The Daily Show: Ears Edition - The 19th Amendment & Women's Equality Day

Episode Date: August 25, 2023

Desi Lydic womansplains two big gender issues: female representation and the ERA. Dulcé Sloan looks at how the 19th Amendment got passed, its shortcomings, and how far we still have to go for true equal access to elections for all. And Veronica Chambers breaks down the often unrecognized history of the 19th Amendment and women’s suffrage in her new book “Finish the Fight!: The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Survivor 47 is here, which means we're bringing you a brand new season of the only official survivor podcast on fire. And this season we are joined by fan favorite and Survivor 46 runner-up, Charlie, Charlie, I'm excited to do this together. Thanks, Jeff. So excited to be here, and I can't wait to bring you inside the mind of a survivor player for season 47. Listen to On Fire the official survivor podcast starting September 18th wherever you get your podcast. You're listening to Comedy Central. Female representation. We've been hearing a lot about it this past year, like tide pods and the undeniable chemistry and a star is born. No, not Gaga and Bradley Cooper, the undeniable chemistry and a star is born.

No, not Gaga and Bradley Cooper, talking about Sam Elliot and his own mustache. Where were we? But why is female representation in America important? Now the reason we've been hearing so much about female representation is the 2018 midterms, a record number of women one seats in Congress, which is great. But remember, that's only 24% of Congress, and women make up 51% of the population. So the vast majority of policy makers have never even experienced obvulation or childbirth or cat calling. Except Ted Cruz, he's definitely been cat called, except it's usually people shouting, Smile less. I feel for you buddy.

And representation is important. Research shows that when women are in politics it's more likely women's rights will advance in areas like pay equity, health care, and family lead. Those are like the Hemsworth brothers of policy. Plus women are better at getting stuff done for everyone because we tend to be more bipartisan for a brief time in college a brief time in college. Me and my roommate, Abby. Sometimes I wonder which way she went. It was the time to experiment. We're just waiting for me to finally come around.

But to understand why we're only at 24% representation, we need to take a look back at our history. When America was founded, all of our leaders were men. The signing of the Declaration of Independence was a serious sausage fest, which, by the way, is why we eat so many hot dogs on the 4th of July. What a patriot. The first step in female representation was fighting for the right to vote, which began in 1848 at the first Women's Rights Convention. A group of abolitionists led by Elizabeth Katie Stanton and Lucretia Mott wrote the Declaration of Sentiments,

which was modeled after the Declaration of Independence, making it not only the beginning of women's suffrage, but also the first all-female reboot. Thankfully, Twitter trolls hadn't been invented yet. And those women didn't just talk about representation. They fought to make it happen. In 1872-S Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan Susan th Susan th make it happen. In 1872, Susan B. Anthony was arrested and tried for even attempting to vote. Susan B was the Cardibee of her time. You couldn't

fuck with her even if you wanted to. And their struggle ultimately paid off. In 1920 America ratified the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote, which meant it was time to party! Except it was prohibition, so we couldn't properly celebrate for another 13 years. to vote, to vote, to vote. to vote, to vote, to vote, to vote, to vote, to vote, to vote, to vote, to vote, to vote, to vote, to vote, to vote, to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote to vote, to vote, to vote to vote to vote, to vote to vote to vote to vote the the the the the the the the the the the to party! Except it was prohibition, so we couldn't properly celebrate for another 13 years. The entire 20th century was full of first for women in government. The first female representative and senator, the first major party presidential candidate, the first lady's space princess, and the first female vice presidential candidate. We were proving that women belong in powerful jobs jobs and also bullshit ceremonial jobs like vice president. Then after the 1992 election, the number of women in Congress jumped all the way up to

54 and what became known as the year of the woman. Though for me, 1992 is the year of the hammer pant. I think I pulled it off. Since then we've broken even more barriers including the first woman speaker of the house and first woman to be a to be a to be a to be a the to be a the the the the the to be the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the ceremonial cerea.cialialialialialialialialialialialialialial.c.c.c.c.c.c.c.c.c.c.c.c.c.c.c.c.c.c. their. their. the the the the the the the thea. Since then, we've broken even more barriers, including the first woman speaker of the house, and first woman to be a major parties nominee for president. I forget how that election ended. No! Let's just move on. And even after all the progress we've made, the US is still only ranked 79th in

female representation out of a 193 countries, which, coincidentally, is the same ranking I had at my high school dive meet. Still stings, but organizations like Emily's List and She Should Run are working to fix that by encouraging women to enter political races. The ERA stands for the Equal Rights Amendment, not to be confused with the ERA and baseball, which I've also woman's blamed. Goddana! Ga! So, the Equal Rights baseball, which I've also women's blamed. So, the Equal Rights Amendment. It was first proposed in the 1920s by the National Women's Party. They're my she-ros. Anytime there's a 1920s-themed wedding, I show up dressed as a suffragette. Elizabeth said I pulled focus, but it was worth it. The main goal of the ERA is to prohibit

discrimination and guarantee legal equality of the sexes in the Constitution. Because remember, nothing in our founding documents specifically protects the rights of women. The founding father said they were going to add it, but then they went out for cigarettes and never came back. Even the Declaration of Independence says we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. So technically we're less than self-evidented evidence theviiiii evidence, which, which, which, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, the th, th, th, th, th, thi, tho, tho, tho, tho, thi, the the thi, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, their, and less than self-evident, which sucks. They totally left us out. It's like leaving all the women out of the Hunger Games posters. Now they just look like a JV Luge team. And the worst part is, America never fixed that oversight. So that's where the ERA comes in. It would add the language, equality of rights

under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex, which shouldn't be controversial. It's like a free duckboat tour at Disneyland, led by Tom Hanks. Everyone should be on board. Yet the ERA sat in limbo for 50 years, until 1972 when it was finally passed by both houses of Congress. We did it! And the ERA fell three states short after anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafly led a conservative backlash against it. She even handed out fresh baked bread and apple pie to get people to vote against the ERA, which is not fair, okay, because people love equality, but they love carbs

more. So in 2019, women are still not guaranteed equal rights under the Constitution. Let me borrow your bat. Sure. But there's still hope. In 2017, Nevada ratified the ERA. Then in 2018, so did Illinois. So now, it just needs one more state. Ding. Damn it. I was hoping that would work. So now there are 13 possible states and two very realistic possibilities include Arizona and Georgia. If you live in one of those

13 remaining states, call your senators and ask them to support ratification. Maybe we can even get this ERA passed by its hundredth birthday. Then we can throw it a surprise party. We can make it 20s-themed. I've already got my look picked out. If you also think it's ridiculous, we haven't fixed this. Go to supermajority.com slash CC to find out how you can be part of the solution. The candidates for November are set. I know Donald Trump's type.

Between now and Election Day. We are not going back. A campaign season unfolding faster. Kamela Harris is not getting a promotion. Then any in recent history. Make America great again. Follow it all with new episodes every weekday on the NPR Politics Podcast. Today is the 100th anniversary of American women winning the right to vote.

It's an important moment in history, and surprisingly, Donald Trump was aware of it. President Trump announced he will issue a posthumous presidential pardon for Susan B. Anthony, a leader of the women's suffrage movement. She was arrested and convicted for illegally voting in the 1872 election. I will be signing a full and complete pardon for Susan B. Anthony. She was never pardoned. Did you know that? She was never pardoned.

What took so long? Oh! So now voting illegally is okay. I mean, look, this is kind of a nice gesture, I guess. But based on what we know about Trump, I bet he's only pardoning her because he thinks she has dirt on him. Susan B. Anthony was a great figure in the women's suffrage movement. And she also knows how to keep her mouth checked. Great thing, powerful thing. But as important as this date is, the passage of the 19th Amendment didn't help all women,

as Dulce-Sloan explains. This month is the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote and the ability to pose on the gram with I voted stickers. They they they they they they they they they they they their their their their th. T th. T th. Tere th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th is thoes. thoes. thoes. thoes. thoes. toe is thothe right to vote and the ability to pose on the gram with I voted stickers. They're like thirstraps for democracy. But while the 19th Amendment was a major victory for white women, the story is not so simple for black women. The road to the 19th Amendment started in 1848 with the Seneca Falls Convention. The first women rights meet up in American history. Before that, the only time women could legally gather was to catch a bouquet.

I don't need you use Flowers, Beverly's Beverly. Assuming you didn't sleep through 10th grade history, you probably know some of the people who were at Seneca Falls. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, La Prudycia Mott, and even our homeboy Frederick Douglass got his hair pressed, especially for the occasion. But you know who wasn't allowed to come? Black women. The whole roster was just a bunch of white people and one black guy. It looked like the cast of a Mission Impossible movie.

Even though they weren't invited to the party, black female activists were also fighting for suffrage throughout the 19th century. Everyone's always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always the the the their their their their their their their their their their their their their to to to to their. their to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to their. their. their. the their. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. the th. th. th. th. th. the the. the the the the the the the.e.e.e.e. the. the. the. the. the. the.'s always talking about Susan the Anthony. Well today Susan should be stepping aside to let some black ladies shine for once. For example, let's talk about Mary Church Torell. She was incredibly influential in advancing the cause for women's suffrage and in 1898 she delivered a speech to white activists that was one of the first expressions of what we now call intersectional feminism. Seeking no favors because of our color.

We knock at the bar of justice, asking for an equal chance. She's a better woman than me. I was taking the bar of justice and knock somebody upside the head. And Terrell isn't alone. Activists like Sojourn Truth, Harriet Tubman and Ida B Wells all pushed for the vote, alongside for Goddin activists like Marianne Shad Carey and Francis Ellen Watkins Harper. They were fighting sexism and racism at the same time.

You know how hard that is? You can't take your eye off either one for a second. If you're face-to-face with sexism, racism will sneak up on you like one of those Raptors in part. Clever racist. Anyway, by 1918, thanks to all the tireless activism from black and white suffrages the like, President Woodrow Wilson endorsed the call for a constitutional amendment to legalize women's voting. Both houses of Congress passed the Susan B. Anthony amendment in the summer of 1919. And on August 18th, 1920, Tennessee became a 36th and final state to

ratify the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which means, Hooray! All women can now legally vote in federal elections and we all live happily ever after. Nah! What do you think this is a children's movie? Do I look like the Pixar lamp to you? Buckle up Cinderella because we ain't done yet. While white women got to stroll into the polls that a problem, black women, like black men, still face major obstacles throughout the 20th century, especially in the South. We're talking poll taxes, literacy tests, and even violence.

If America put as much brainpower into science as it did denying black people to vote, we'd be living in moon mansions getting served by robot butlers. Why yes, robot chiefs, I will have another drink. Finally, in 1965, President LBJ signed the Voting Rights Act, which outlawed racial discriminations and elections. On paper, but even today Republicans continue inventing ways to make it harder for people of color to vote, like shutting down polling locations in black neighborhoods and making voter ID laws when they know black people are less likely to have ID. So even though 100 years of the 19th Amendment is worth celebrating, America still has work

to do when it comes to ensuring truly equal access to elections. So this August, y'all can celebrate Susan B. Anthony, but then y'all better be supporting candidates who will finally finish the job for everyone. Now if you excuse me, I'm about to seduce the postman to make sure he delivers my mail and ballot on time. And because he's fine. I see you in the shorts, Gerald. You can get it. Same day, overnight.

Earlier today, I spoke with New York Times editor Veronica Chambers. We talked about the 100th anniversary of American women getting the vote and about her new book on the suffrage movement. Veronica Chambers, welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Thank you. It's nice to be socially distancing from you. I really appreciate having you on the show because you've done something that I honestly think is one of the most crucial things ever that is that is that is that is that is that is that is that is that is that is that is that is that is that is that is th, th, thi thi thi thi thi thi thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, their, their, their, their, their their their their their their, their, their, the the the the the the the the the the, the the the the the the the the the the the thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th show, because you've done something that I honestly think is one of the most crucial things ever, and that is writing a book that teaches people about history,

and although you've written it predominantly for middle schoolers, I feel like everyone should read this book because it's about the suffrage, you know, the suffrage movement in America. It's about women fighting for the right to vote. But I find interesting is that it thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, tho, th. th. th. th. th. th, th. thi, th, thi, thi, thi, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, theeaa. theaugh, thea, thea, thea, theaugh, the, thea, thea, thea, th right to vote. But what I find interesting is that it tells a part of history that is oftentimes overlooked. Why did you think this book was so crucial? Well, about a year and a half ago, maybe a little more, we were thinking we knew the anniversary of the 19th Amendment was coming up, and we kind of gathered in a room the New York Times and we said, what do we know? And it turned out not a lot. And so the idea of writing the middle grade book was really from that thing that journalists do,

which is like explain it to me like I was a 10-year-old. And if you can explain it to someone like you're a 10-year-old, you really actually have to learn a lot to distill it. And that's really found interesting in the way you wrote about their stories is they seem pretty badass. You know, like normally when you read about the suffrage movement, it gets, it sometimes can be portrayed as like, and they asked for the right to vote and they asked again and they

asked again and they asked again historians and one of them, Kate LeMay from the Smithsonian, she was like, suffrage needs a rewrite. This is not a boring history. These are badass political strategists who worked for 90 years to get the job done. And that's stuck in my head. So I really tried to let that infuse the writing in it. I really fell in love with these women these women these women these women these women thomen the women. I th. I th. I the women. I the women. I the women. I the womenomen I. I the women I. I. I. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I thoes. I thoes. I the. I really thease. I thease. I thoes. I th. th. th. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. th. th. th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I to to to the. I to to to to to to to to to toean. toean. toean. toean. toean. toean. toean. toea. I'm thea. I'm thea. I was these women. I have to tell you, they just became like my heroes and I couldn't believe that I didn't grow up knowing about them. This book is about the women who fought for their right to vote. It's also the story, which

is really difficult of how women fought for the right to vote, but not all of those women were treated equally when the vote was given to women. Tell me a little thoeeeeeeeoeoeoeoomtea tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho. tho-a, tho-a, tho-s, the the tho-a, tho, tho, their, tho, their, their, tho, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, I I I, I, I tho, I tho, I tho, I tho, I tho, tho, thr. thr. And, throwne, thooooooooooooooooooooooooo. the. thee. thooooo. And, the, treated equally when the vote was given to women. Tell me a little bit more about that. Well, you know, the Suffer's movement really has its history and abolition, the movement to end slavery. And then the Civil War comes and the 15th Amendment is up. And they decide to push for black men to get the vote before white women. And quite frankly, we have a sort of cultural moment of Cairns. The Cairns of the 19th century were not having it. They were just basically like, how dare these men who are just off plantations get the right to vote before us. And it really

sets up a pecking order that we see today, which is, you know, white men, black women, and there's this clash and it really breaks apart the movement and it's difficult and it sets the tone for a lot. But I will say that I think that what Kimberly Crenshaw said about black women showing up and showing out, you see it so much in the history. As early as 1810s, 1820, years before Seneca Falls, black women are giving speeches about women's rights. And the motto lifting as we climb is really about opening the doors wide

as you can get it for as many people as you can get it. You know, Susan B. Anthony is somebody that so many people look up to, and they go like, man, if it weren't for her, women wouldn't have the right to vote and this was wonderful, but she does have a complicated history. As a journalist and as a writer, how did you try and navigate that story of somebody who has done something amazing but also has extremely problematic views and try to hold other people back? Well that was definitely, you've hit the nail on the head in terms of one of the

challenges, but one of the things that I fought really strongly for, I remember sitting in a meeting and someone said, we should do a chapter called Susan B. Anthony is canceled. And I was like, we are not canceling people from history. I'm sorry. I'm like, we're just not. Like, it's so flip and so whatever. I mean, the fact is, is that she dedicated her whole life to it. You know, the movement took to long, you, you, you, you, you, you, the movement, the movement, the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and I was, and I was, and I was, and I was, and I was, and I was, and I was, and I was, and I was, and I was, and I was, and I was, and I was, and I was, and I was, and I was, and I was, and I was, and I was, and I was, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, and the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, you the movement, you the movement, you know, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, the movement, took, the movement, took, took so long, only one woman who signed at Seneca Falls lived to vote in 1920. That's how long this movement took. So I think that, you know, we just have to say some people had problems and I think we

can hold a more complicated view now, appreciate them for what they did and know that they had problems and hopefully teach our kids to learn from that, you know. I really think this would be great for kids to see their their, tho, tho, tho, tho, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thr-a, thr-a, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, took, too, took, too, took, took, took, took, took, took, know? I really think this would be great for kids to see themselves because yes, you have white women who are fighting for the right to vote, but they're joined by black women who are fighting for the right to vote, but they're joined by the right to vote, they're joined by, the right to vote, the today's women who are fighting for the right to vote. And it really does paint a more more more paint a more more paint a more more more more more paint a more more more more, their, thapape, thiii, thi, to paint, to paint, to paint, to paint, to paint, to paint, to paint, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to vote, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to vote, to vote, to vote, to vote, to vote, to vote, to vote, to vote, but to vote, but to vote, but to, but to, but the right, but the right, but their. their. their. th. th. And, th. And, thi. And, thi. And, thi. And, thi. And, thr-a, thr-a, thr-a, thr-toea. thr-toea. they's, but they're thia'a, thr-a, thr-a, th band of people who fought in different ways for this right. Do you think it's important for us to reframe the story and tell it with all of the color, excuse the pun, that it truly deserves?

You know, we think about diversity as ticking boxes, but really when you get into the story of these women of color in suffrage, they are really futurist. thiiiiiiiii, thi thi, thi, th. They are th. They are th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th. th. th. th. th. th. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi. thi, thi, thi. thi, thi, to toe, toe, toe, toe, toeeeeeeeeeeean, toeeeeeeean, toee, thi. thi. thi, they are really futurist. They are thinking about not just themselves but other generations. 16-year-old Mabel Pinguali led one of the largest suffrage parades in history, knowing that the Chinese Exclusion Act meant that she herself would not be able to vote in 1920. These suffragists who were futurists were thinking not just about themselves, not just about the Graham, and that's what I try to teach my and her friends, is you know, you don't have to have like likes to be a badass. You just have to do the right thing, be focused, and like listen to your heart and try to help people, you know?

When kids are reading your book, what would you like them to take and apply to today? What would you hope that they try and inspire themselves to think about for tomorrow? Because many of them will go like, well, everyone can vote, so I guess the job is done. What would you hope that they've gone up from this that they may not necessarily immediately jump to? Well, I think it's funny because you're saying that I remember being in school and thinking, oh, the civil rights, thap, than, than, than, thus, thus, thus, thus, thirty, thirty, thirty, thirty, thirty, thirty, thirty, thirty, thirty, thus, thus, thus, thus, tho, tho, tho, their, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, so their, so their, so their, so their, so their, their, so their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thr-a, tho. tho. toooo. toda, today, today, today, today, tho. tho. tho. tho. tho. their, their, I'm never going to have to fight that battle again. I think the one thing I would love for kids to know is that there's never just one thing going on at one time. And that's why it's actually hard to make a movement because white stuff were just, we're like, we have to focus on women. And Ida B. Welles, Barnett comes in and says we have to talk about lynching and then you know Rose Snyderman and Margaret Hinchy come in and they say we have to talk about child labor laws and safe factory conditions for poor women and the fact is that's the complicated thing about making a difference is knowing that nothing

is happening in isolation and really the trick of working through coalition and building a movement is being able to hear the voices around you and gathering together to do the work of many issues. That is the challenge of leadership. And I hope the book gives a little bit of a glimpse of how these amazing women did that. I hope someone gets books like these to the White House, because I think they're not just fantastic for kids, but they're fantastic for adults who may read at a child's level.

So thank you so much for joining us on the show and congratulations on creating a wonderful, wonderful book that everybody should know about. Thank you so much. It's been an honor. Explore more shows from the Daily Show from the Daily Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and stream full episodes anytime on Fairmount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast.