Ninety-nine years ago today, on August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution became official. In the very last step of a very, very long process, then Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified that the 19th Amendment had been ratified. At last, at least on paper, every American woman had the right to vote.

In practice, of course, many women had to fight decades longer for the right to vote, "particularly African-American women in the Jim Crow south," as a New York Times editor noted earlier this year.  And for women of all races and backgrounds, across-the-board equality remains elusive—still a pie in the sky nearly 100 years after women's biggest watershed moment.  

In short, the 19th Amendment was neither the beginning nor the end of women's struggle for equality. Another notable event in this still-unfolding drama took place fifty years ago today, on August 26, 1970. Women across the nation rallied in The Women's Strike for Equality, organized by NOW (the National Organization for Women) to highlight inequalities in pay and education and the need for more childcare centers.

In New  York City, 50,000 people took to the streets to protest what event leaders called "the unfinished business of equality." They paraded down Fifth Avenue carrying banners with slogans like "Don't Iron While the Strike is Hot," ending with a rally in Bryant Park, right behind the Library's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. 

It was this event that inspired New York Congresswoman Bella Abzug to introduce a bill to establish Women's Equality Day on August 26, which passed in 1973:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that August 26th of each year is designated as Women’s Equality Day, and the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation annually in commemoration of that day in 1920, on which the women of America were first given the right to vote, and that day in 1970, on which a nationwide demonstration for women’s rights took place.

Women's Equality Day was created in recognition of the need for ongoing feminist engagement: to inspire new activism, as well as commemorate the achievements of women past. Next August, to mark the 100th anniversary of women winning the vote, the Library will host an exhibition exploring women's activism, past and future tense. Anyone who thinks women's history is boring (and everyone who knows better), please attend!

Here are a few women's history page-turners to help you keep the spirit of the day:

The Woman's Hour by Elaine Weiss

An uplifting account of the 1920 ratification of the constitutional amendment that granted voting rights to women traces the culmination of seven decades of legal battles and cites the pivotal contributions of famous suffragists and political leaders.

Bella Abzug: How One Tough Broad from the Bronx Fought Jim Crow and Joe McCarthy, Pissed Off Jimmy Carter, Battled for the Rights of Women and Workers, Rallied Against War and for the Planet, and Shook Up Politics Along the Way by Suzanne Braun Levine and Mary Thom

An oral biography of the influential Bella Abzug charts her more than 50-year career as an activist, congresswoman, social leader, and champion of the disenfranchised and powerless.  Levine and Thom detail her diverse roles during the Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War movements of the 1960s, the feminist revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, and the 1990s environmental awareness and economic equality.
 

The Women's Suffrage Movement edited by Sally Roesch Wagner, introduction by Gloria Steinem

Comprised of historical texts spanning two centuries, with commentary on each period by the editor, this book covers the major issues and figures involved in the women's suffrage movement with a special focus on diversity, incorporating race, class, and gender. The writings of such figures as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony are featured alongside accounts of Native American women and African American suffragists such as Sarah Mapps Douglas and Harriet Purvis.


 

The Suffragents: How Women Used Men to Get the Vote by Brooke Kroeger

The story of how and why a group of prominent and influential men in New York City and beyond came together to help women gain the right to vote.

Unbought and Unbossed by Shirley Chisholm

Shirley Chisholm's account of her remarkable rise from young girl in Brooklyn to America's first African American Congresswoman. Chisholm shares how she took on an entrenched system and gave a public voice to millions, and sets the stage for her trailblazing bid to be the first woman and first African American President of the United States.

By daring to be herself, Shirley Chisholm shows us how she forever changed the status quo. This expanded edition, edited by Scott Simpson, digs deeper with analysis by experts like Donna Brazile and Shola Lynch, exploring Shirley Chisholm's impact on today and tomorrows world. 

These and thousands of other compelling books, periodicals, and articles about women's history are available at the Library. If you need more suggestions,  email history@nypl.org or generalresearch@nypl.org. Happy Women's Equality Day!

Book descriptions taken from the NYPL catalog.

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations.