Election-Year Flick

Yesterday my class on women watched Iron Jawed Angels. It's the story of a group of young suffragettes led by Alice Paul (Hilary Swank) and Lucy Burns (Frances O'Connor), who banded together from 1912 to 1920. Their cause? The right to vote (suffrage). Some states at the time already granted that right from the start, but most required an act of Congress. Along the way, these women incurred the wrath of Democratic President Woodrow Wilson and angered other suffragette leaders. (Back then the Republicans were far more sympathetic to their cause than were Democrats.)

This flick came out during the last election. And it's time to watch it again. (Patrick Dempsey stars, too, just in case the story itself isn't enough.)

My niece in Oregon is thinking about holding a viewing party. Great idea. This one's a winner. I will think twice before I ever again complain about having to serve on jury duty or vote in some minor local run-off.