Saturday, Aug. 26, is the anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, when women achieved the right to vote. Since 1971, America has observed this date as Women's Equality Day. While women gained suffrage all those years ago, equity is still an issue today.

Women's Equality Day is a time for all of us to remember that women weren't "given" the right to vote; they fought fiercely for that right. And women's votes are a vital tool they can use to shape the policy issues that affect them everyday.

Women have a lot at stake each time they go to the ballot box, from educational equity, preserving Social Security, and a fair and balanced judiciary to civil rights, reproductive rights, and equal pay. It's critical we make our voices heard at the polls.

I join with the American Association of University Women to use this opportunity to not only celebrate this critical moment in history, but to call on women to use and value this hard-won right.

Diane Haney