Opinion: Together we must amplify and elect more women

By Carole Wacey and Deborah Martin Owens

The weeks leading up to the 2021 presidential inauguration have been fraught, and at times, frightening. Taken together, the growing number of COVID-19 related deaths and the violent insurrection at the Capitol have cast a shadow over our nation. 

Yet today we at Women Creating Change remain hopeful as we look to the future — a future where women of all backgrounds have a voice in their communities and country. If participation in the 2020 election is any indication, there is a hunger for civic engagement opportunities and ways to get involved, and women are at the forefront.  

More than 159 million Americans voted in the 2020 election, the largest total voter turnout in U.S. history, and the first time more than 140 million people voted. Turnout in New York City increased by 7.5 percent from 2016 to 2020. The 117th Congress will have a record total of 141 women, and a record 51 women of color will serve. And of course, the election of Kamala Harris, the daughter of immigrants, to serve as our next Vice President represents not only an achievement for women and people of color in this country, but for all who have been passionately engaged in making our society more equitable.

Even so, we have a lot of work to do in terms of electing women to office, especially women of color, and ensuring women’s voices are heard. At 26.4 percent of Congress’s membership, women’s representation falls short of that of national legislatures in many other democratic countries. For far too long, systemic barriers have prevented many of us, and in particular communities of color and those with fewer resources, from being civically engaged. 

The inauguration on January 20 marked the beginning of new leadership, but no matter who sits in our nation’s highest office, we must hold them accountable. Civic engagement matters more than ever—at the ballot box and beyond. Women from communities that have been systematically excluded from decision-making processes are disproportionately impacted by the policies related to COVID-19 and other pressing issues. That’s why it is so imperative that women from these very communities have opportunities to advocate for policies and solutions that matter to them. Together we must continue to amplify the voices of all women to ensure our society is equitable and just.

Carole Wacey is president and CEO and Deborah Martin Owens is board chair of Women Creating Change.