Columns
Friday, March 10, 2006
celebrating the contributions of iowa women
Iowans have ample reason to celebrate Women’s History Month, because many Hawkeye State women have been history-makers. Throughout Iowa’s great history, women have enriched the state by participating in the political process and public service. It is always inspiring to remember and salute these women’s hard work and dedication.
Carrie Catt Chapman—who grew up near Charles City and attended my alma mater, Iowa State University—was a prominent leader of the women’s suffrage movement. She served as president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Catt then went on to help found the International Woman Suffrage Alliance to help women around the world become enfranchised. With the help of Catt’s tireless efforts, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution passed in 1920, guaranteeing women the right to vote. Following passage of the amendment, she became the first president of the League of Women Voters.
Two women pioneers of the Iowa state legislature deserve to be saluted as well. In 1928, Carolyn Pendray of Maquoketa was the first woman to serve in the Iowa House of Representatives, and she went on to become the first woman to serve in the Iowa Senate in 1932. The first African-American woman elected to the Iowa legislature was Willie Stevenson Glanton of Polk County in 1964. Pendray and Glanton were bold trailblazers who paved the way for women and minorities in the Iowa Congress.
Iowa women have also made great contributions to education through involvement in public service. In 1874, Phebe Sudlow was the first woman in America to be appointed as a Superintendent of a city school district when she was hired at the Davenport School District. Mary E. Francis of Bremer County was the first woman in Iowa’s history to be elected to statewide office as Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1922. During her tenure, Francis fought ardently for equality and justice for women in Iowa’s education system.
Without the dedication, determination, and perseverance of these women and many others, Iowa would not be the great state it is today. But that does not mean that there is nothing more to be done. We must continue along the path set by our heroic predecessors toward tolerance and equality for every Iowan and every American. This election year is an important time to get involved in the political process. I urge every Iowan to stand up for what he or she believes in and be counted in the coming months. After all, the only way that we can truly honor the legacy of these brave women, and all of the women who have worked so hard for equality in Iowa’s history, is by fighting for what we believe in. The stories of these Iowa women should tell you one thing for certain: You can make a difference, but only if you have the passion, will, and courage to get involved in the political process and make change happen.
