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COUNT US IN Women in Numbers

from March 2020

by Austin Woman Magazine

from March 2020, page 78

I AM AUSTIN WOMAN Pat Gordon B...

WOMEN IN NUMBERS From securing the right to vote to fighting climate change, female activists are paving the way for future generations.

BY SIERRA ROZEN ILLUSTRATIONS BY JESSICA WETTERER

2003

Gen Z climate-change activist Greta Thunberg was born in 2003 and celebrated her 17th birthday on Jan. 3. Thunberg first started advocating for political solutions to end climate change in 2018, when she staged weekly sit-ins at the Swedish Parliament. In her quest to save the planet, she’s made personal sacrifices, relying on ships instead of planes, and sparked a global movement of young people protesting against climate change. In 2019, Thunberg became the youngest person to be named Time magazine’s Person of the Year.

3

As of late February, Elizabeth Warren, Tulsi Gabbard and Amy Klobuchar are the three remaining women currently running in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris and Marianne Williamson also announced their campaigns, but have since dropped out of the race.

127

A record 127 women currently serve in Congress, making it a historic time for women in politics. This is the highest number of women, and the largest number of women of color, to ever serve in Congress.

2020

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment. The amendment granted women the right to vote after years of protests, where countless suffragettes put their lives at risk so future generations of women could have their voices heard. 2020 is also an election year, with Texas presidential primaries on March 3 and the presidential election on Nov. 3.

50,000

In 2017, an estimated 50,000 people attended the first Women’s March on Texas Capitol. Inspired by the Women’s March on Washington held in response to President Donald Trump’s election, women have protested in cities throughout the country each subsequent year. This year, it is estimated that more than 3,500 gathered at the Texas Capitol.