Virginia #38
Equality of Rights, under the law shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
With many miracles and extraordinary hard work, the Equal Rights Amendment was reinvigorated after 35 years. Nevada #36 & Illinois #37 both ratified the ERA and created the possibility of meeting the requirement of a supermajority; 38 states. The State of Virginia elected a majority of women and zeroed in their focus on the ERA. This set January 2020 as the time when 38 states would be accomplished thus opening full constitutional rights to ALL Americans.
2020 Women's March
Scores of people made it possible for me to be in the Statehouse gallery for the vote. Jeri & Gene Burton, then Congressman Alan Lowenthal, the Suffrage 100, and the producers & directors of Still Working Nine to Five. To my astonishment, the film people were flying in Lilly Ledbetter for the week. January 15 – January 21.
Zoe with Lilly, the Burtons and the Lanes.
Jeri and Zoe at the Virginia Statehouse
First stop was the Virginia State House. ERA Advocates from across the country were there to witness and celebrate the 97-year-old ERA finally becoming law. Jeri and I were welcomed to the balcony. We met up with the women we knew through the ERA campaign, NOW and the legislators.
At the Virginia State House. #38 for the ERA.
THE WOMEN’S MARCH in DC
January 18, 2020
Celebrating the VA ratification at the 2020 Women's March
Trump was president which gave us plenty to protest. We stood in the rain and were able to chant with the Chilean feminist collective, Las Tesis which is a Chilean interdisciplinary, intersectional and trans-inclusive feminist collective. In a group dance and chant, we pointed to the White House repeating, “You are the Rapist.”
Along with touring Lafayette Park, site of two HQs of the National Woman’s Party. We visited the National Archives.
Chilean feminist collective, Las Tesis, chant at the White House
Lafayette Park
Zoe and Miss Paul
Zoe and Jeri shop at the archive Store
January 19 The Occoquan Workhouse.
Back to Virginia
We were very fortunate to be welcomed to the Museum of the Occoquan Workhouse, the day before it officially opened. We were allowed to film for the whole day. The museum is in Lorton VA. You might be surprised to read that Miss Alice Paul never served time there. The men in charge believed that the presence of Miss Paul would be too incendiary for her Suffrage Sisters. They thought she could start an uprising with Lucy Burns, Dorothy Day, Doris Stevens and the over 100 more Silent Sentinels. Alice was held in the DC jail and, finally, put in the St Elizabeth’s Asylum. President Willson was aggressively punishing, torturing and threatening with commitment.
Occoquan Jail at the Lucy Burns Museum
Lilly, Zoe and Jeri at the Lucy Burns Museum
Filming at the Lucy Burns Museum
Zoe talking with Lilly Ledbetter
Dinner Together
Historic Dinner - 9 to 5
January 21, 2020 we flew home believing that 38 states had ratified the ERA and any barrier could be met. Mostly I was excited to the non-stop celebration of the Suffrage Centennial. With 12 bookings of Tea with Alice and Me, my life would be completely absorbed with telling audiences about Alice Paul, women’s suffrage and the ERA.