WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY
2024
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, individuals from across the state and nation, past and present, have fought for women to have full rights and privileges that have historically been afforded to men, including but not limited to the right to vote and participate fully in the civic and political process, the right to equal access to economic power, the right to be free from gender-based violence and discrimination, and the right to bodily autonomy, agency, and self-determination; and
WHEREAS, the United States Congress designated August 26, the anniversary of the certification of the 19th Amendment, as Women’s Equality Day as a symbol of the continued fight for equal rights; and
WHEREAS, we recognize that the passage of the 19th Amendment did not grant voting rights for all women, particularly women of color, and that the ongoing fight for voting rights continues; and
WHEREAS, according to the NC Council for Women and Youth Involvement’s 2020 Status of Women in North Carolina: Political Participation Report, while women in North Carolina have voted at slightly higher rates in recent years, their representation in elected office has declined; if left unchanged, it will be the year 2084 before women reach parity in representation in the state legislature; and
WHEREAS, equal participation of women in politics and government is integral to building strong communities and a vibrant democracy in which people of all genders can thrive, helping to eliminate many disparities including systemic racism and sexism; and
WHEREAS, North Carolina women continue to fight for economic equality; women comprise 51 percent of our state’s population but, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2022, women earned 85.7 percent of the weekly earnings of men, and in 2023, North Carolina ranked last among the states for wages, worker protections, and organizing rights; and
WHEREAS, the State of North Carolina commends the many organizations throughout our great state that continue to advocate for the rights of women, providing a voice of influence and guidance on many issues women regularly face regarding voter participation, education, employment, gender violence, and health care, including reproductive and abortion care;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim August 26, 2024, as “WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.
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Roy Cooper
Governor
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this twentieth day of August in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.