“Sisterhood is Powerful”: Women’s March for Equality Led by 87-year old Jeannette Rankin
Reportedly, the first use of the slogan “Sisterhood is Powerful” occurred at a radical feminist demonstration in Washington, D.C. on this day. The march also featured a ceremonial “burial of traditional womanhood.”
The Jeannette Rankin Brigade, which organized the march, was led by 87-year-old Jeannette Rankin, famous as the first woman elected to Congress, in 1916, (March 4, 1917). and the only member to vote against U.S. entry into both World Wars I (April 6, 1917) and II (December 8, 1941).
Before being elected to Congress, Rankin was an active suffragist, working with the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) is support of granting women the right to vote.
Reportedly, the slogan “Sisterhood is Powerful” was coined by Kathie Sarahchild (formerly Kathie Amatniek).
Read the anthology of early feminist writings: Robin Morgan, ed., Sisterhood is Powerful (1970)
Learn about the origins of the slogan: http://www.thisdayinquotes.com/2010/01/origin-of-slogan-sisterhood-is-powerful.html
Rankin on April 6, 1917: “I want to stand by my country, but I cannot vote for war.”
Rankin on December 8, 1942: “As a woman I can’t go to war, and I refuse to send anyone else.”
Learn more: James J. Lopach and Jean A. Luckowski, Jeannette Rankin: A Political Woman (2005)
See the report on the number of women in Congress, for each session 1917-2014: http://www.senate.gov/CRSReports/crs-publish.cfm?pid=%270E%2C*PLS%3D%22%40%20%20%0A
Learn more about Rankin at the National Women’s History Museum: https://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/biography/biographies/jeanette-rankin/