DEMOCRACY COMMITMENT EXPLORES WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE DRIVE
The Democracy Commitment’s series of public events at Allegany College Maryland continues Wednesday, March 21, with a screening of “Iron Jawed Angels” and a discussion of the U.S. women’s suffrage movement that it dramatically portrays.
The feature-length movie recounts the little-known story of young suffragists Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, whose peaceful yet persistent protests in the 1910s provide the spark for a successful drive toward a constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote.
Hilary Swank (Paul) and France O’Connor (Burns) agitate for tactics within an established women’s group that prove to be too assertive for its older leaders, particularly Carrie Chapman Catt, played by Anjelica Houston.
Paul and Burns strike out on their own, enlisting the participation of other younger women. Their picketing outside the White House of popular war-time president Woodrow Wilson earns them the name “Silent Sentinels;” their vociferousness, “Iron Jawed Angels.”
Imprisoned for 60 days under harsh conditions, the young protesters undertake a hunger strike that prompts force-feeding. News of their treatment pressures Wilson and opens a path for established women suffragists to seek legislation that would become the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
“Iron Jawed Angels” is part of a spring series of events in ACM’s Democracy Commitment initiative, a national effort designed to promote active engagement in the democratic process by community college students. ACM is a founding member.
Discussion of the 125-minute movie will be led by Cherie Snyder, ACM professor and director of the human service associate program. The event is free and open to the public and starts at 7 p.m. in the College Center’s Robert Zimmer Theatre.
The series is presented by ACM and the Democracy Commitment in collaboration with the college’s Diversity Center, Student Government Association and Peace Studies and Human Service clubs.
More information can be obtained by contacting Snyder at 301-784-5556. Schools groups and others interested in attending should contact Lynn Grimm at 301-784-5168. Information is also available on the college Web site, www.allegany.edu.
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