By New York is not only the birthplace of the women’s rights movement, but it has a proud history of courageous women who triumphed over discrimination and advanced equality and opportunity for women everywhere. From suffrage pioneer Susan B. Anthony, who was arrested in 1872 at her home in Rochester for daring to vote; to Alice Austen, one of America’s earliest and most prolific female photographers who lived in Staten Island and documented the lives of immigrants and everyday New Yorkers; to attorney trailblazers such as Jane Matilda Bolin, the first African-American woman judge in the United States, our state has been home to countless leading women throughout history.
Learn more about New York’s proud tradition of women’s rights on the Path Through History.
We’ve made much progress, but there is more to do. The Empire State remains committed to achieving gender parity and fighting for fairness to ensure the rights, freedoms, economic strength, and opportunities for advancement for women in the workplace—including our fight for $15 minimum wage and paid family leave in the State of New York.
Today and all days, let’s celebrate and be inspired by the women and girls in our lives who are making the world a better place for future generations.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo