Alice Paul

It seems every few weeks I bump into Alice Paul. Well, not her exactly since she died in 1977.


It started when I received an email from the New Jersey State Museum saying they were going to show a movie about her life during Women's History Month (in March). Three members of the press and I were there for the screening. It was an NJN documentary / news piece created in the late 1980s. Interviews of college students took place at my alma mater. I swear one of the interviewees was my freshman roommate, Karen Kohl.


That movie emphasized that the Equal Rights Amendment has not yet passed. It came close in the early 1970s, but missed being ratified by three states. In the movie they stated it might take until the 1990s before it passes. Time to update the movie.

In April the three of us visited Alice Paul's home, Paulsdale, in Mount Laurel, NJ. Paulsdale is open for tours the second Sunday of every month. The house does not have much furniture. Instead it is a living memorial to her life and her passion. The tour includes a film of her life (fortunately different from the NJN movie I saw in March). It had graphic descriptions of the forced feedings (through the nose while being held down by several people) she endured in the fight for women's suffrage (suffrage=the right to vote, the suffering part is purely coincidental). It is a haunting film. Makes me appreciate my right to vote more now that I know what women like her suffered so I could have my say each election day.

My third visit with Miss Paul was last Friday night at the Howell Living History Farm's annual Fashion Show. "Miss Paul" (otherwise known as Taylor Williams) brought Alice to life. Much of what I had seen in the two movies came to life in front of my eyes. Taylor Williams brought you through the decades of her life in a way that was mesmerizing as well as educational. This simple Quaker woman stood up and fought for the values she learned as a child -- everyone is created equal.


For more reading about Alice Paul visit her website: http://www.alicepaul.org/

For more about why the ERA is still applicable today:
http://msmagazine.com/HERvotes/#.TlZZO8eZLv8.facebook