Rally To Stand Up For Women's Rights To Be Held In Morristown

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — An outdoor rally will be held to mark Women's Equality Day and the historic victory of women in gaining the right to vote.

The rally is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 26, at 6:30 p.m., at the Morristown Town Hall, and is part of a "Women's Weekend of Action" organized by Morris County Democrats to raise awareness of the upcoming election and the importance of voting this year.

The "Weekend of Action" encourages women and allies to take action in support of candidates up and down the ballot who will fight for women's rights and equality, such as Reps. Mikie Sherrill and Tom Malinowski.

Women's Equality Day is a national commemoration of the day the 19th Amendment was officially certified by the United States Secretary of State, Bainbridge Colby, after being passed by Congress and ratified by the required 36 states.

Another civil rights battle was required for women of color to gain the right to vote.

Morris County has a direct connection to the women's suffrage movement. Two Morristown women, Alison Low Turnbull Hopkins and Julia Hurlbut, were among the activists who joined prominent suffragette leader and New Jersey native Alice Paul in a 30-month picket at the White House beginning in January 1917, according to the Morris County Democrats.

During this difficult period in our country's history, these "silent sentinels" were harassed, and some were arrested, jailed, and even force-fed by authorities.

“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.”

For decades, retired state Senator Loretta Weinberg was a strong advocate for women's rights in Trenton. After 14 years in the Assembly, she was elected to the New Jersey Senate in 2005.

Weinberg recently established an endowed Legacy Fund at the Center for American Women and Politics in her honor to engage and inspire more women to participate in politics and government.

The Morris County Democratic Committee works to elect Democratic candidates at all levels of government and advocates for communities that welcome all families. Local Municipal Committees are active in each of the county's 39 towns.

Participants in the rally are encouraged to wear white, the color of women's suffrage, to show their support.