What Women’s History Month means to us

 

March 4, 2023

March is Women’s History Month — a necessary moment for celebrating the essential contributions of women to our government, country, and history. Today, women make up more than a quarter of our current Congress (a record number, and a significant jump from where we were even a decade ago). When we consider how far we’ve come, the strides for women’s equality are colossal. It was just over a hundred years ago that the 19th amendment was ratified, granting women the right to vote. It was only sixty years ago that the Equal Pay Act was passed, protecting women against discrimination in the workplace. And it was fifty years ago that Roe v. Wade recognized women’s bodily autonomy and the right to have an abortion. But it is also plain as day that these acts don’t translate cleanly in practice. Take, for instance, the 19th amendment. Black women were key to the women’s suffrage movement, but when the 19th amendment was passed, it proved beneficial mostly to white women. Black women and other women of color were kept from the polls through a variety of discriminatory tactics and violence. It wasn’t until the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act that racial discrimination in voting was outlawed and voting became a practicable right for women of color.  And yet, our country is still faced with voter suppression, a wage gap along racial lines, and a demographic divide in our elected representatives. People in the U.S. are also dealing with threats to their bodily autonomy, not just in accessing abortion but also in accessing gender affirming care. These realities make it quite obvious that gender bias is not an object of our past but a present reality that creates unique and compounding barriers for trans women, Black women, Indigenous women, immigrant women, and other women of color. Women’s History Month reminds us that we are still fighting for a government that works for everyone. Gender justice means equity for all women — especially trans women, women of color, and disabled women. For an informative look at the hard-fought battles that’ve brought us this far today, visit the Smithsonian Museum’s portal on American women’s activism. WANT MORE FROM POGO? The latest from us, straight to your inbox For updates on POGO’s investigations, upcoming events, and more ways you can get involved, subscribe to our emails. ANALYSIS The Bridge: Whistleblowers Left by the Wayside The January 6 truthtellers are being treated as collateral damage. Read More ANALYSIS The Bunker: A Hypersonic Sea Siren This week in The Bunker: A deep dive into why the Navy, eager to find a mission for its fleet of $8 billion destroyers, is scrapping a costly gun for an even costlier hypersonic missile. Read More PODCAST Bad Watchdog In a new six-part podcast, POGO investigators explore what happens when the official appointed to protect the people from fraud and abuse decides instead to protect the very agency he should be investigating. Listen Now QUIZ What Kind of Watchdog Are You? Watchdogs are responsible for holding federal agencies accountable. The real question is, what kind of watchdog are you? From a fearless pack leader to a cat in dog’s clothing, find your breed of watchdog. Take the Quiz OUST A BAD WATCHDOG Tell the White House: DHS needs a watchdog worthy of the public’s trust Write to President Biden now and urge that he remove and replace Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari with a watchdog who’s up to the task. QUOTE OF THE WEEK “The problem that can arise is when [oversight] is not coordinated, things get duplicated, and it becomes hard for the public to follow what’s actually going on.” Tim Stretton, Director of the Congressional Oversight Initiative, in The Daily Beast OVERHEARD ONE LINERS “My cynical opinion is that the Air Force especially is looking for a win. They want to show, ‘Oh my god, we’re finally building an aircraft on time and on budget.’ But given the tremendous amount of secrecy over this program, it’s at least tough for me to evaluate whether or not that’s true.” Geoff Wilson, Director of the Center for Defense Information, in Inside Defense   “This is a data point that was previously available to the public that this command, it seems, is deciding for operational security reasons that it won’t get into, that the public doesn’t have a right to know, which I do think is concerning.” Jason Paladino, Investigator, in Military.com   “There’s high demand for weapons to transfer to Ukraine and to replenish shrinking US stockpiles … contractors are seeing billions of dollars in Ukraine-related contracts.” Julia Gledhill, Analyst for the Center for Defense Information, in The Guardian Enjoyed this weekend’s edition of the Weekly Spotlight? Forward to a friend. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Welcome! 👋 Subscribe here.   WANT MORE FROM POGO? Eyes on the federal government from every angle:   Paper Trail: Quick links to the news in the world of government oversight The Bunker: Military intelligence from POGO’s Mark Thompson The Bridge: Wade through the jargon with Spurthi Kontham   🎧 The Continuous Action Podcast 📺 YouTube 📱 Instagram 💸 Support our work

pogo.org The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that investigates and exposes waste, corruption, abuse of power, and when the government fails to serve the public or silences those who report wrongdoing. We champion reforms to achieve a more effective, ethical, and accountable federal government that safeguards constitutional principles.

Project On Government Oversight 1100 13th Street NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20005 United States