house resolution no.119

Reps. Greig, Witwer, Garza, Love, Anthony, Wittenberg, Kuppa, Clemente, Hood, Brixie, Stone, Manoogian, Pagan, Hoadley, Tyrone Carter, Tate, Haadsma, Hope, Bolden, Kennedy, Koleszar, Crawford, Allor, Rendon, Pohutsky, Warren, Cherry, Lasinski, Camilleri and Hertel offered the following resolution:

A resolution to commemorate June 10, 2019, as the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment by the state of Michigan.

Whereas, Michigan was the one of the first three states to ratify the 19th Amendment, providing suffrage to women; and

Whereas, The introduction, passage, and ultimate ratification of the 19th Amendment were the culmination of decades of work and struggle by advocates for the rights of women across Michigan and the United States; and

Whereas, This tireless advocacy began in Michigan in 1846, when a woman named Ernestine Rose spoke to the Michigan Legislature about the need for women’s suffrage; and

Whereas, Organized efforts to advocate for a vote on women’s suffrage began with a petition drive in 1855; and

Whereas, In 1866, the Michigan Legislature considered its first bill to extend suffrage to women, but the measure was defeated by a single vote; and

Whereas, Over the next fifty years, proposals to grant women the right to vote were considered numerous times by the Legislature and Michigan voters, but each time the measures came up short; and

Whereas, Leading these campaigns were organized groups such as the Michigan State Suffrage Association and the Michigan Equal Suffrage Association, who held rallies and worked to educate others about the importance of women’s suffrage; and

Whereas, Women from across the state of Michigan with diverse backgrounds and political views persisted in their quest for women's suffrage, persevering in the face of resistance; and

Whereas, These Michigan women played an instrumental role in achieving women’s suffrage both in Michigan and across the country; and

Whereas, It took male allies to support women in their endeavor to vote, for it was sons, husbands, and fathers who ultimately heard the calls of women and took this historic vote on June 10, 1919; and

Whereas, In August of the following year, the 19th Amendment was ratified by three-fourths of the states and officially became part of the Constitution of the United States; and

Whereas, Thanks to the decades-long effort by women’s rights activists, the daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters of the women who fought so hard to vote have been making their voices heard at the polls for nearly 100 years; and

Whereas, Most of the women who began asking for the right to vote never lived to see the enfranchisement of women; and

Whereas, Women are now running for elected office in unprecedented numbers, following in the footsteps of these great suffragists; and

Whereas, We recognize the centennial of women's suffrage and honor those who have championed the movement to achieve economic, social, and political equality for women in the state of Michigan; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body commemorate June 10, 2019, as the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment by the state of Michigan; and be it further

Resolved, That we reaffirm Michigan's commitment to empowering and uplifting the voices of women across our great state.