Women’s Equality Day celebrates the day women in the United States were guaranteed the right to vote. Now, we reflect on the progress and accomplishments women have made in our country and celebrate over 100 years of women’s suffrage.

“That’s incredibly important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it shows, certainly, when we fight for all voices to be included, that just makes our community and our society and our nation better,” said Daria Devlin, mayor of the City of Erie.

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“I believe we as women are all broken, right, and we have all been scathed, but as we educate our clients, providing them with the opportunities to grow and lead is critically important. I also think we as women need to remember where we once were,” said Jennie Hagerty, the executive director of the Mercy Center for Women

In Erie, the countless women in leadership roles show just how far we have come and highlight where we’re going.

“I’m just an average person, and I believe that we all aspire to be a little better than we were the day before, so I’m grateful to have them to lead me,” said Hagerty.

With the progress women have made over the last century, the women leading our community said there’s always work that needs to be done to continue uplifting those around us.

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“We also have to look forward to say, who do we now need to fight for, whose hands do we need to reach out for to raise up, and those conversations make our community stronger,” said Mayor Devlin.

Devlin added it’s important to continue to work towards uplifting under-represented members in the community, and to ensure they are seen and heard.

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