Turning Point Suffragist Memorial – Patricia Wirth

(Jan. 17, 2018) Catherine Read interviews Patricia Wirth, Executive Director of the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial Association. TPSMA is a volunteer-led organization dedicated to honoring, memorializing, and educating future generations about the suffragists who fought for and won the right to vote for American women. The organization aims to raise awareness and funds to build a memorial that will reflect the strength of these women and the significance of their struggle. Their mission is to educate, inspire and empower present and future generations in the quest for equal rights.

Most people do not know much about the suffragist movement because their stories have not made their way into mainstream textbooks. The suffragist movement originated in Seneca Falls, NY in 1848, and blossomed in the early 20^th Century under the direction of the National Women’s Party. Women began to march and peacefully protest in their quest to amend the Constitution and gain the right to vote. In 1917 women were jailed for peaceful protest, and on November 14, 1917, women who were held in a Lorton, VA prison were brutally beaten and subsequently were refused medical care. When word leaked out of these atrocities, the tide began to change and there was a turning point in the movement. In partnership with NOVA Parks, the memorial to the 19^th Amendment will be located footsteps from where the women who fought for their rights were imprisoned at the storied Occoquan Workhouse in southern Fairfax County, Virginia.

The memorial designed includes 19 interactive stations where visitors can learn about the suffragists, and their historic movement that brought about the 19^th Amendment to the Constitution. The movement consisted of approximately 5 million women, and the memorial aims to cover all of the different constituencies who played a part, including African American and Jewish women who were instrumental in moving the issue forward. The memorial will cost approximately $2 million, and Wirth shared that they aim to have it constructed by August of 2020, the 100^th year anniversary of the 19^th Amendment. She notes that the organization recently received a $25,000 grant from Dominion Energy and have had some successful fundraisers, but have a long way to go to reach the $2 million goal. If you are interested in supporting these efforts you can visit the website to make a donation, follow Turning Point Suffragist Movement on Facebook and Twitter (@tpsm2020).