LULAC In Puerto Rico Celebrates 100th Anniversary Of 19th Amendment With Rest Of The United States

Members in PR of the Nation’s Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Declare the Anniversary an Important Milestone in a Journey for Full Inclusion of All Citizens

Washington, DC - LULAC leaders in Puerto Rico join with the entire membership of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) today in celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution. The 19th Amendment prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of gender and grants women the right to vote.

“Women's Equality Day is celebrated in the United States on August 26 to commemorate the 1920 adoption of the 19th Amendment and honors the hard-fought victory of the women's suffrage movement,” says Elsie Valdes-Ramos, LULAC National Board Member and Vice-President for Women. “The people of Puerto Rico look forward to the day when we as American citizens can also join with the rest of the country in voting for a president of the United States and be fully included in the democratic processes of our republic,” she added. Valdes-Ramos encourages people to check the following links to important educational sources on the fight suffragists undertook to win the right to vote:

• NWHM Celebrates Women's Equality Day (www.NWHM.org)
• Film: The 19th Amendment at 100: Film Traces Struggle Behind Women’s Right to Vote www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/19th-amendment-film-womens-right-vote/
• Lecture: The Surprising Road to Women's Suffrage (Funded by the UCLA Office of Instructional Development)
• 6 Surprising Fact About the 19th Amendment “Origin of Everything” (PBS)
• Sound Smart: The 19th Amendment (The History Channel)

“I am proud to serve as National Vice-President for Women of LULAC and the work that we are doing together is testament to the contributions women make to leadership wherever we live,” says Valdes-Ramos. “So too are the achievements of women such as Michelle Fraley, a retired military officer and former Superintendent of the Puerto Rico Police. Fraley is the first Puerto Rican woman to graduate from West Point Military Academy and the first woman to hold the post of superintendent. Clearly, women are talented, strong leaders and possess the skills and experience to continue contributing to the democratic process of our country,” added Ramos.

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About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit https://lulac.org/