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Team Shaw celebrates Women’s Equality Day

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Ashley Maldonado
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Team Shaw members celebrated Women’s Equality Day by passing out informational flyers, candy and other sweets, as well as factoids about women in history, Aug. 24.

Declared a national holiday in 1971, Women’s Equality Day is celebrated annually on Aug. 26, commemorating the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, which granted women the right to vote.

“Women’s Equality Day is extremely important to everyone, regardless of gender or background,” said Staff Sgt. Automne Hasenberg, 20th Force Support Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of personnel programs. “Women’s Equality Day spreads the message to those who may not know about women's equality. The world was not always like it is today and knowing our history is important to understanding where we are going.”

To Senior Airman Pablo Veras-Restituyo, 20th Logistics Readiness Squadron administrator of deployment operations, Women’s Equality Day is a day dedicated to showing women that he is appreciative of them.

He went on to say he was raised by a single mother, so Women’s Equality Day holds more of an emotional meaning for him. He also interprets it as a day to show appreciation for his mom and what she has done for him.

“(The world) wasn’t always like this,” said Veras-Restituyo. “Women had to fight for their rights, and there are a lot of places where women still don’t have the same rights that they do here. We’re all born from a mother, so we should be thankful for women, in general. I think that they should be appreciated.”

While the event was a one-day special observance, there are other opportunities to support women's equality on base. There are many ways to celebrate Women’s Equality Day, such as informing others of the message of women’s rights and showing acknowledgement to those fighting to further women’s equality all over the world.