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Women's History Made in our Community
"Turning Point Suffragist Memorial," to open by August 2020 in Occoquan Regional Park in celebration of 100 years of women's right to vote
The opening of the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial will celebrate the centennial anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”
The women who fought for the right to vote are largely unknown today. Their bloodless revolution made possible the largest expansion of democracy the world has ever seen with the enfranchisement of 22 million American women from every state, creed, race and nationality. These suffragists fought for 72 years (1848-1920) to win ratification of our 19th Amendment.
The Turning Point Suffragist Memorial is being built in Occoquan Regional Park on the historic prison grounds containing the infamous Occoquan Workhouse. It was here that suffragists aged 19 to 73 were unjustly imprisoned, humiliated, kept in inhumane conditions, locked in solitary confinement and severely beaten. When the public learned of their treatment, it was the “turning point” in the battle for suffrage.
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Occoquan Regional Park is part of NOVA Parks. NOVA Parks will provide the land as well as perpetual maintenance for the memorial pro bono. The memorial association will privately raise funds for the memorial. The park redevelopment will include an exquisite multi-purpose building with café, educational exhibits and stunning views of the Occoquan River.
The entrance plaza gates of the memorial will replicate the gates at the White House where suffragists stood silently in their protest. The history of the suffrage movement will be told through 19 information stations. A meditation area will provide visitors a place to reflect.
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A banquet facility, marina, amphitheater, restrooms, and new parking lots will be located near the memorial.
To learn more about this initiative, Pat Wirth, Executive Director, Turning Point Suffragist Memorial, will be speak at the Wednesday, March 20, 2019 meeting of the Republican Women of Clifton. Social time begins at 7 PM and is followed at 7:30 by the business meeting and presentation. Meetings are held at Fairview Elementary School, 5815 Ox Road, Fairfax Station. Learn more at www.cliftongop.com and www.suffragistmemorial.org
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“Democracy is not a spectator sport.”