Morris County Democrats’ “Weekend of Action”
The Morris County Democrats’ “Weekend of Action” calls for women and allies to take actions in support of candidates up and down the ballot who will stand up for women’s rights and equality, including Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Rep. Tom Malinowski.
“We stand on the shoulders of women who made incredible sacrifices to win the right to vote. They fought for a basic right, and today, our rights are under attack,” said Morris County Democratic Committee Chair, Amalia Duarte. “We saw the overturn of Roe v. Wade, and the chaos and pain to women in states where they no longer have control over their bodies. We have a message to send to lawmakers: We are not going back!”
Retired state Sen. Weinberg was a strong champion for women’s rights in Trenton for decades. She was elected to the New Jersey Senate in 2005, after 14 years serving in the Assembly. She recently created an endowed Legacy Fund in her name at the Center for American Women and Politics to engage and inspire more women to participate in politics and government.
Women’s Equality Day is a national commemoration of the day when the 19th Amendment was officially certified by the U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby, after being passed by Congress and then ratified by the necessary 36 states. It took another fight in the civil rights movement for women of color to gain their right to vote.
The women’s suffrage movement connects directly to Morris County. Two Morristown women, Alison Low Turnbull Hopkins and Julia Hurlbut, were among the activists who took part in 30 months of picketing at the White House, starting in January 1917. They picketed along with prominent suffragette leader and New Jersey native, Alice Paul.
These “silent sentinels” were harassed. Some were arrested, sent to jail, and even force-fed by authorities, during this painful chapter in our country’s history.
