Highlights: Speaker Nancy Pelosi on 100 Years of the 19th Amendment

CARLY KABOT: In honor of Women’s History Month, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) spoke at Georgetown University on Thursday, March 5. Through her conversation with Sirius XM Radio’s Julie Mason, Pelosi reflected on the milestones of the past century—  and reminded the audience that there is far more to achieve. Here are three main takeaways from the event: 

Celebrating Women’s Suffrage 

Pelosi began her speech by emphasizing that women were not given the right to vote. “Women sacrificed for decades,” she said. Women’s suffrage was not handed over by men, but rather fought for by fierce advocates for decades. 

“In this 100th anniversary of women having the right to vote, there are over 100 women in the House of Representatives for the first time,” said Pelosi, beaming with pride. There are 106 women in the House, 91 of who are Democrats. Though Pelosi expressed hope that more Republican women would be elected to Congress, she made clear that there is a reason their numbers have remained relatively the same since she was elected in 1987. “We made a decision that we would increase our numbers,” she said. More so than guaranteeing the participation of women in politics, Pelosi communicated the need for women in leadership positions. 

“We have to have everyone at the table,” Pelosi said. Promoting equality does not mean women are better than men, but that they have the same right to make their voices heard. On discussing how she has stood on the shoulders of those who fought before her she said, “We recognize that others stand upon ours.” She affirmed that the government does not only need more women, but more diversity. “We want more people of color, more LGBTQ,” she continued. 

Breaking Boundaries

In 2007, Pelosi made history by becoming the first female Speaker of the House. She explained that there is a difference between being elected by your peers and appointed by the president. While both are equally as important, her legitimacy sprang from the members of Congress, not an individual. Reminiscing on her first meeting at the White House as Speaker, she realized it was unlike any meeting she— or any woman—  had been to before. She felt as if the pioneers of the suffrage movement were sitting beside her, saying “at last we have a seat at the table!”

A Call for Confidence: Looking towards the future

“I think that’s the keyword for women: confidence,” said Pelosi. “Know your power, know what you can bring to the table,” she continued. She emphasized that women need to be their own advocates and show the world that nobody can do what you can. 

Confidence only goes so far. When asked about supporting the Equal Rights Amendment she made clear that gender equality is not in the Constitution. Without this backing, women must have to work that much harder to overcome the many challenges they face. 

Speaking on her own experience, she claimed that the worst thing was if people said: “We should vote for her became she is a woman.” “We should vote for her because she is the best.” She highlighted that if you put yourself out there, “you have to believe that you can do the job.” 

The path to success? Pelosi stressed the importance of women taking ownership of their knowledge, vision, and authenticity. She concluded the conversation by pointing out that politics is not for the faint of heart. “You will become a target, but you cannot control that,” she said. 

“When you are in the arena, you have to be ready to throw a punch… for the children.” 

Carly Kabot is a freshman in the School of Foreign Service from Westchester, New York. She is an aspiring political journalist.