Women’s Equality Day 2023

On Aug. 26, 1920, the 19th amendment was signed to give women the right to vote. While this allowed women’s voice to be heard across the nation, it still denied women of color, many who led the suffragette movement, access to vote. It was not until the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 that gave all women the right to vote. Alabama never voted, rejected ratification on Sept. 22, 1919, and finally ratified on Sept. 8, 1953. We honor this day due to the work of Representative Bella Abzug (D-NY) who successfully created a bill to celebrate Women’s Equality Day on August 26 every year.

I have a background in the study of culture and music called ethnomusicology; this was my educational refuge to maintain sanity among all the pre-med chemistry and biology courses. For this month, I invite you to my personally curated Spotify playlist that, while certainly not fully comprehensive, celebrates the history of women’s equality and feminist anthems in America from 1800s-1970s.

Women’s Equality Day Playlist

“Sister Suffragette” by Glynis Johns, Sherman Brothers

Let’s start out strong with “Sister Suffragette” from Disney’s “Mary Poppins.” This song references the women behind British’s suffragette movement such as Emmeline Pankhurst who helped found Women’s Social and Political Union in Manchester, England. It was common to share suffragette anthems between U.S. and England. Songs such as “The March of Women” written in 1910 was a British suffrage anthem adopted to the American movement.

“Keep Women in Her Sphere” by Elizabeth Knight

These cringe-worthy lyrics reference arguments made against women’s right to vote at the time. The last stanza is more hopeful. This was commonly sung at suffragette rallies and was in suffragette songbooks. Note that this song is sung to the tune of “Auld Lang Syne”; this was purposeful, as many already knew the melody and, thus, was more easily transmitted culturally for larger audiences. The website below has some shocking political cartoons referencing the “woman’s sphere.” Unfortunately, many songs from the suffragette movement were never recorded or revived. However, this song comes from a fantastic album created by Smithsonian Folkways, “Songs of the Suffragettes” I highly recommend exploring (on Spotify as well!).

https://medium.com/@aprilsongstress/suffrage-singer-keep-woman-in-her-sphere-9347ba28d703

“Respect” by Aretha Franklin

Originally written and recorded by Otis Redding as a song about a man begging a woman for respect, Franklin modified the lyrics to a song about women demanding respect. Arguably the epitome of female empowerment, this song is considered an anthem for feminist and civil rights movements. Despite the ratification of women’s voting equality, BIPOC women were still not able to vote until Voting Rights was enacted in 1965. Many songs of this era encompassed women’s, voting, and civil rights movements.

“One’s On the Way” by Loretta Lynn

With lyrics by (yes!), Shel Silverstein, this song encapsulates a woman living on the outside of the feminist movement with limited bandwidth and resources. Still timely today, a message from the White House on Women’s Equality Day in 2022 states: “Women are less likely to have time to vote in-person with increased caregiving demands and a disproportionate share of low-wage, inflexible work.” Lynn herself was pregnant 9 times with 6 pregnancies and 3 miscarriages. This song was considered controversial at the time as it mentions the birth control pill. I highly recommend listening to “The Pill” by Loretta Lynn; the lyrics are fantastic, and it is still banned on some country music stations.

“I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor

A powerhouse song centering on a woman leaving a toxic relationship with overarching themes of self-empowerment and providing a voice to those often silenced. This song is an anthem for African-Americans, women, and the LGBTQ community. Disco was one of the first forms of American popular dance that allowed women to dance independently of men; thus, a literal form of female independence.

“Quimbara” by Celia Cruz, Johnny Pacheco

I am including this popular song from 1974 to highlight Celia Cruz. Known as the “Queen of Salsa”, she broke down racial and cultural barriers as a Cuban-American, Afro-Latinx woman in the primarily male-dominated salsa scene. Her songs are rich with Afro-Cuban rhythms such as son, bolero, and rumba. She rose to fame from the late 1940s and stayed popular until her death in 2003. The exact meaning of Quimbara is debated; for popular African musician, Angélique Kidjo, she felt it as “a very strong statement of what you can do as a woman.” Listen for her catchphrase, “Azúcar!” (meaning “sugar”) which she expressed in all her songs.

For further exploration on voting history in this country, I recommend Netflix “Whose Vote Counts, Explained.” I have posted the link to watch for free on Youtube in the references below.

Enjoy:)

Kelli Chaviano, DO
She/her
Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine

References:

A Proclamation on Women's Equality Day, 2022 | The White House

https://huntsvillehistorycollection.org/hhc/

Microsoft Word - Final NWHP Suffrage List, Books and Links by State.doc (nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org)

https://www.womenshistory.org/resources/lesson-plan/songs-protest

//medium.com/@aprilsongstress/suffrage-singer-keep-woman-in-her-sphere-9347ba28d703">https://medium.com/@aprilsongstress/suffrage-singer-keep-woman-in-her-sphere-9347ba28d703

https://folkways.si.edu/elizabeth-knight/songs-of-the-suffragettes/historical-song-struggle-protest/music/album/smithsonian

https://www.wqxr.org/story/womens-equality-day-music-suffragists/

https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/GloriaGaynor.pdf

https://www.si.edu/object/why-did-celia-cruz-say-azucar%3Ayt_ZaHb_ms1YkA