It’s ironic that in the very same week that the East Coast experienced a rare, strong earthquake, we commemorate two “earth shaking” historic events.  Ninety one years ago on August 26, women won a years-long fight for suffrage with ratification of the 19th amendment; and on August 28, 1963, hundreds of thousands of Americans spoke out for “jobs and freedom” at the March on Washington led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. At both of these moments in history, disenfranchised individuals stood up to demand that their voices be heard.

To honor these victories for equality and justice, NCJW is proud to join several coalition partners  to launch HERvotes – a voter education and mobilization effort for women and those who care about women’s Health and Economic Rights leading up to the November 2012 elections.

The gains achieved between and beyond 1920 and 1963 paved the way for other landmark laws that have improved the health, well-being, economic security, and equality of women – and, now, many of these gains are at risk. 

Several efforts in Congress aim to undermine crucial safety net programs – Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid – with irresponsible funding cuts, which would have a severe, disproportionate impact on women, who rely heavily on these programs. Take away Social Security, and nearly half of all elderly women – 8.5 million − would slip below the poverty line. The safety net is a women’s economic security issue, and we must vote to protect it in 2012.

Why do we need a safety net? Because since the recession officially ended in 2009, women have actually lost jobs. In fact, this recession is the first since 1970 in which women have lost jobs even as men have gained them − a disparity yet to be explained by economists. Job creation is a women’s issue, and we must vote in 2012 to make sure that this issue is addressed.

We must also work to preserve our health care security. The Affordable Care Act, the 2010 health reform law, ushered in a new era for women: no more fighting with insurance companies who charged women more than men for the same coverage; no more worrying about being dropped from your plan if you have a pre-existing condition; and no more debating whether or not you can afford critical preventive services, like cancer screenings or contraceptive services. Access to affordable health care is a women’s issue, and women need to vote in 2012 to preserve these historic improvements.

At the launch of HERvotes, NCJW and our partners unveiled a top 10 list of additional achievements for women now under siege. This list serves as a reminder about what is at stake in the 2012 elections and why women must turn out to vote. As women, we fought long and hard for the right to vote, and we should never take it for granted.
 
I would love to see the day when 100% of women in the US exercise their right to vote – particularly when so much is at risk. We at NCJW are thrilled to have marked this meaningful week by joining with powerful women in every community for HERvotes. Together − by urging women to exercise their right to vote − we can create a groundswell, a movement to elevate a women’s agenda.

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This week, NCJW and our partners are launching the HERvotes effort with a cross organization blog carnival and social media effort.

Take a moment now to read below for a cross-organization #HERvotes Blog Carnival of posts from many voices and organizations.

Websites Where the HERvotes Blog Carnival is Cross-Posted:
MomsRising
National Women’s Law Center
WIN
Ms. Magazine
Raising Women’s Voices

Individual Posts for the HERvotes Blog Carnival:

• Breastfeeding Backlash?, Ashley Boyd, MomsRising.org

• Protecting the Rights of Pregnant Women, Vibhuti Mehra, Labor Project for Working Families

• Women Holding the Line, Ms. Foundation

• Preserving Medicaid for the Present and Future, Danielle Garrett, National Women’s Law Center

• Three Ways Not to Celebrate Women’s Equality Day, Gloria Feldt

• This Time, Vote Like You Mean It!, Cindy Pearson, Raising Women’s Voices

• Imagining the U.S. Without Legal Abortion, Susan Rubin, Ms. Magazine

• The time to mobilize women voters is now in preparation for 2012, Carla Reed, WIN

• Lending Programs Give Struggling Small Business a Helping Hand, John Arensmeyer, Small Business Majority

• Shop Healthy. Eat Healthy. Stay Healthy: Support Businesses Whose Workers Earn Paid Sick Days, Marianne Bellesorte, Pathways PA

• The Education Front of the War on Women, Melanie Ross-Levin, National Women’s Law Center

• Think You’re Covered? Think Again, Alicia Gay, ACLU

• Scapegoating Black Women in a Recession, Janell Hobson, Ms. Magazine

• Kelley Williams-Bolar: One Mother’s Struggle To Keep Her Family Secure, Dani McClain, Color of Change

• How Restrictions on Health Care Funding Affects Low-Income Women’s Access to Care, Amanda Dennis, Ibis Reproductive

• Your Genes, Your Rights, Sandra Park, ACLU

• “The Help” and the rights of domestic workers, Gayle Kirshenbaum, Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Association

• What revolution? Why haven’t women pushed harder for caring work to be valued?, Annie at PhD in Parenting

• Black Women Speak up! Tell Congress to Stay Out Of Our Wombs, Denene Millner, My Brown Baby

• Boost Social Security benefits to close women’s pay and caregiving gap, Aaron Keating, Economic Opportunity Institute

• A Woman’s Work on Economic Equality is Never Done, Kristin Maschka, Remodeling Motherhood

• The Violence Against Women Act Saves Money–And Lives, Holly Derr, Ms. Magazine

• Stop the War on Women: Elect Women, Sarah Burris, Emily’s List

• Commercialized Sexualization and the Choice to Opt Out, Susan Linn, Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood

• Would You Rather?: Health Care Edition, Taylor Brannan, National Women’s Law Center

• In Massachusetts, Health Reform is a Lifesaver, Amanda Dennis and Kelly Blanchard, Ibis Reproductive

• Super Committee, Don’t Leave Behind Older Women and Their Families, Maggie Flowers, Wider Opportunities for Women

• Breastfeeding as a Health Policy Issue is a Win-Win, Karen Farley, RN, IBCLC, California WIC Association

• Economic Policy: It’s Personal, Nancy Wilberg, National Council of La Raza

• Brooklyn Grandmother Takes a Stand, Monifa Bandele, MomsRising.org

• Military Women Deserve Equal Medical Care, ACLU

• Lesson Learned From Elders: Don’t Mess With a Good Thing, Meika Loe, Ms. Magazine

• Unfinished Business: Let’s Get Busy, Melanie Campbell, The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation

• Friends Don’t Let Friends Stay Home on Election Day. Especially girlfriends., WIN

• Continuing and Sustained Attacks on Roe v. Wade, Stephanie Drahan, National Women’s Law Center

• Affordable Care Act Preventive Services are Good News for Women and Children, Jennifer Mezey of National Women’s Law Center for the Georgetown Center for Children and Families

• New Threats to Women’s Economic Security from the Super-Committee, Katherine Gallagher Robbins, National Women’s Law Center

• Equal Pay for Moms Now, Denene Millner, My Brown Baby

• Stop the Cuts, Invest in Women; Our Futures Depend on It, Carol King, Ms. Magazine

• Have You Had Enough? I Know I Have!, Kathleen Scully, Pathways PA

• Mark Women’s Health Equality Day by Joining HerVotes!, Lois Uttley, Raising Women’s Voices

• Women’s Equality Day 2011: The Start of Something Big, Linda D. Hallman, AAUW