August 18th, 1920 was a day of victory. A formal recognition of a century’s worth of determination, the ratification of the 19th Amendment demonstrated to women everywhere how powerful their voices were, and 100 years later, the same message can be applied. With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sharing an extremely important message with the House of Representatives, and women’s marches occurring in every city across the country, it is clear that this sense of collaborative power has not gone away. 

The Beacon was eager to speak with some Whitney Young students about the issues they have been focusing on for the upcoming election, where they see the same spirit found in 1920 applied today, and who they look up to as a female role model in 2020. Katie Moy ‘21 told The Beacon, “I am interested in a candidate who will believe in science and try to keep climate change from worsening.” This is a general feeling found among Whitney Young students, many of whom feel that it is up to us to advocate for what we want our Earth to look like. Vivian Miltner ‘22 shared that she has attended protests about issues that are important to her, as she feels it is a way to amplify youth voices. “I believe we are seeing a similar spirit and an incredibly important call for change in 2020 with the Black Lives Matter  movement, using the same ideals of collaboration and protest found 100 years ago during the Women’s Suffrage Movement, and for centuries with movements fighting racial injustices.” The Beacon was also curious to find out which powerful female role model Zoe Hanson ‘23 looks up to or has been inspired by. “Selena Gomez always uses her platform to speak about important issues such as Black Lives Matter and the importance of physical and mental health.” She shared that it is exciting for her to see female celebrities using their platform to share things that are important and educating others. As we head into an extremely historical time in American history, it is important to remember the powerful voices that came before us, and to recognize the ways we can carry on the spirit of the Women’s Suffrage movement into the issues we are invested in today.