Women’s Equality Day honors suffragists, urges voting

...Montgomery County’s WED event will also emphasize the importance of voting, with a virtual evening full of TED-talk-style presentations ranging in topic from how to get more women elected to reflections of a first-time voter.

Laurie-Anne Sayles, event organizer and Gaithersburg city councilwoman, said she wanted the event to focus on the diversity of women’s voices and speak to the intersectionality of the voting rights movement.

“We wanted to ensure the evolution of women’s involvement in politics was part of this event,” Sayles said.

Sayles has always been interested in ensuring everyone gets a voice at the table. As the first African American elected to the Gaithersburg City Council, Sayles said she embraced the representative responsibility of the role, and now, as a candidate for Montgomery County Council, she hopes to use her position to elevate women’s voices and get more young people involved in the community.“If we are not playing a role in deciding who’s making decisions, we are missing out,” Sayles said. “Our community works better when more of us are involved. "We can't let up."