WASHINGTON (WDVM) — August 26th is Women’s Equality Day to mark the passage of the 19th amendment that gave women the right to vote.

An important aspect of Women’s Equality Day is also recognizing that women of color still didn’t have access to the polls, until decades later when the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965.

While it’s a day to commemorate the heroic women and the hurdles they overcame, it’s also a day to mobilize behind issues that still impact women such as access to paid family leave, safe working environments, affordable childcare, and equal pay.

“I think coming through COVID-19, we’ve really seen a reckoning in terms of all of the systems in place that were not working for women in the workplace, and what really needs to change in this country,” said Noreen Farrell, executive director of Equal Rights Advocates. “2.5 million women left the workplace during COVID because they did not have the systems they needed to stay.”

To join Equal Rights Advocates’ action team, click here.