IMPERIAL – Soroptimist International of El Centro has issued an open invitation to the women and girls of the Imperial Valley to join the service club in its annual Women’s Equality Day photo shoot.

As women’s suffrage celebrations in America lead up to November’s general elections, Soroptimist International El Centro President Ivonne Sotomayor thanked everyone who attended and participated in the event on a humid Thursday evening, August 15.

Women of all ages and walks of life came together dressed in white to have their photos taken for the occasion, including Samantha Castaneda, who found inspiration all around her.

“I come to events like this and see all these strong women who, just like my grandmother, can achieve anything they want because they believe in themselves,” said the Cinderella Imperial Valley beauty queen from California and former Holtville Carrot Queen, who arrived wearing a crown and sash.

“By participating in these events, I am not only representing my title, but I also hope to encourage younger children to be anything they want to be,” said Castaneda, who stressed the value of such events. She said the photoshoot can help convey the importance of equality and provide valuable experiences to the children.

Castaneda is studying to be a teacher and wants to instill a passion for learning in children, she said.

For the August 15 event, Soroptimist International moved its venue from the steps of the old Imperial County Courthouse on Main Street to the Imperial Valley Food Bank’s Imperial Grove Amphitheater in Imperial. The decision to move the event gave both members and non-members a chance to relax and refresh while waiting for the photo session; attendees enjoyed socializing and indulged in shaved ice from Kona’s Shaved Ice.

In just a few days it will be time: August 26th is Women’s Equality Day. The day commemorates the historic milestone of the women’s suffrage movement, when women won the right to vote on August 18th, 1920. At that time, the United States ratified the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, which prohibits states and the federal government from denying women the right to vote on the basis of their gender.

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In addition, on August 6, 1965, the Voting Rights Act was passed, eliminating racial discrimination in elections.

Beauty queen Castaneda was among a group of people from the IV Cinderella organization who participated in the Women’s Equality Day photo shoot led by organizer Jessi Puyot – including one-year-old Destiny Hernandez, a Cinderella baby from California. She said she believes organizations dedicated to empowering women are vital and that her granddaughters, both Cinderella queens, played an important role in helping her remember that mission.

That evening brought together women from across the valley who have always taken the idea of ​​empowering other women very seriously. Among them were teachers Yuli Alonzo-Garza, real estate agent Lea Higgs, as well as several city council members and other Imperial Valley residents.

As Soroptimist President Sotomayor gathered everyone together for the photo, the group smiled and waved, embodying the spirit of unity and strength that the event was meant to celebrate in honor of Women’s Equality Day.