Supporting #HopeForOurDaughters

Though I watched the new movie Suffragettes a few weeks back, it has really stuck with me.  It has made me really think about and appreciate what our ancestors did to make the right to vote for women a reality.  Many women fought and lost their lives, many were jailed and suffered so that women today could have the basic right to vote.  It seems hard to believe that in some countries women are still fighting this battle.  As part of the Suffragette’s movement, we have some interesting facts about firsts for women in armed forces, as well a special video this week called #HopeForOurDaughters that looks at injustices we must still overcome.

A Suffragette Timeline:

WOMEN’S FIRSTS IN THE ARMED FORCES

• 1985 – Penny Harrington was appointed as Chief of Police of the Portland Police Bureau, making her the first woman to lead a major–city police department.
• 1991 – Congress authorizes women to fly in combat missions.

• 1993 – Congress authorizes women to serve on combat ships.

• 2000 – Kathleen McGrath became the first woman to command a warship at sea.

• 2004 – Colonel Linda McTague becomes the first woman commander of a fighter squadron in U.S. Air Force history.

• 2008 – Ann E. Dunwoody is the first female four–star general in the U.S. Army.

• 2014 – Michelle J. Howard began her assignment as the U.S. Navy’s first female and first female African–American four–star admiral on July 1, 2014.

• 2015 – Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver are the first female soldiers to graduate from the school for the Army Rangers.

#HopeForOurDaughters Special Video – For every Instagram post with the hashtag, $1 will be donated to Equality Now.

“Defining a Suffragette”