Women's Federal Holiday

To: United States Citizens
Congress of the United States
Senate of the United States
President of the United States
All women members of the House, the Senate and Congress


We, the undersigned, come together before you to request that each of these governing bodies take all necessary action to bring about a Federal Holiday honoring women. To this end, this petition suggests the date of August 26 to be an annual Federal holiday following the same parameters of all Federal holidays - the closing of businesses and government institutions in addition to national celebration.

August 26 is the anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of American. This Amendment guarantees that no U.S. citizen shall be denied the right to vote on account of sex. This ratification ended a 42-year struggle by countless suffragettes to earn women the right to vote as U.S. citizens. Although this date is proclaimed as Women's Equality Day, it is not celebrated as a federal holiday at this time.

This holiday would pay tribute to the suffragettes whose unflagging, lifelong dedication was for the sole purpose of enacting this Amendment and seeing it to fruition. Women such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Carrie Chapman Catt, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin ... literally more women than can be listed in this petition, would be honored on this day. It would further be a day honoring contemporary women who take full advantage of their hard-won right to vote.

It is incomprehensible that almost 90 years after the passage of the 19th Amendment, there is no Federal holiday in the United States of America which honors women. Women made up 46.4 percent of the total civilian labor force in 2007 (U.S. Census). Of 215,694,000 registered voters, 111,882,000 voters are women (103,812,000 registered voters are men) and 65\% of women voted in the 2004 elections as compared to 62\% of men. (Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2004, U.S. Census Bureau).

Therefore be it resolved that the Federal Government should enact a Federal holiday honoring women. And that the date of August 26th should annually be recognized as Women's Equality Day and be it a Federal holiday.