Do you recognize this image?
The Silent Sentinels were a group of women in favor of women’s suffrage organized by Alice Paul and the National Woman’s Party who protested in front of the White House during Woodrow Wilson’s presidency starting on January 10, 1917. The name Silent Sentinels was given to the women because of their silent protesting, six days a week for OVER TWO YEARS until June 4, 1919 when the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed.
Throughout this two and a half year long vigil many of the nearly 2,000 women who picketed were harassed, arrested, and unjustly treated by local and US authorities, including the torture and abuse inflicted on them before and during the November 14, 1917 Night of Terror.[1]
Well guess what? It’s time to do it again. Hopefully not the Night of Terror part… but… we at EME say, whatever it takes.
Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures. We are facing civil and human rights rollbacks in the United States unlike anything we have seen in recent history. AND WOMEN STILL DON’T HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS. So, sometimes you just need to take a stand.
Equal Means Equal raising awareness about the shameful fact that, one hundred years after Suffrage, American women and girls still do not have Equal Rights in the US Constitution.
In 1917, 2000 women protested silently, day-in, day-out for two and a half years until they achieved suffrage.
In 2017, how many women today will again protest silently, for just ten weeks, until we achieve equality?Will YOU take the Silent Sentinel Challenge? Will you stand with us to stand up for our rights, now?
We need your help staffing this vigil!
THE SILENT SENTINEL CHALLENGE
Beginning on Monday November 13th and continuing until Sunday January 21st from 10am – 6pm, Monday – Saturday women and our allies will take turns standing outside the White House holding vigil for equal rights. We hope you will join us! You can physically take part in this historic demonstration to fight for the ERA by signing up to be one of the Silent Sentinels.
Equal Means Equal will provide the materials necessary (posters, costumes, etc.) to recreate the visual image of our Silent Sentinel sisters in suffrage that stood here a century ago. Our goal is to have Silent Sentinels bearing witness every day from 10am to 6pm outside the White House as the original protesters did 100 years ago.
Bring a group of women and allies! Sign up for as many shifts as you can. Encourage organizations you know to commit to staffing several shifts per week. Together we can call attention to women’s lack of equality under the law.
Bottom line: The time is NOW for ERA. Let’s get this done by whatever means necessary. See you out there!
Love and thanks,
Natalie, Kamala and the EME Team
