The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors proclaimed August 26 as Women's Equality Day and hosted a panel discussion connecting women's voting rights with contemporary affordability challenges. The event was held at the Burlingame Community Center and sponsored by the county's Commission on the Status of Women.
Women's Equality Day commemorates the adoption of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which granted women the right to vote. The county's proclamation also recognized that many women of color continued fighting for equal ballot access long after the amendment's ratification, with voting rights protections provided by the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Laura Bent, CEO of Samaritan House, a nonprofit providing food and essential services to low-income San Mateo County residents, described mounting economic pressures on families. Samaritan House now serves approximately 32,000 households, compared with 14,000 before the COVID-19 pandemic. Many families the organization serves have multiple people working two, three or even four jobs while sometimes sharing housing with other families, according to Bent.
Supervisor Lisa Gauthier, who sponsored the county's proclamation, connected voting rights history to current challenges. "The right to vote is one of the most powerful tools we have to shape our communities, our policies and our future," Gauthier said.