DAVENPORT, IOWA (August 9, 2024) — Local women’s groups will hold a rally to mark Women’s Equality Day with a slate of political candidates speaking at 2PM, August 24, in Vander Veer Park, Davenport.
Everyone is invited.
Speakers will include Christina Bohannan, running for Iowa’s 1st District congressional seat, a representative of Representative Eric Sorensen (D-Moline), and state legislative candidates from Illinois and Iowa.
The Quad Cities National Organization for Women and Davenport-Bettendorf chapter of the American Association of University Women are co-sponsors of the event.
The theme of the rally: “Women’s Equality Day — Or IS It?” — reflects their members' concerns about the rollback of reproductive freedom and the continued fight for the Equal Rights Amendment, among other issues.
In August 1973, Congress designated that every August 26 would be Women's Equality Day, commemorating the date in 1920 when women won the right to vote.
But this year, in light of the Dobbs decision and the political climate, the celebration feels less like one, said Leslie DuPree, president of the local NOW chapter.
“We hope people will come out on August 24 and support candidates who support women,” she said. “It’s a great thing to have Kamala Harris running for president, but we know that it is crucial also to have supporters of women’s rights at every level of government.”
Film on August 26
A second Women’s Equality Day event will be a free screening of the film What the Constitution Means to Me, 7PM, August 26, at the Metropolitan Community Church, 2930 W Locust St, Davenport.
The play by Heidi Schreck, which she also performs, was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Awards for 2019 Best Play and Best Actress in a Play.
Schreck humorously — and seriously — challenges how Americans understand their rights in the US Constitution, and explains how the document actually does little to guarantee the rights of women and minority groups.
The film is sponsored by NOW, AAUW, One Human Family, and the Metropolitan Community Church.
