The 21st century has afforded American society with a number of luxuries that are easy to pass off as nothing more than commonplace conveniences – it”s not difficult to take for granted sociopolitical developments that feel like inherent tenets of nature, especially when it comes to voting.
Lysa Salsbury, director of the University of Idaho”s Women”s Center, said the lack of voter participation within Latah County is one of the primary reasons for the Women”s Center”s upcoming screening of the 2004 film, “Iron Jawed Angels.” It will be shown at 7 p.m. Monday at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Theatre in downtown Moscow.
The critically acclaimed film chronicles the women”s suffrage movement and the years leading up to the ratification of the 19th Amendment.
“The film is about the main players involved in the women”s suffrage movement and the years leading up to the movement”s success,” Salsbury said. “It”s not just about their fight for the right to vote, but also the strategies they used to accomplish that goal.”
Salsbury said the Women”s Center was approached by the Moscow branch of the League of Women Voters Idaho and asked to partner with the organization as a means of trying to encourage higher voter turnout among students.
Karen Lewis, co-president of the LWV Moscow branch, said there are a number of aspects she and the Women”s Center hope to touch on with this event.
“The film is a way to raise awareness of the importance of voting as well as to highlight the intensity of the women”s suffrage movement,” Lewis said. “The LWV is working to raise money for a suffragette memorial in Virginia.”
Lewis said is each state chapter of the LWV can raise $1,000 in donations, their state name will be added to the memorial plaque.
Although the film will be shown at 7 p.m., the event begins at 6 p.m. with a meet-and-greet at the local restaurant Gnosh.
Salsbury said in addition to the meet-and-greet, there will also be a small discussion panel about the importance of voting that will be held 6:30 p.m at Gnosh. The event will also feature tables where people can register to vote.
“This is a good event to get people fired up about elections,” Salsbury said.
Salsbury said not only does the 2004 film have a star-studded cast, but it also tells the tale of a nearly century-long fight for rights.
“The culmination of the film is a very successful campaign which started some decades previously,” Salsbury said. “There were 75 years between the first gathering at Seneca Falls to the day the Voting Rights Act was passed.”
The film depicts everything from the meetings to develop protest strategies to the brutal treatment and abuse that suffragettes underwent and Salsbury said the ultimate goal of the event is to remind the public of what others have gone through in order to achieve voting equality.
“The goal of this event is trying to help people understand and not forget that women died and risked their lives so everyone could have this right,” Salsbury said. “Voting is something we take for granted, and we want to encourage a new generation of students to get out and vote.”
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected]