One elderly woman was thrown so hard into a cell that her head hit the metal bed frame. She was unconscious for so long that her cellmate thought she was dead and suffered a heart attack herself. The other 32 women arrested that afternoon were beaten, shackled to the bars of their cells, stripped and humiliated, fed maggot-infested gruel, and denied contact with each other and the outside world.

Where did such cruelty occur? Right here in Northern Virginia at the Occoquan Workhouse.

What crime earned such brutality? Silent picketing of the White House for women’s right to vote.

During Women’s History Month in March, at a time when the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot continues to fall, it is important to acknowledge the sacrifices these women made to gain a privilege that so many of us take for granted. We also need to remember how, when, and why women were so long denied the vote.

To recognize the brave women who participated in the suffragist movement, a memorial will be built in the Occoquan Regional Park in Lorton, VA.

The Democratic Women of Clifton will also honor the suffragists at its March 13^th general meeting with a captivating program presented by DWC Member Kathleen Pablo, Turning Point Suffragist Memorial Committee member and Speakers’ Bureau Chair.   Her presentation will focus on the personalities and singular courage of some of the major figures in the long struggle to ratify the 19th Amendment and on the turning point in that struggle—the “Night of Terror.” This program is not to be missed!

The March 13^th meeting will be open to the public, and we encourage all DWC members to bring along a friend or family member. All monthly meetings of the DWC take place at the Clifton Community Hall, 12641 Chapel Road, Clifton, VA, from 3 to 5 p.m.

For fun, the meeting will also feature a contest to choose the attendee wearing the best blue outfit, so come dressed in your “finest” blues!

Please join us on March 13^th for a tribute to the women who made the DWC possible!

On April 27, 2010, Congressman Gerry Connolly voted in the U.S. House of Representatives to cancel the automatic pay raise that House and Senate members are scheduled to receive on October 1.  The bill passed the House with broad bipartisan support.

This marks the second year in a row that Connolly voted to deny a pay raise to himself and his colleagues in the Congress.  Legislation passed in 1989 made congressional cost-of-living pay raises automatic unless Congress votes to block it, as it did last year.

“In the midst of the steepest economic decline in 80 years, this is no time for Congress to give itself a pay raise,” Connolly said.  “As someone who takes the deficit seriously, I believe Congress must do everything possible to reduce red ink.  If deficit reduction doesn’t start with us, where will it start?”

“There are not many Northern Virginians who get an automatic pay raise every year, particularly during these tough economic times,” Connolly said.

Another victory: Student loan reform

The reforms that President Obama signed into law include historic investments to make education more affordable, and deliver on another key campaign promise. The legislation:

• Ends subsidies to special-interest private lending companies
• Doubles funding for Pell Grants to help more students afford a college education
• Will cap a graduate’s annual student loan repayments at 10 percent of his or her income
• Helps an additional 5 million Americans earn degrees and certificates over the next decade, by revitalizing programming at our nation’s community colleges

Dr. Jill Biden, an educator for 29 years, recorded a short video explaining what these groundbreaking reforms mean for education in America.

President Obama speaks moments after the historic passage by the House of Representatives of the Senate’s health reform legislation.

This is a new video from the Pew Project on National Security, Energy and Climate (http://www.pewclimatesecurity.org/),  “Climate Patriots: A Military Perspective on Energy, Climate Change and American National Security”.  It features interviews with former military leaders and talks about the connection between climate change, our energy policy and our nation’s security.  These military officials speak about “resource wars” between countries which would create environmental refugees and destabilize governments.