Betty-Lou Wiseman, President, AMS West
August 26th is a special day in the US, designated Women’s Equality Day. The date was selected to commemorate the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote.
Young women of today might find it incomprehensible that women once upon a time did not have the right to vote, and that the right to vote had to be fought for in a massive civil rights movement by women. Those battles, begun in 1848, culminated in the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which gave women the right to vote nationally on August 18, 1920. Amazingly that was a little over 100 years ago.
Have we come a long way? Although it may seem that women have achieved equity in the corporate world, with a number of women in positions of top leadership, including our own Betty-Lou Wiseman at AMS Fulfillment, we still believe we have a ‘way to go’.
At AMS, out of 613 employees, 324 identify themselves as female. There are 82 women at AMS who hold leadership roles. While that is a significant number, we continue to train and mentor women in career advancement as a part of our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Betty-Lou, President of AMS West, is well aware of the importance of mentoring other women who aspire to leadership roles. At a recent Advanced Leadership course, she was highly praised for her inspired leadership.
“Throughout my career I have had many mentors, but Betty-Lou holds a special place in my heart. She mentored me through one of the most challenging decisions I have had to make in my career/personal life. She has provided sound guidance and wisdom, which in turn has not only allowed me to better contribute to this organization, but also better myself as a person.” Luz Lemus
At AMS, Women’s Equality Day is celebrated not only to commemorate the passage of the 19th Amendment, but also to call attention to women’s continuing efforts toward full equality.
At the Constitution Center website we find the Joint Resolution of Congress, 1971 Designating August 26 of each year as Women’s Equality Day:
WHEREAS, the women of the United States have been treated as second-class citizens and have not been entitled the full rights and privileges, public or private, legal or institutional, which are available to male citizens of the United States;
and WHEREAS, the women of the United States have united to assure that these rights and privileges are available to all citizens equally regardless of sex;
and WHEREAS, the women of the United States have designated August 26, the anniversary date of the certification of the Nineteenth Amendment, as symbol of the continued fight for equal rights;
and WHEREAS, the women of United States are to be commended and supported in their organizations and activities,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that August 26th of each year is designated as Women’s Equality Day, and the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation annually in commemoration of that day in 1920, on which the women of America were first given the right to vote, and that day in 1970, on which a nationwide demonstration for women’s rights took place.