LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to
proclaim March 2016, as Women's History Month in the State of New York

WHEREAS, March is Women's History Month; and
WHEREAS, March 8th is International Women's Day; and
WHEREAS, Each year New York State officially sets aside time to recog-
nize the unique contributions that women have made to New York State;
and
WHEREAS, New York State has a distinguished history of monumental
achievements in the area of women's rights; and
WHEREAS, In 1826, New York State opened one of the first public high
schools for girls resulting in a future for women in which they were no
longer confined to the home, a future in which they were educated and
able to use this education to better their social and economic status;
and
WHEREAS, In 1848 in New York, the first women's rights convention was
held at Seneca Falls to secure for all women the right to vote; and
WHEREAS, In 1903, The Women's Trade Union League of New York was
formed to represent working women, later becoming the nucleus for the
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union; and
WHEREAS, In 1918, one year after New York guaranteed women the right
to vote in all elections, the first two women, Ida Sammis and Mary
Lilly, were elected to the New York State Legislature; and
WHEREAS, In 1967, Muriel Siebert became the first woman to own a seat
on the New York Stock Exchange, opening the door for women to gain posi-
tions of greater economic power; and
WHEREAS, In 1968, New York State Assemblywoman Shirley Chisholm became
the first black woman elected to Congress and in 1972, she ran for Pres-
ident of the United States, another first for black women; and
WHEREAS, In 1970, New York City was the site of the first Women's
Strike for Equality in which 50,000 people marched for equal rights; and
WHEREAS, In 1983, New York State women legislators established the
Legislative Women's Caucus to improve the participation of women in all
areas of government, support issues that benefit women and provide a
network of support for women in the State Legislature; and
WHEREAS, In 2009, Sonia Sotomayor was the first Hispanic Justice
appointed to the United States Supreme Court; and
WHEREAS, In 2014, four women from New York State participated in Olym-
pic events held in Sochi, Russia: Anneliese Cooke, Saranac Lake - Biath-
lon; Jamie Gruebel, Lake Placid - Bobsled, earned a Bronze medal; Erin
Hamlin, Remsen - Luge, earned a Bronze medal; and Josephine Pucci, Pearl
Lake - Women's Hockey, earned a Silver medal; and
WHEREAS, In 2015, Loretta Elizabeth Lynch was appointed as Attorney
General of the United States, becoming the first African-American woman
to serve in this esteemed position; and
WHEREAS, New York has been the home of many extraordinary women who
have led society to a better future: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B.
Anthony led the campaign for women's suffrage; Sojourner Truth spoke out
for the abolition of slavery and for suffrage for women; and
WHEREAS, Carrie Chapman Catt became the first president of the League
of Women Voters; Emma Willard opened the first endowed institution for
the education of women; Civil War surgeon Dr. Mary E. Walker was the
only woman ever awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor; Harriet Tubman
was an abolitionist who led slaves to freedom by way of the Underground
Railroad in the 19th century; and
WHEREAS, Elizabeth Blackwell and Belva Lockwood were the first women
in the fields of medicine and law; pioneer birth control educator and

advocate Margaret Sanger established a research center in New York City;
and
WHEREAS, Emma Goldman founded the Free Speech League which led to the
American Civil Liberties Union; humanitarian Eleanor Roosevelt served as
United States Delegate to the United Nations; and
WHEREAS, Civil rights lawyer and New York State Senator Constance
Baker Motley became the first black woman to sit on the U.S. District
Court in New York, and there have been so many more known and unknown
women who championed rights and opportunity for all; and
WHEREAS, New York State has hosted many conventions, campaigns and
events of the Women's Rights Movement from the 1848 convention at Seneca
Falls to the 1999 Berkshire Conference of Women Historians, which was
held to improve the status of women in history and in the historical
professions; and
WHEREAS, Today, 55 women serve in the New York State Legislature,
holding leadership positions in both houses and bringing the diverse
experiences of women into law and public policy, the largest class of
women in the history of New York; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim March 2016, as Women's
History Month in the State of New York; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New
York, and the Legislative Women's Caucus of New York State.