Suffrage march sweeps state

When women vote, Florida wins!

The slogan says it all for the Second Annual Votes for Women March on Friday, Aug. 26, celebrating Women's Equality Day and the 91st anniversary of a woman's right to vote being secured by the 19th Amendment of the United States Constitution.

The College Democrats at UCF Women's Caucus, along with VOX at UCF and NOW at UCF, will be hosting their Second Annual Women's Suffrage March outside the Student Union from noon to 2 p.m.

The marches last year at UCF and the University of Florida celebrating the 90th anniversary of women's suffrage was able to blend in the midterm elections and had female candidates speak and promote the election of more female candidates.

"Last year was such a great success so I started thinking, ‘It would be really cool to make this a tradition at UCF and to always have these marches,'" said Anna Eskamani, vice president for UCF's College Democrats and women's caucus chair for Florida College Democrats.

This annual march brings together women's groups on campus such as NOW at UCF and VOX at UCF to create a huge women empowerment event, Eskamani said.

"Yes, the College Democrats at UCF have done most of the planning, but it's a collaborative effort and we are addressing issues beyond the democratic party and beyond women just voting, so it should be a pretty diverse event," Eskamani said. "It's not a partisan event. Every woman has the right to vote and we want to make sure everyone hears that."

According to Eskamani, last year's turnout yielded 40 to 50 students. This year, coordinators are expecting more to attend.

UF, Florida State University, Florida International University and the University of South Florida are the other universities in the state expected to have marches.

"UCF is the second largest campus in the country and the largest in the state of Florida, so we have a huge opportunity to make an impact in Florida," Eskamani said. "Our main focus is women's suffrage. We've only been able to vote for 91 years and there's still a huge lack of female representation in office and so we are really hoping to shine a light on that."

This year's event will begin with an impressive lineup of guest speakers, including former Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder, Orange County League of Women Voters President Ann Hellmuth, Orlando NOW President Mary Wilson and Director of the UCF Women's Studies Program, Dr. Maria Santana.

Michael Freeman, assistant director of diversity initiatives, said it is important to remember these precedents in history.

"When we honor or celebrate these anniversaries, it is a reminder of what this actually means to all of us who are the beneficiaries of this," he said. "For most people, they've never thought of women not having the right to vote and I think that we have to remember the value of history as we look at our own progress. [This event has] some great speakers who are going to talk about why this is important."

The event will end with a women's march around the UCF campus during which participants can wear one of more than 100 yellow sashes the College Democrats will provide to replicate the "suffragette" marches of the 20th century.

"I think [this event] is important because we continue to stand on the shoulders of giants and those who have come before us and paved the way," Freeman said. "I think about my daughters and how they would regard the fact of not being able to vote."

Coordinators hope to stress that the event isn't just for women but it's for everyone.

Billy Santana, senior sport and exercise science major, hopes the march will promote everyone's civic duty and celebrate the freedoms that women have in this country.

"I'm hoping that the campus sees the importance of a woman's right to vote compared to other countries where women are suppressed as far as expression of ideas and voting and even driving," Santana said. "I think it's important for the advance of women in society and for them to be able to vote on issues that are relevant to them."

Eskamani hopes this event will encourage voters for the 2012 election and encourage women to consider running for office someday.

"We're hoping that a march like this can make [women] realize when they see these powerful female speakers and how impactful they are in their communities, that they can say, ‘That can be me one day. I can have an impact in my community and I should start now.'"