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Special recognition celebrating the 100th anniversary of the passage and ratification of the 19th Amendment.
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SPECIAL RECOGNITION
WHEREAS, the bold, courageous and powerful women who fought for the ratification of the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution on August 18, 1920, granting women the right to vote, deserve special celebration and recognition; and
WHEREAS, the passage of the 19th amendment required a lengthy and difficult struggle by thousands of women suffrage supporters who lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered radical change; and
WHEREAS, Illinois was the very first state in the country to ratify the 19th Amendment on the morning of June 10, 1919; and
WHEREAS, the fact that today women are active in local, state and national government and are running for office in unprecedented numbers reminds us that we all follow in the footsteps of these resolute American suffragists; and
WHEREAS, Lake County is home to approximately 350,000 women and girls; and
WHEREAS, women are vital to the future social, economic, spiritual and intellectual well-being of Lake County; and
WHEREAS, the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution has played an important role in advancing the rights of all women.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RECOGNIZED, that this County Board of Lake County, hereby encourages residents and civic institutions to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passage and ratification of the 19th Amendment; honor the role of the ratification of the 19th Amendment in further promoting the core values of our democracy as promised by the Constitution of the United States; reaffirm the opportunity for students and adults in Lake County to learn about and commemorate the efforts of the women's suffrage movement and the role of women in our democracy; and
BE IT FURTHER RECOGNIZED that the County Board reaffirms its desire to continue to strengthen democratic participation and to inspire future generations to cherish and preserve the historic precedent established under the 19th Amendment.
DATED, at Waukegan, Lake County, Illinois, on August 11, 2020.