84R17164 BPG-D
By: Farrar H.R. No. 1445
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The observance of Women's History Month during March
2015 provides an ideal opportunity to acknowledge the historic
contributions made by women in the Lone Star State and beyond; and
WHEREAS, Since the founding of the Texas Republic, women have
played crucial roles in the social, economic, and cultural spheres;
Texas women participated in the abolitionist movement, and they not
only secured their own right to vote, but have also worked in behalf
of all citizens to promote equal opportunity, civil rights, peace,
and justice; and
WHEREAS, The first woman to run for the United States Senate
was a Texas suffragette, Minnie Fisher Cunningham, who served as
the founding executive secretary of the League of Women Voters; in
1910, women's rights activist Hortense Sparks Ward became the first
woman to pass the Texas bar exam; Fort Worth philanthropist Edna
Gladney advocated for child welfare and secured passage of state
legislation granting equal inheritance rights to adopted children
and banishing the word "illegitimate" from birth certificates; and
WHEREAS, Later in the 20th century, Oveta Culp Hobby became
the first director of the Women's Army Corps; Frances T. "Sissy"
Farenthold championed civil rights and women's rights as a Texas
state representative and gubernatorial candidate; she went on to
become a national figure in the human rights movement in the 1980s,
and she continues her endeavors today; other Texas women who have
left an indelible imprint include the state's second female
governor, Ann Richards, pioneering African American congresswoman
Barbara Jordan, and Emma Tenayuca, a leader of oppressed workers in
the Mexican American community; and
WHEREAS, Another leader, Dolores Huerta, has had an
immeasurable influence around the country through her success as a
community organizer and an advocate for the working poor, children,
and women; cofounder of the National Farmworkers Association, she
has been honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom; and
WHEREAS, The strength of our nation depends heavily on the
continued advancement of women; by acknowledging the enormous
positive impact they have made, we encourage future generations to
ensure that gender is not an obstacle that must be overcome on the
road to achievement; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby recognize March as Women's History Month and
celebrate the contributions made by women to this state and nation.