Idaho Mountain Express: Angels fly into Hailey - September 29, 2004

Angels fly into Hailey
Movie screening urges women to vote

In the 2000 presidential election, 22 million single women did not vote. In the last 6 months candidates for both the Democratic and Republican parties reported that in approximately 50 percent of the households they have canvassed in Boise, the women have not registered to vote, nor do they intend to.

What ever happened to Girl Power? Not the slightly embarrassing 1990s spectacle spearheaded by British popsters The Spice Girls, but the real girl power embodied by the suffragette movement in the early 1900s. Women died to gain the right to votel. Surely women today would be honored to embrace that, right? Apparently not.

Local resident Pirie Grossman was astounded when she heard about the apathy of these Boise women, and, after seeing the HBO movie “Iron Jawed Angels,” realized that there was something she could do about it.

“Iron Jawed Angels” chronicles the little known story of Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, who led a small group of passionate women in the battle for female suffrage in America.

Starring Oscar winners Hilary Swank and Anjelica Houston, the movie, which aired on HBO in February, depicts the harsher side of the suffragette movement in this country. When their fight for the vote landed them in jail, Paul and her ardent supporters’ did not give up. They protested their false imprisonment by embarking on a painful hunger strike, causing the prison officials to force feed them using metal clamps to hold their mouths open.

Once the press learned of the treatment of the women they proclaimed them the Iron Jawed Angels, earning them ample publicity to further, and eventually achieve, their cause.

Grossman received an email from a friend about the movie and after watching it decided that this was the vehicle to use to motivate women to register and vote.

“It’s such a moving film that I felt if we could fill the seats, whether in a theater, home, church or school, women would watch this film and be moved to fill out a registration form!” Grossman said.

In conjunction with the Idaho Women’s Network, Grossman has arranged for 23 special screenings of the movie to take place across the state of Idaho.

“Iron Jawed Angels” comes to The Wood River Valley Oct. 2 at the Liberty Theatre on Main Street in Hailey. The movie begins at 7 p.m. and those in attendance will have the chance to win door prizes.

There will be voter registration forms at the screening, as well as volunteers available to answer any questions. The event is non-partisan, free of charge and refreshments will be served. There will also be a screening in Spanish at 6 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 3.

The deadline to register to vote in Idaho is Oct. 8; however, in this state you can turn up on Nov. 2 with a photo ID and a utility bill that has your name and current address on it and you will be allowed to vote.
Idaho Mountain Express: Angels fly into Hailey - September 29, 2004