Neighbor News
Benton, Burns and Hepburn to be Honored with Alice Paul Legacy in Action Awards
March 19 Event Recognizes Ridgefield Women Who Have Made Lasting Contributions Locally and Worldwide
Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas and Treasurer Erik Russell are among the dignitaries who will attend the fourth annual Alice Paul Legacy in Action Awards event on March 19 at 7:30PM in the Garden House at Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center.
Established in 2023 to honor the legacy of suffragist Alice Paul, the awards honor contemporary and historical Ridgefield women whose actions and advocacy focused on social equity and justice, democracy, and women’s issues. The awards are named for women’s rights activist Alice Paul, a 40-year resident of Ridgefield.
This year’s contemporary Ridgefield honorees are Suzanne Benton and Ellen Burns. The legacy honoree is suffragist Katharine Martha Houghton Hepburn. Ridgefield’s First Selectperson Rudy Marconi and the town’s entire state legislative delegation--State Senators Julie Kushner and Ceci Maher and State Representatives Aimee Berger-Girvalo and Savet Constantine--will join in honoring these women of distinction.
Leading with a Purpose
Paul was a leader of the campaign for the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits sex discrimination in the right to vote. Paul was also the author of the Equal Rights Amendment, which, though ratified by the requisite number of states, has yet to be published in the Constitution.
The award’s purpose is to elevate the achievements and contributions of women by celebrating their work and legacies, telling their stories and inspiring women and girls to embrace the limitless impact they can have in the world. This year’s honorees were chosen for their tireless leadership in Ridgefield and beyond and thus providing powerful examples for young women to participate in community betterment.
The Honorees
Suzanne Benton
Benton is a pioneering feminist artist, activist, and cultural catalyst whose seven decades of creative work and civic engagement have shaped conversations about gender, art, and equity both locally and internationally. A central figure in Connecticut’s Second Wave Women’s Movement, Suzanne has long worked at the intersection of art and advocacy, using her welded metal masks, performance, and public action to challenge injustice and amplify women’s voices in 32 countries worldwide.
Benton’s activism began in the mid-1960s, when she spoke in schools, churches, and community groups throughout Ridgefield and the tri-state area, introducing feminist ideas to audiences encountering them for the first time. A longtime Ridgefield resident, Benton founded and organized the first two Connecticut chapters of National Organization for Women and established Connecticut Feminists in the Arts, creating platforms for women’s leadership and creative expression.
Ellen Burns
Burns is a civic leader, environmental advocate, and longtime Ridgefield community volunteer whose decades of public service have helped shape and preserve the character of her adopted hometown. Born and raised in New Jersey, she is a lifelong Springsteen fan and lifelong Democrat.
Since moving to Ridgefield in 1982, Burns has been deeply involved in town and neighborhood leadership, with a particular passion for land conservation. Her proudest achievement was leading the successful three-year effort to preserve the 480-acre property now known as Bennett’s Pond State Park
Following her retirement, Burns and her husband, Darwin Ellis, purchased Books on the Common in Ridgefield, an independent bookstore that will celebrate its 42nd anniversary this year.
Katharine Martha Houghton Hepburn
Katharine Martha Houghton Hepburn (1878-1951) was a pioneering American feminist, social reformer, and political activist whose leadership helped shape the final push for women’s suffrage and the early birth control movement. Known to family and friends as “Kit,” she served as president of the Connecticut Woman Suffrage Association before joining Alice Paul’s National Woman’s Party, aligning herself with the more militant wing of the suffrage campaign. She was the mother of Academy Award–winning actress Katharine Hepburn and the grandmother of actress Katharine Houghton.
Mark your calendars to honor these extraordinary women on March 19th at 7:30PM at the Garden House at Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center, 152 Main Street, Ridgefield.Tickets are $70. per person. Students are free.For more information, visit www.ridgefielddems.net
