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Gloucester City Councillor and Women Elected Municipal Officials Chair Valerie Gilman (left) and Gloucester-based activist Amy Shapiro (right) shared their experience with organizing the city’s first annual National Women’s Equality day celebration last August during a virtual meeting on May 23.
In a virtual meeting on May 23, Gloucester City Councillor Valerie Gilman, also chair of Women Elected Municipal Officials, shared her experience with organizing her city’s first annual National Women’s Equality Day celebration last August.
National Women’s Equality Day commemorates the certification of the 19th Amendment on Aug. 26, 1920, which gave women the right to vote.
Gilman said she and Gloucester-based activist Amy Shapiro organized her city’s celebration as a way to spotlight women’s rights and encourage young women in her community to get involved in local government.
“We really need to keep reminding young women and girls that we … need them to step up as elected officials,” she said.
Shapiro said she also sought opportunities to share an archive of feminist documents and art from the 1970s, originally compiled by her mother. Some of the material was put on display during the celebration.
The festivities included readings of proclamations by the mayor’s office and City Council officially recognizing Equality Day, and a panel discussion featuring Gloucester-based women leaders.
“It evolved beyond what I ever could have imagined,” Shapiro said.
Due to the success of the 2023 celebration, Gilman and Shapiro are currently planning additional programs for a 2024 event, under the theme “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.”
This year’s event will include a ceremony recognizing the achievements of the city’s volunteer-led Human Rights Commission and various municipal departments in support of women’s rights. It will also feature community activities such as breakout DEI discussion groups and a postcard-making table for participants to send thank you notes to their women mentors.
“Now more than ever, we need to be recognizing and thanking women mentors,” Gilman said.
For communities that wish to begin planning their own celebrations, Gilman and Shapiro recommend starting small, with a simple town or city proclamation recognizing National Women’s Equality Day.
“We have a lot on our plates,” Gilman said. “The simpler, the better.”
From there, municipalities can build local momentum and interest, recruit volunteers to support the planning process, and, most importantly, develop a celebration that uniquely suits their community.
Gilman and Shapiro stressed that there is no right or wrong way to celebrate.
“However you choose to celebrate it, it will call attention to the ongoing efforts, on small and large scales, toward achieving full equality,” Shapiro said.