About The 19th* | The 19th

A century ago, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution made voting, our country’s most fundamental mode of civic participation, a right regardless of gender. But this watershed moment in our democracy excluded millions of women, including women of color, from the ballot box for generations. The reality is suffrage remains a work in progress for many in this country, particularly women living in states where voter suppression exists and tens of thousands of transgender Americans who face barriers to voting.

Today, women make up more than half of the American electorate and are more engaged than ever in our politics — marching on state capitols, voting at higher rates than men, and running for local office and seeking the presidency in record numbers. Yet they remain underrepresented in government and in the nation’s executive ranks. Women and gender diverse people are also underrepresented in politics and policy journalism and in newsroom leadership, which influences what stories are told, how the news is covered and whose voices are elevated.

73.7 million

Number of women who voted in 2016 — nearly 10 million more than men
23.7%

Seats in Congress held by women in 2020
7.4%

Percentage of state legislators who are women of color
378,000

Number of transgender people who could be turned away at the polls in 2020 because they lack an ID to vote

In short: The 19th Amendment remains unfinished business, a fact we acknowledge in our logo with an asterisk — a visible reminder of those who have been omitted from our democracy. The expansion of the franchise continues today, and The 19th aims to capture this ongoing American story.

Our goal is to empower those we serve — particularly women, people of color, and those historically underserved by American media — with the information, resources and community they need to be equal participants in our democracy. We will do this through:

Free-to-consume and free-to-republish journalism that reimagines politics and policy coverage through a gender lens.
Deep-dive, evidence-based reporting that exposes gender inequity and injustice, and reveals surprising and original stories on the issues that most deeply affect women’s lives, from health care to the economy.
A digital platform for civil conversations and community building, and national events that bring our readers into direct contact with their elected officials.
A newsroom that reflects the racial, ideological, socioeconomic and gender diversity of American voters, and is devoted to covering everyone with empathy.

Here’s what you won’t find at The 19th: Cheap shots or cheerleading. Opinion or false equivalency. Partisanship. Horse-race politics. Turn-of-the-screw stories. Clickbait. (Sorry, not sorry.)

How We’re Funded

The 19th is a nonprofit newsroom supported by a mix of membership, philanthropy and corporate underwriting. Our goal is long-term sustainability to support a lasting future for news and information at the intersection of gender, politics and policy.

All of the money we raise goes back into our journalism — and we list all donors and corporate sponsors who’ve given $1,000 or more on our website. Any donor or sponsor at this level who’s mentioned in a story will be identified in that story.

Donors and sponsors don’t get a thumb on the scale; they play no role in our journalism, in our storytelling or in the planning and execution of our events.

Our Values

The 19th aims to be a source of news and information for all women, with a special emphasis on those who have been underserved by and underrepresented in American media. Among our values:

Our reporting will be rooted in facts, data, evidence and excellence.
It will be nonpartisan, but won’t peddle both sides-ism.
It will aim to advance human rights, civil rights, racial justice and gender equity through storytelling that exposes disparities and empathizes with the lived experiences of those we cover.
Our journalism — and our staff — will strive to reflect the nation’s racial, ideological, socioeconomic and gender diversity.
Our readers will be our community; we don’t believe in one-way conversations, and engaging with our audience is in our DNA.
We believe in constructive and civil dialogue — and that kindness is the best starting point.
Finally, we’ll be transparent: Our readers deserve to know how our journalism is funded and who’s supporting our work.

Our Team

Emily Ramshaw is our co-founder and CEO. She was previously editor-in-chief of the Texas Tribune, an award-winning nonpartisan digital news startup. She serves on the board of the Pulitzer Prize.
Amanda Zamora is our co-founder and publisher. She spent nearly two decades as a digital editor, product manager and audience strategist at newsrooms including the Texas Tribune, ProPublica and The Washington Post.
Andrea Valdez is our editor in chief. Previously she served as editor in chief of the Texas Observer, editor of WIRED.com and editor of Texas Monthly’s website. She wrote the book “How to be a Texan: The Manual.”
Errin Haines is our editor-at-large. An award-winning journalist with nearly two decades of experience, Errin was previously national writer on race for the Associated Press. She’s also worked at the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post.
Johanna Derlega is our chief revenue officer. She previously oversaw revenue efforts, events and marketing as publisher of The Hill and senior vice president at National Journal. Most recently, she launched the consultancy Broad Branch Strategies.