Storck: With opening Lucy Burns Museum, 2020 is Year of the Woman in Mount Vernon

This column was submitted by Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck.

Team MVD and I are distinguishing this year the “Year of the Woman.”

Here in the Mount Vernon District, we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote and the passage of the 19th Amendment with the opening of the Lucy Burns Museum at the Workhouse Arts Center and the Turning Point Suffragists Memorial at Occoquan Regional Park.

At the state level, the Virginia General Assembly appointed Del. Eileen Filler-Corn as the first female leader of the House of Delegates in 400 years and just became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). As a result, the Year of the Woman has started off strong! We Can Do It! – as Rosie the Riveter showed us.

Strong women throughout history have shown us the power of perseverance and we will explore and celebrate this throughout the year. The Lucy Burns Museum celebrating the suffragists and 100 years of prison history will open on January 25, with the grand opening on May 9.

In February, we will celebrate African American History month. One of the seldom told stories of the women’s suffragist movement is of the African American women also who picketed the White House.

March will bring Women’s History month and we will see how the US Congress will act on ratifying the ERA. Then, on August 26, we will dedicate the Turning Point Suffragists Memorial. And, this is just a sampling of what the Year of the Woman will look like!

The Mount Vernon District is fortunate to be home to so much storied history and we look forward to celebrating it throughout the year. Across the country, this major milestone of our democracy will be celebrated by female-focused commemorations and many visitors will come to see these national recognitions happening right here in our backyard!

To learn more about all of this and our community, join me for the 33rd Annual Mount Vernon District Town Meeting on Saturday, February 1, 2020, from 7:45 a.m. – noon at Mount Vernon High School. Have your questions answered, learn about issues important to you, connect with County agencies and service providers and mingle with your neighbors.

The highlight of the morning will be taking a “virtual flying tour” of the District and meeting your new County Board Chairman Jeff McKay. If you’re lucky, you may even meet a Suffragist while you are there!

You should all be receiving our annual Advisor mailer in the coming days. I would love to hear if you receive it and your suggestions to make it better! Contact our office with your feedback at mtvernon@fairfaxcounty.gov or 703-780-7518.

Welcome to the new decade! Bring it on 2020!