Media Advisory: Dedication of the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial
Lorton, VA (May 16, 2021) – The first national memorial to cover the entire suffragist movement from 1848-1920 will be dedicated on Sunday, May 16, 2021, at 2 p.m.(EDT). The culmination of a 13-year effort, the garden-style memorial takes visitors on a journey through 19 informational stations dedicated to those who fought and persevered to see the 19th Amendment ratified, so that women’s voices would be heard through their votes. Content was developed under the guidance of Edith P. Mayo, curator emerita for political history at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
Also located in the memorial will be statues of three suffrage leaders donated by the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission: Carrie Chapman Catt, leader of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA); Alice Paul, founder of the National Woman’s Party; and Mary Church Terrell, founder of the National Association of Colored Women.
Another signature element within the memorial is a section of the White House fence that dates to the late 1800s and is on loan from the National Park Service. The section was along Pennsylvania Avenue during the original suffrage protests of 1917, which many believe to be the first protests held outside the White House gates.
Speakers at the dedication include leaders with the National League of Women Voters, the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission and Fairfax County
Coronavirus restrictions will limit the number of journalists inside the building, but a livestream will be available via YouTube and Facebook. Broader access will be available outside for the ribbon-cutting following the event at @ 3 p.m. (EDT). The memorial is adjacent to the Riverview at Occoquan. Please reserve your spot by emailing: media@suffragistmemorial.org.
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