Today I Voted

Today I voted. It was only a local election, but I still voted.

I voted for the women who protested in front of the White House for the right to vote.

I voted for Alice Paul, who went on a hunger strike in Occoquan Workhouse and was forced to eat by prison doctors.

I voted for the women who went to work during World War II while their husbands and brothers fought overseas.

I voted for the women who went to work in the 1950’s and 1960’s and were discriminated against by their male bosses and colleagues.

I voted for my mother’s generation, who would not back down and quietly return to the traditional roles their mothers and grandmothers had been forced into.

I voted for my generation who have the advantages and experiences that previous generations of women only dreamed of.

I voted for the generation of young girls who will one day vote.

I vote because it is my right and responsibility as a citizen.

I vote because of the previous generations who fought for this basic right.

I vote because there are still millions of women around the world who are shackled to archaic rules about what it is to be female and what she can or cannot accomplish.

I voted today.

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