Celebrating Women's History Month

March marks the start of Women's History Month. The month-long celebration highlights women's contributions to American history, culture, and society. This year's theme is "Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion." Here are two trailblazers who dedicated their lives to fighting for equality.

Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906)

Susan B. Anthony was a central figure in the women's suffrage movement in the US. The co-founder of the American Equal Rights Association spent many years campaigning for women's right to vote and own property. Anthony was instrumental in Wyoming's decision to become the first US territory to allow women to vote in 1869.

The activist was also a vocal opponent of slavery. She organized a Women's National Loyal League to support the passage of the 13^th, 14^th, and 15^th Amendments. Collectively known as the Civil War Amendments, they were designed to ensure equality for the recently liberated slaves.

Anthony also lent her voice to the battle for equal pay and educational opportunities for all, regardless of gender or race. She died in 1906 before women were granted the right to vote nationwide. But the 19^th Amendment, passed in 1920, is often called the Susan B. Anthony Amendment.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933- 2020)

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) was born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 15, 1933. She was an excellent student from a young age and received a full scholarship at Cornell University. In 1954, RBG married Martin Ginsburg.

Her first encounter with workplace discrimination came when the couple moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in 1954. She attained a high score on the civil service exam, but was only offered a clerical position. RBG faced a similar issue after graduating from Columbia Law School in 1959. Despite ranking among the top in her class, no law firm would hire her. Only with the help of her Columbia law professor, Gerald Gunther, did she finally get a clerkship with Federal Judge Edmund Palmieri.

RBG's fight for gender equality began after she joined Rutgers University as a law professor in 1963. But instead of fighting for women, she focused on taking cases where men were challenging unfair laws. RBG won five of the six cases she presented to the Supreme Court. In 1993, she was appointed Supreme Court Justice by President Bill Clinton.

During her 27-year-long tenure in the nation's highest court, RBG fought fiercely for women's rights. One of her biggest wins was a 1996 ruling reversing the long-standing male-only admission policy at the state-funded Virginia Military Institute. RBG died on September 18, 2020, at age 87. She was the longest-serving Supreme Court Justice.

Resources: Wikipedia.org, Oyez.org, Womenshistorymonth. org