[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 29 (Thursday, February 28, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E217]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING THE TURNING POINT MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION

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                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 28, 2013

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, as the nation's capital hosts a weekend 
celebration of women's suffrage on March 2 and 3, I want to share with 
my colleagues a little-known, national landmark in my--the Turning 
Point Memorial at the former Occoquan Workhouse, in Lorton.
   From 1917 to 1919, more than 200 women from 26 states were arrested 
for ``obstructing traffic'' and ``holding a meeting on public 
grounds.'' Around 70 of those women, suffragists who were called 
``Silent Sentinels,'' were imprisoned for picketing with signs and 
banners on the White House sidewalk demanding their right to vote. 
Police hauled them to the then Occoquan Workhouse, later called the 
Lorton Prison, in Fairfax County, where they were jailed.
   Their incarceration was one of the most significant but least known 
events of the women's suffrage movement and a true turning point in the 
ultimately successful struggle. The gutsy women--labeled by some as 
``unpatriotic'' -- held firm to their goals. Choosing jail over paying 
a $25 fine, one protested, ``Not a dollar of your fine shall we pay. To 
pay a fine would be an admission of guilt. We are innocent!''
   Winning the right to vote took 72 years when Tennessee ratified the 
19th Amendment in 1920, the largest extension of democratic rights in 
the nation's history. The suffragists' nonviolent actions pioneered 
civil rights tactics later used in other civic movements and their 
refusal to back down became a model for activists.
   To recognize their struggle, the all-volunteer Turning Point 
Suffragist Memorial Association is building the memorial in the shadow 
of the nation's capital in Fairfax County. It will feature a waterfall 
and 19 stations (for the 19th Amendment) along a winding garden path to 
relate the history of the movement and the story of empowerment and 
perseverance. More information can be found online at 
www.suffragistmemorial.org.
 Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in commending the 
members and supporters of the Association and wishing them continued 
success with the memorial.

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