Votes for Women — and Everyone — Now!
When the 19th Amendment, ratified on August 18, 1920, finally allowed women to vote, ACLU founder Crystal Eastman, an ardent suffragist, was not interested in a victory celebration. She wanted women to use their newly minted political power to promote true freedom and equality, regardless of sex. “Now We Can Begin,” she urged, in a still-renowned speech. But the adoption of the 19th Amendment did not actually enable all women to vote. Black women and other women of color still had…