Friend,

As we near the end of Women’s History Month, I wanted to tell you about one of my heroes, Alice Paul. Paul, who lived right here in Ridgefield, was a nationally renowned activist who played a critical role in securing the right of women to vote.

Her commitment to the suffrage movement changed history. Prior to President-elect Wilson’s inauguration, she led 8,000 women in a march down Pennsylvania Avenue. When President Wilson refused to support a constitutional amendment expanding the right to vote, Paul picketed the White House for eighteen months, enduring verbal and physical abuse from spectators. After she was arrested, Paul organized a hunger strike in prison that attracted national headlines.

At her core, Paul understood the power of the voting. She knew that American women would never achieve true equality until they could show up at the ballot box, hold elected officials accountable, and participate fully in the democratic process.

Paul’s life, dedicated to equality and democracy, is a source of deep inspiration for me. It’s no secret that voting rights are under attack today, and I’ve made it a priority to stand up for every American’s right to access the ballot. As Paul once said, “The movement is a sort of mosaic. Each of us puts in one little stone, and then you get a great mosaic at the end.”

Together, we can continue building on Paul’s mosaic and advancing her cause of equality and democracy. 

— Jim