Title
Proclamation Declaring March 2019 Women’s History Month. (City Manager 2110)
Body
Proclamation
Whereas, in 1987, Congress designated March as Women’s History Month, honoring the legacy of trailblazing women and policies that help achieve gender equality; and
Whereas, women are critical to the economic, cultural, and social growth of our community; and
Whereas, women courageously serve our country in the military, and in 2013, the ban against women serving in combat positions was removed. Today, women represent 16% of enlisted forces, 18% of officers, and 9% of veterans; and
Whereas, in 1920, American women were finally granted the right to vote. In 1972, Title 9 of the Education Amendments became law, prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded education and sports programs. In 1973, the Supreme Court established a woman’s legal right to an abortion. In 2009, the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act allowed victims of pay discrimination to file a complaint; and
Whereas, in 1916, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to Congress, but it was not until 1980 that Paula Hawkins became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate without following her husband or father in the job. In 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1997, Madeleine Albright became the first female U.S. Secretary of State. In 2007, Nancy Pelosi became the first woman Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and today a record number of women serve in the House and Senate; and
Whereas, in 2019, wage and opportunity gaps continue to exist in our country, with women earning 79 cents for every dollar earned by a man, and African American and Latina women earning even less, even though women comprise a greater portion of the workforce with college degrees; and
Whereas, in 2019, an imbalance of unpaid work exists in our country, with women spending more time than men performing unpaid household work and providing child and elder care; and
Whereas, here in Alameda, women make up 39 percent of all City employees, 33 percent of mid-level managers, and 50 percent of department heads. Women are represented in the elected offices of Mayor and Councilmember, and since Alameda’s first woman Mayor, Anne B. Diament, was elected in 1983, over 70 percent of Alameda’s Mayors have been women; and
Whereas, the 2019 theme for Women’s History Month is “Visionary Women: Champions of Peace & Nonviolence,” honoring “women who have led efforts to end war, violence, and injustice, and pioneered the use of nonviolence to change society.”
Now, therefore, be it resolved, that I, Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, Mayor of the City of Alameda, hereby declare March 2019, as Women’s History Month in the City of Alameda and encourage our community to observe and celebrate this month with activities, ceremonies and programs.
Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, Mayor