As we celebrate Women’s Equality Day on Wednesday, it is important that we pause to remember Mrs. Febb Ensminger Burn – the unsung heroine whose firm advice to her son led to passage of the 19th Amendment, which in 1920 gave women the right to vote.
After President Wilson introduced the amendment to the U.S. Congress in 1919, 36 state general assemblies had to approve it before it could become law. One day after North Carolina defeated the measure by just two votes, Tennessee’s General Assembly was at a stalemate with the votes equally divided.
The debate attracted national attention as Tennessee was poised to become the 36th state to pass the amendment. Harry T. Burn, the youngest member, intended to vote against ratification until he received a telegraph from his widowed mother urging him to support the 19th Amendment.
Burn’s pivotal vote illustrates how advocacy at all levels can have an impact. Last fall, echoes of that momentous occasion were felt in North Carolina when citizens demonstrated their confidence in female leadership by not only electing a woman governor but also a female majority to the Council of State.
The N.C. Council for Women/Domestic Violence Commission strives to help empower women to succeed and to seek leadership opportunities of all sorts. We thank Gov. Bev Perdue for declaring Wednesday as Women’s Equality Day Women in North Carolina and encourage all citizens to support continued advocacy for equality of women’s rights.