“After I decided to write this tribute, I was beset with feeling inadequate to the task of expressing what Ketriana has meant to so many people, including me. What adjectives are adequate to describe the full range of Ketriana’s multi-talented, multi-faceted lived experience that has uplifted the lives of her friends, neighbors, colleagues and co-workers, even acquaintances. She approaches and interacts with all folks with a generous, compassionate, and caring spirit that says I salute and encourage the best in you.”
Thus begins the tribute Charles Yates has written to his friend Ketriana Yvonne on WomensActivism.NYC, a moving dedication that captures Ketriana’s energy and creativity—from her challenge for him to write a poem each day of National Poetry Month to her own artistic work. Ketriana’s story is part of an initiative to write women into history by sharing stories of everyday, extraordinary women launched by the NYC Department of Records & Information Services (DORIS) on Women’s Equality Day on August 26, 2015.
WomensActivism.NYC is a public, searchable site showcasing brief descriptions of inspiring women from around the world. Entries include women—both well-known and not—with roles as diverse as sisters, great-grandmothers, celebrities, next-door neighbors, elected officials, teachers, professional athletes, artists, and more. Diverse representation is important, and the only requirements are: 1) they must be woman-identified, and 2) they must have contributed to making change in some way.
With more than 9,000 stories already archived, DORIS is currently soliciting 700 more stories to complete the project with 10,000 stories of inspiring and empowering women. This collection will be preserved and made available in perpetuity through the Municipal Archives, where the stories will be freely and readily accessible for all.
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“On May 2, 1963, nine-year old Audrey Faye Hendricks became the youngest known person arrested during the Civil Rights Movement. She was one of hundreds of children who took part in marches against segregation in the city of Birmingham, Alabama.”
–Preston F. on Audrey Hendricks
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Women’s Equality Day
Born Bella Savitsky on July 24, 1920, in New York City, Bella Abzug was a leading liberal activist and politician in the 1960s and 1970s who became especially well-known for her work for women’s rights. To promote women’s issues and to lobby for reform, she helped establish the National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC) with Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisholm, and Gloria Steinem. To have an even greater impact on the political process, she served in the House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977.
At the behest of Representative Bella Abzug (D-NY), in 1971, the U.S. Congress designated August 26 as Women’s Equality Day in 1973. This date was selected to commemorate the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution—a key piece of legislation granting women the right to vote. This was the culmination of the Women’s Suffrage Movement, a massive, peaceful civil rights movement by women that had its formal beginnings in 1848 at the world’s first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York.
The annual observance of Women’s Equality Day on August 26 not only commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, but also calls attention to women’s continuing efforts toward full equality in our society. Many workplaces, libraries, organizations and public institutions now participate in Women’s Equality Day with programs, displays, or other activities, all with the intention of bringing awareness and attention to the important matter of gender equity. For 2023, the theme of Women’s Equality Day is “Embrace Equity,” a global recognition of the ongoing struggle for equal rights and opportunities for women of all backgrounds.
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“On May 28, 1969, NY City Mayor John V. Lindsay appointed Dr. Mary McLaughlin as Commissioner of the Department of Health. She was the second woman to hold the post. Under McLaughlin’s leadership, the Health Department launched initiatives that addressed narcotics addiction, mental health, and lead poisoning.”
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Women’s Equality Week
Rep. Bella Abzug (D-NY), who had applied to Harvard Law School but was rejected because of her gender, graciously accepts a copy of the mayoral proclamation. Bella Abzug with Mayor Edward I. Koch, City Hall, August 20, 1980. Mayor Edward I. Koch photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
On August 20, 1980, Mayor Edward Koch issued a proclamation declaring the week of August 20–26, 1980, as “Women’s Equality Week” in New York City, “in order to emphasize the importance of full rights and opportunities for women in our society.”
The proclamation went on to recall the struggles the recognized leaders of the Women’s Suffrage Movement had endured mere decades earlier in their struggles to bring about women’s rights for future generations:
THE MILESTONES IN WOMEN’S STRUGGLE TO ACHIEVE EQUALITY ARE MANIFOLD.
THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT EVENT OCCURRED IN SENECA FALLS, NEW YORK, IN 1848, WHEN LUCRETIA MOTT AND ELIZABETH CADY STANTON LED THE FIRST WOMEN’S RIGHTS CONVENTION.
THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY SUSAN B. ANTHONY BEING CONVICTED FOR VOTING ILLEGALLY; HARRIET TUBMAN, BORN A SLAVE, LEADING 300 SLAVES TO FREEDOM; AND MARGARET SANGER ESTABLISHING THE FIRST CLINIC FOR CONSULTATION ON BIRTH CONTROL, TO NAME BUT A FEW.
IT IS FITTING THAT WE RECALL THESE TURNING POINTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT, AND THAT TODAY, IN 1980, WE CELEBRATE THE 60TH ANNIVERARY OF SUFFRAGE, RECOGNIZING ANEW THAT ALL MEN AND WOMEN ARE EQUAL BEFORE THE LAW.
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“As you lose your memory, your words, and yourself, I want you to know that I still see you. I still see the strong woman who didn’t have a choice but to be strong in a country that was brutal and unforgiving. I see the woman who managed to provide opportunities to her own daughters that she didn’t have as a young, immigrant, black woman in either her country of birth or choice.”
–Dr. Christiana Best on her mother, Pearl Mavis Munro
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Women’s Rights in 2023
“Catherine Harry is a Cambodian influencer. She founded a vlog channel called A Dose of Cath and uses it as a platform to discuss topics that are usually not talked about enough in Cambodia because they are often deemed taboo. The topics she tackles include safe sex, masturbation, rape, abortion, divorce, etcetera. Harry aims to empower women.”
Since the creation of Women’s Equality Day in 1973 and Mayor Koch’s proclamation of Women’s Equality Week in 1980, efforts have continued toward realizing women’s full equality and recognition in our society. Women such as Catherine Harry are giving voice to subjects not previously acknowledged, while raising conversations around women’s needs and gender equity for all.
One part of bringing about gender equity is publicly recognizing the hard work, contributions, and accomplishments that women have made and continue to make toward improving society. Celebrate the women you know who are making positive change by joining the thousands of people who have contributed stories to WomensActivism.NYC. From historic figures who were left out of yesterday’s history books to today’s family and neighborhood role models, we all know women who deserve to be written about and remembered for generations to come. They are exceptional, everyday, extraordinary, important, and they matter to us.
As Charles concludes in his dedication to Ketriana, “Yes, truly inspirational.”
