Title
Proclamation Declaring March 2021 as Women in History Month. (City Manager 2110)
Body
Proclamation
Whereas, in March we celebrate Women’s History Month to honor women’s contributions in American history, often in the face of discrimination and hardship; and
Whereas, we also celebrate the contributions of woman in military history. More than 200,000 women serve in the U.S. military and more than 2 million women are veterans; however, while women have bravely served, they have not always received the recognition and respect they deserve; and
Whereas, American history is filled with examples of heroic women, serving in times of war and crisis, and during the pandemic, women doctors, nurses, teachers, first responders, and service workers have been frontline workers; and
Whereas, wage and opportunity gaps continue to exist: women earn $.82 for every dollar earned by a man, and African-American and Hispanic women earn even less; women are less likely also to have professional and technical jobs or hold leadership positions; and
Whereas, women also spend more time than men performing unpaid household work and providing child and elder care; and
Whereas, because of these gender inequalities, the COVID-19 pandemic had a disproportionate impact on women, with more women than men losing their jobs and economic security. COVID-19 also increased the burden of unpaid care, with more women guiding their children through distance learning, caring for sick family members, and attending to family responsibilities; and
Whereas, we are starting to see important changes: 27% of U.S. Congressional representatives and 24% of U.S. Senators are woman, and Vice President Kamala Harris is the first women to serve as Vice President of the United States; and
Whereas, in Alameda, 41% of City employees and 53% of department heads are women. Women have held elected offices of Mayor and Councilmember since Alameda’s first woman Mayor, Anne B. Diament, was elected in 1983, and currently represent a majority of the City Council; and
Whereas, the 2021 theme of Women’s History Month is "Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced,” honors the brave women who fought to win suffrage rights for women, and women who continue to fight for the voting rights of others.
Now, therefore, be it resolved, that I, Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, Mayor of the City of Alameda, hereby declare March 2021 as Women’s History Month in the City of Alameda and encourage our community to observe and celebrate trailblazing women, past and present, and take action now to reverse the inequities brought by the pandemic, and ensure gender equality for future generations of girls.
Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Mayor