Corps celebrates Women’s Equality Day
By Jason S. Nino

Women’s Equality Day was August 26. The Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District observed the day with a celebration of professional accomplishments by women. Women’s equality exists everywhere “A woman is treated equal to a man and everywhere a woman can choose to work in whatever field she desires, without limitations, or feeling in bondage,” said Beverly Patterson, administrative assistant for the district’s public affairs office. “Women’s equality exists everywhere a women can express her voice freely.”
 
To Kim Matthews, who also works in public affairs, women’s equality is important because, “You should get paid for a job not because of your sex, but rather because of the job you did.”
 
Clotilde Blake, head of the Equal Opportunity Office feels women’s equality is beneficial because, “All people have the right to have a voice and be heard.”
 
Teri Lynn Padilla, Congressional and Outreach Coordinator feels women’s equality, “Represents all the struggles and sacrifices women have experienced throughout history. Many women, our mothers and grandmothers grew up in a society and culture that held women back,” Padilla said, “What we needed was to believe in our own potential and push ourselves to live up to that potential.”
 
Carval Bass, an Ecologist in the Operations branch, said, “Women’s equality should be, a fact, a right, a dream, a goal and an attitude.”
 
“Women keep the world running and men try to run it - some design, some politics, a lot of historical accidents,” Bass said. “The rights of women are still catching up with men's rights, in many respects. Equality is a mindset and many of us are still waking up to it.”

The U.S. Army helped to further the steps toward a world where women are treated equally. Working in the U.S. Army since 1775, women have moved from being nurses to becoming generals and fighting in battles.
 
According to the United States Army Women Museum Web site, “After years of devoted service, women had a museum dedicated to them on May 14, 1955 at Fort McClellan, Alabama. The museum, being the only one in the world, specifically dedicated to women in the Army, honors women’s contributions from the Revolutionary War to the present.”
 
Women also have had programs and institutions helping them gain equal opportunities. With groups like the Federal Women’s Program (FWP) whose main objective, according to its Web site is to, “Find promotional opportunities for women by identifying employment barriers that may exist to achieving equal opportunity and addressing discriminatory employment practices against women, and because of this, it’s easier for a woman to get ahead in the working world today.”
 
Blake also spoke about what the Corps has done for Women’s Equality Day.
 
“Last year, there was a conference in the Long Beach area. It highlighted women’s accomplishments. It was an all-day program with guest speakers and history videos,” said Blake.

Women’s equality is observed all over the United States with celebrations and ceremonies. The Corps is committed to equal treatment for women and will continue to provide opportunities for them. The Army along with other employment offices continues to develop with female influence and presence.
 
For more information on National Women’s Equality Day, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/release/2007/scv/archive/2005/08/20070806-4.html or http://www.va.gov/dmeeo/calender/wed.htm