WS Chronicle

It happened in Winston-Salem and all over the country. Women marched this past weekend by the hundreds of thousands. They had marched on the Saturday after President Donald Trump’s inauguration last year. They marched on Jan. 20 this year.

All kinds of women marched, mainly to reiterate the right of women to vote. Women did not always have that right. They marched in the streets over 100 years ago seeking that right, protesting for that right.

It was the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that granted women in the United States the right to vote. The amendment was ratified on Aug. 18, 1920. So, that right is not even 100 years old.

That right was gained in the 20th century. Now voter ID laws and other efforts threaten that right in the 21st century. So, women take to the streets to protest because they have found that to be powerful and persuasive.

And it happened all over the country. Imagine that. In the 21st century, women can organize and plan and get marches done.

So much attention has been placed on women as victims of male sexual improprieties, there should be some focus now on how women can flex their muscles and raise their voices.

A 100-year-old Virginia Newell, the former Winston-Salem City Council member, was among the protesters.

“The main thing is to get out and vote. Don’t just carry yourself; carry your neighbors. Get your family, take them to the polls,” Newell said. “You read it, where in Alabama we saw a difference in voting because the women got together and got a progressive candidate.”

“It’s not enough to register; the most important thing that we can do is vote.”

What wisdom.

A cigarette commercial once touted “You’ve come a long way, baby!” But women are still marching, so that seems to show they still have a long way to go.