A PROCLAMATION TO BE SUBMITTED
BY LEGISLATORS MARINELLI, GRANT & DIXON

RE: Celebrating Women’s History Month – March 2013

WHEREAS, every year, the month of March affords Americans the opportunity to remember the struggles of the women in history who worked tirelessly to challenge injustices and shatter glass ceilings in the pursuit of full equality; and

WHEREAS, decades of progress have been made in the pursuit of full equality, and schoolchildren are taught history lessons that resonate with names like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton; and

WHEREAS, forty-two years ago, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt confronted President John F. Kennedy about the lack of women in government; and

WHEREAS, President Kennedy’s response was to appoint Mrs. Roosevelt to a commission to address the status of women and to study the discrimination they routinely faced; and

WHEREAS, 25 years ago, then County Executive Dennis T. Gorski appointed 14 women and one man to the inaugural Erie County Commission on the Status of Women, which exists to this day as the well-worn path to equality has yet to reach its destination here and across America; and

WHEREAS, although it is true that today there are women leaders in industry, government – including the Pentagon, and not-for-profit organizations, the numbers do not come close to representing the 51% majority women occupy in the U.S. population; and

WHEREAS, the White House Council on Women and Girls is putting forth much effort to advance gender equality by promoting workplace flexibility, attracting more women to math, science and technology professions and striving for equal pay for equal work in every segment of our economy; and

WHEREAS, Women’s History Month is a time to recall the pioneering spirit of late 19th and early 20th century women who did not rest until they achieved the right to vote, thereby gaining the most fundamental right of Americans to have a voice in their government; and

WHEREAS, Women’s History Month also offers Americans the opportunity to foresee a future where the dreams and opportunities of no American will be hindered simply because they were born female in what remains largely a man’s world.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT

RESOLVED, that this Honorable Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize the month of March 2013 as Women’s History Month in Erie County, to salute the foremothers of the Women’s Equality Movement and to celebrate the progress made over the last century to secure women’s rights; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Erie County Legislature pay tribute to the women pathfinders who have shattered glass ceilings in industry and government, enriching the quality of life all Americans enjoy today; and be it further

RESOLVED, that this Legislative Body recognize New York State Women, Inc. members for their continuing advocacy for working women in New York State; and be it further

RESOLVED, that a copy of this proclamation, suitably engrossed, be conveyed to Susan Mager, President of New York State Women, Inc.