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Celebrating the Centennial of Women’s Right to Vote: Three Facts to Keep in Mind

100 years ago tomorrow, Tennessee became the 36th and final state needed to ratify the 19th amendment as law, hence guaranteeing women's constitutional right to vote. As much as it is tempting to just focus on celebrating the suffragettes’ accomplishments and bravery, we also need to talk about some of the ugly truths behind this centennial milestone. That’s because ignoring the history that we don’t like should not be an option. To understand and address our current issues, we need to first acknowledge the full history of previous generations, which includes their shortcomings. As we kick off this anniversary, I gathered 3 uncomfortable—yet crucial—facts for all of us women (especially white) to reflect on.  

1.     The 19th Amendment Did Not, in Practice, Grant Access to The Ballot Box to All Women

The idea that after 1920 all women could vote in the U.S. is a myth. In practice, the 19th amendment protected mostly white, middle- and upper-class women. Yes, the 19th amendment blocked all states from denying voting rights based on gender, which—in theory—should have been enough to guarantee all women’s right to vote. But because the 19th did not say anything about race, it didn’t guarantee much for women of color.  

Millions of women — especially black women in the Jim Crow South— could not vote because of poll taxes and “literacy tests” that were used to purposely disenfranchise them. In Virginia, for example, a college-educated black woman named Susie W. Fountain was stopped from voting because she “failed” a sham literacy test that consisted of a blank piece of paper. Fountain is only one of the countless cases of voter suppression against black women post-19th amendment.

It took about 45 more years for women of color—through the Voting Rights Act, which outlawed discriminatory voting practices—to finally enjoy their constitutional right to vote. It’s vital to remember that to this day voting suppression persists, most notably through voter ID requirements and the placing of polling booths in areas that are difficult to access for marginalized communities. 

          2. Racism and White Feminism Influenced the Suffrage Movement in Many Ways

White suffragists often excluded people of color from the movement. In many suffrage marches, black women were forced to the back of the line –when they were included at all. No black women attended the famously celebrated Seneca Falls convention. Moreover, after the passage of the 15th amendment, which gave black men the right to vote, some well-known white suffragettes began using racist rhetoric to push for women’s right to vote. Although some suffragists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony opposed slavery before the civil war, their alliance with abolitionists deteriorated after black men got the vote before white women. Then, some white suffragettes began to argue that white women were more qualified to vote than Black men and at times even made alliances with opponents of Black suffrage. 

The mainstream suffrage movement, often deliberately, undermined or blatantly dismissed the voices of women of color. When the black suffragist Mary Church Terrell, for example, requested the movement to address women of color‘s concerns, some white feminists claimed that black women’s disenfranchisement was a race problem — not a gender problem. And to this day, a branch of feminism that centers on the experiences of privileged women and ignores intersecting issues of race persists. Stay tuned to our blog in the next few weeks to learn more about “white feminism,” and how it endures to this day. 

              3. History Books Focus on White Suffragists, But Women of Color Were Central in the Women’s Suffrage Movement

Most of us think of the names of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony when we think about the 19th, but there is a vast list of suffragettes of color that were fundamental to the movement, from whom we unfortunately hear less about. We need to celebrate these women, who—despite the extra barriers that they faced—vigorously fought for our right to vote.  

For example, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, who was a visionary intellectual in the fight for women’s rights and in a meeting of the American Equal Rights Association in 1866, she gave a groundbreaking speech on what we today call intersectionality. She was an acclaimed speaker and shared stages with activists such as Frederick Douglass and Lucretia Mo. Another widely respected women’s suffrage activist and abolitionist was Sarah Parker Remond, she was a member of the American Equal Rights Association, and voraciously toured the northeast to support and preach about women’s voting rights.

Other important figures were Ida B. Wells, co-founder of the NAACP, who used her journalism to highlight racist issues in the South. Adelina (Nina) Otero-Warren, a central figure that helped pass the 19th Amendment in New Mexico and helped spread the word about the suffrage movement in Spanish. Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin, who focused her activism on the rights of Native American women. Dr. Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, an academic who relentlessly advocated for women’s right to vote, but probably never voted because of her status as a Chinese immigrant. The list goes on and on. 

As We Celebrate the Centennial of the 19th, Let’s Challenge Any Type of Exclusionary Narrative

Let’s fully acknowledge this history when we celebrate this centennial. The work of women of color, who highlighted how racism, sexism, and all forms of discriminations are bound together was vital and continues to be vital today. Intersectional feminism—a feminism that acknowledges the interconnected nature of these issues—is the only type of women’s movement that can truly benefit us all. But to achieve it, we need to face the imperfect parts of our history and appreciate the work of the women who came before us.

A feminism that ignores the role that white supremacy has historically played is, by definition, a white supremacist feminism. History isn’t over—we are all collectively still writing it—and it is up to us to make sure that the women’s movement becomes a fight for all women and by all women. These suffragists of color refused to accept a limited white-centered gaze on gender issues—and so should all of us. Happy 19th Amendment anniversary!

  

Author’s note: I’m a white-passing Brazilian woman living in the U.S., and the issues raised in this article are intended to be focused on non-white voices. Please, seek out more information from women of color. Here are some books suggestions: 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/313110.This_Bridge_Called_My_Back

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32809732-daughters-of-a-nation

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/353598.Black_Feminist_Thought

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32951.Sister_Outsider

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/635635.Women_Race_Class

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51378.Feminist_Theory 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36687229-hood-feminism

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6792458-the-new-jim-crow

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35099718-so-you-want-to-talk-about-race

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‘Tampon Tax’: What It Is and Why You Should Care

What does Viagra, Chapstick, donuts and dandruff shampoo all have in common? They are all exempt from sales tax in most U.S. states because they are considered basic necessities. What’s missing from that list? Menstrual products. Periods are a part of the lives of roughly half of the population on the planet, they pretty much make the reproduction of human life possible – and yet, 33 states still tax menstrual products as luxury items. 

This sales tax—usually called the ‘tampon tax’—definitely deserves our attention. Put simply, tampon tax means the revenue earned from the value added tax charged on menstrual products. But does this mean that there is a specific tax on tampons? No, it doesn’t. 

Sales taxes are charged on all “tangible personal property,” and menstrual products are included in this group. But the thing is, states also have the authority to make sales tax exemptions for products deemed “basic necessities,” usually groceries, certain types of foods, drugs (yes, you can include Viagra here), and even clothes in a few states. So, when a state sales tax is imposed on menstrual products, it essentially means that these products are being categorized as ‘luxury items.’

I know…Apologies for stating the obvious, but tampons, pads, cups and other menstrual products are definitely not luxury items. These products are vital on a monthly basis for

all menstruating people. The tampon tax is an extra financial burden that women, non-binary and transgender people must bear on top of the cost of already expensive and biologically necessary items. As all menstruating people well know, these items are absolutely needed for us to go to school, to work, to socialize—to basically be able to participate in public life.

But Is it Really a Big Deal? 

To a person with a steady income or with accumulated wealth, spending a few extra dollars on tampons or pads every year might not sound like a huge deal. But for women with a lower socioeconomic status, tampon prices can be a big part of their income. In fact, forty percent of non-elderly U.S. adults had difficulty meeting a basic need like food, housing or health care in 2018, according to a research conducted by the Urban Institute. For the menstruating people in this group, the tampon tax has a real impact. With nearly 14 percent of girls and women living below the poverty line in the U.S., the price for essential menstrual products is no small issue. 

But to fully understand the relevance of the tampon tax on menstruating people’s lives, we need to first understand what period poverty means. According to the Vision and Voice of Women in Medicine (AMWA), "period poverty refers to the inadequate access to menstrual hygiene tools and education, including but not limited to sanitary products, washing facilities, and waste management." Period poverty risks social isolation and is a health issue. It increases the chance of infection due to the use of unhygienic alternatives, for example toilet paper, newspaper or even socks instead of proper menstrual products.  

You might be surprised to know that in the U.S., the richest country on earth, period

poverty is a thing. In fact, 1 in 4 Women struggled to purchase period products in 2017 due to lack of income, according to the National Diaper Bank Network. 1 in 5 teens have struggled at some point to afford period products and 84% of American teens have either missed or know someone who has missed school due to period poverty, according to a research commissioned by Thinx & PERIOD. 

On top of the income burden, people with uteruses can’t even get period products through government assistance programs like SNAP or Medicaid. Also, pads and tampons are one of the most-requested items in shelters and food banks, as reported by Bloomberg. So, yes, state sales taxes on these products are definitely a big deal. 

So, Why Can’t We Get Rid of the ‘Tampon Tax?’ 

Because of the way that the tax system works in the U.S, there can’t be a national legislation for

sales taxes; hence change needs to occur at the state level. And because each year states generate millions in revenue from the tampon tax, abolishing it is obviously not easy.

The loss of revenue is the most commonly used argument in favor of the tampon tax. Some even argue that creating exemptions for individual items is unreasonable. For example, Katherine E. Loughead, a policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington said: “Every time another exemption is passed, it means the tax rate that applies to everything else will have to increase in order to generate that same amount of revenue,”.

But it might be worth remembering that the current administration managed to pass a $1.5 trillion tax package that cuts individual rates and slashes the top corporate tax rate. So, seemingly the loss of revenue is not necessarily an unmanageable problem. Also, focusing on revenue loss actually misses the central point in the conversation around the tampon tax, which is that menstrual products are, undeniably, basic necessities. As long as there are exemptions in sales taxes, the discussion should be focused on which products are in fact essential—not on what the tax revenue impact of eliminating these taxes is. 

But There Is Progress Being Made

The tampon tax has been abolished in several states, as well as in other countries. Canada's tax on feminine hygiene products, for example, was lifted in 2015, after thousands signed an online petition on the matter. In Britain, the tax will be abolished once Brexit is complete, and until then, taxes from menstrual products are being put into a special fund for women’s health.  Germany, India, Malaysia and Australia have also ended the tax. Also, between 2016 and 2018, Nevada, New York, Florida, Connecticut and Illinois eliminated the tax, while many other states also introduced bills to do so. 

There is evidence that the public opinion is shifting towards ending the tax. The market research company OnePoll surveyed 2,000 women in the U.S. in 2019 and found that 67 percent of respondents thought a tax on period products was sexist. Advocacy around menstrual equity—i.e., the adequate access to menstrual hygiene products and education about reproductive health—has gained traction in recent years. Some advocates are even seeking to mobilize legal action based on the idea that the tampon tax is unconstitutional. The campaign Tax Free. Period., for example, was founded in June 2019 and aims to end the tampon tax with the argument that, because it only applies to people who menstruate, it constitutes a form of sex-based discrimination, which basically means that it is unlawful.

Conversations around period poverty expand beyond the tampon tax, though. They also include making menstrual products available in public restrooms, prisons, shelters, schools, as well as the implementation of educational programs and campaigns to end the stigma around periods. Menstrual hygiene is essential for people’s health and for their ability to participate in public life—it should be available for all. The fact that menstrual products are still subject to sales taxes as luxury items in 33 states is a testament that there is still a long way to go until we achieve menstrual equity. But change will come as more people continue to use their voices to convey the idea that menstrual products are a right, not a luxury. 

Take action:

https://www.period.org/get-involved

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/tax-free-period-lola-campaign-tax-day/

https://www.taxfreeperiod.com/protest

https://hashtaghappyperiod.org

https://www.girlshelpinggirlsperiod.org/how-you-can-help

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/tampon-tax-us-states

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