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2020 SPECIAL SESSION I

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20200801D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 5011 Offered August 24, 2020 Designating August, in 2020 and in each succeeding year, as Women's Suffrage Month in Virginia. ----------
Patrons-- Convirs-Fowler, Adams, D.M., Askew, Ayala, Bourne, Bulova, Carr, Carroll Foy, Cole, J.G., Gooditis, Guzman, Hayes, Hope, Kory, Levine, Lindsey, Lopez, McQuinn, Murphy, Plum, Rasoul, Samirah, Scott, Sickles, Simonds, Subramanyam, Sullivan, Tyler, Ward and Willett
---------- Referred to Committee on Rules ----------

WHEREAS, an organized movement to enfranchise women first gained prominence in July 1848 at a convention in Seneca Falls, New York; and

WHEREAS, at the height of this movement, dedicated and courageous women, referred to as suffragists, sacrificed their personal lives and their financial resources over the course of more than 70 years to gain equal rights for women, especially the right to vote; and

WHEREAS, women and men of all races and creeds supported the movement for women to gain the constitutional right to have an equal voice in making the laws that govern them; and

WHEREAS, the women's suffrage movement led to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States in 1919, with ratification by the last state necessary on August 18, 1920; and

WHEREAS, the Nineteenth Amendment is a milestone in the ongoing history of women's suffrage; in the century since its adoption, suffrage has been continually fought for and won against discriminatory policies that have denied many Americans the full rights of citizenship; and

WHEREAS, in 2020, women constitute a majority of voters in the nation, are running for office in higher numbers, and are more active in the election process than ever before in history; and

WHEREAS, the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote in the United States offers an opportunity to appreciate the impact these historic accomplishments have had on citizen engagement in the electoral process and on civic life at local, state, and national levels and to recognize the value of ongoing efforts to ensure that progress continues; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly designate August, in 2020 and in each succeeding year, as Women's Suffrage Month in Virginia; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates post the designation of this month on the General Assembly's website.