women only gained the right to vote in 1952 after the Immigration and Nationality Act was passed, and Latinx women became eligible to vote in 1975 after an extension of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibited discrimination against language minority citizens.
Women’s Equality Day is celebrated on Aug. 26 in the United States, marking the day when the U.S. Secretary of State, Bainbridge Colby, ratified the 19th amendment in 1920. Despite the leaps of progress that American women have made in securing equality in our nation over the past 101 years, there is still much work to be done to ensure all women are truly treated equally. Today, women earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by men.
But that’s not all. Let’s take a closer look at the disparities that exist within the wage gap issue.
While white women are paid 79 cents for every dollar paid to white men, Women of Color earn significantly less. Native American women are typically paid just 60 cents for every dollar paid to white men. while Latinas are paid just 55 cents for every dollar paid to white men. Asian American and Pacific Islander women are paid as little as 52 cents for every dollar paid to white men, and Black women are paid 63 cents for every dollar paid to white men.
While white women are paid 79 cents for every dollar paid to white men, Women of Color earn significantly less.
Despite the amended Equal Pay Act, which prohibits an employer from paying any of its employees wage rates that are less than what it pays employees of the opposite sex, these disparities bar Women of Color from gaining equality and ultimately stem from systemic racism. Things like microaggressions and anti-Blackness work against Black women and Women of Color who have to work twice as hard to be on par with their white counterparts.
Because of systemic racism, Black women have been historically oppressed by the racist, archaic systems that America still operates under. And there are people who benefit from the system, particularly white women. If we want true equality in our nation, it is going to take everyone to dismantle the system that only benefits some.
Contrary to the American ideology of “pulling yourself by your bootstraps,” it is virtually impossible for Black and Brown women to ascend social, economic and educational ladders simply by merit. Black and Brown women will always be 400 years behind unless someone changes the system by taking a good look at how they are paying employees and make it equitable for Black women and Women of Color. There is no getting ahead when the entire system is set up to actively disenfranchise Black women and Women of Color on a daily basis.
Black women are constantly reminded of the systemic oppression that hinders them from climbing social, professional and educational ladders. These constant reminders weather away at the mental and emotional well-being of Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color (BIWOC). These struggles served as the inspiration to create EXHALE, a meditative app designed to help BIWOC not be so worn down and traumatized daily. The purpose of the guided meditations, visualizations and breathwork, as well as the affirmations that EXHALE provides, help move the trauma and anxiety out of the body, so it does not fester and build up. In a society that is preferential on the basis of skin tone, Black and Brown women practicing mindfulness is self-preservation.
So how do we level the playing field? Those who benefit from the system need to step back and reevaluate their biases and privilege. And as a woman navigating a patriarchal system, at times, the only way to get ahead is to align yourself with the patriarchal system and other systems of oppression. However, by doing that, you leave out an entire group of people who are oppressed by the systems you are trying to align yourself with. It is up to the men and women who have the power and privilege to make that change to dismantle these systems and uplift their Black and Brown sisters into positions of power, so representation exists on every level.
I highly suggest reading “Me and White Supremacy” by Layla Saad, a 28-day guide targeted at white and white-passing readers to aid in identifying the impact of white privilege and white supremacy in their lives and how they (sometimes unknowingly) benefit from systems others are oppressed by.
Even after 101 years of progress, we still need to make more headway before we can proudly proclaim that all women are equal.
