A jubilant sold-out crowd gathered to celebrate Women’s Equality Day on Tuesday, Aug. 26, at Liberty Theatre for a movie night and fund raiser benefiting the Archuleta County Democrats.
With many wearing white and draped with sashes reading “Votes for Women,” the 130 ticket holders watched the feature film “Suffragettes,” depicting the struggle and sacrifices of working class women in England to achieve the right to vote.
Women’s voting rights became law in 1920 with the ratification of the 19th Amendment, after decades of protest and organized demonstrations. Suffragists here and abroad endured violence, abuse and humiliation from both police and hostile crowds.
Voting rights for women today can’t be taken for granted, stated Archuleta Dems chair Shawna Seed in her opening remarks, referencing a social media post by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth that questioned women’s right to vote.
Many people at the event wore white, the symbolic color of the 19th century women’s suffrage protest movement. Suffragists wore white to symbolize purity and virtue and thus counter negative stereotypes that they were unfeminine or rebellious.
The Archuleta Democrats hold monthly lunches that focus on community issues. In March, they sponsored a widely attended public meeting on the financial health of Pagosa Springs Medical Center. They also financially support a range of community groups, including Habitat for Humanity, the Pagosa Community Initiative, KSUT, Curtains Up, Pagosa Pride and Pagosa Springs High School’s after-prom.
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