An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

News | Aug. 27, 2018

Suffragist actress helps employees celebrate Women’s Equality Day

By Mikia Muhammad DLA Troop Support Public Affairs

Wearing a yellow and white sash stitched with “Votes for Women,” a Carrie Chapman Catt impersonator described the life of the women’s suffragist during a Women’s Equality Day event Aug. 23.

“The yellow comes from the inspiration I got from sunflowers in Kansas,” American Historical Theatre actress Pat Jordan said as she portrayed Catt. “They always turned their heads to the sun; they always followed this path. And I thought, that’s what we have to do: follow this path no matter what. The sunflower became the symbol of the women’s suffrage movement.”

Catt travelled the U.S. advocating for women’s rights to vote locally and nationally throughout her lifetime from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, Jordan explained. Jordan depicted Catt’s life as Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support and NAVSUP Weapons Systems Support employees celebrated women’s right to vote.

Women’s Equality Day commemorates the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which granted women the right to vote in 1920.

DLA Troop Support Deputy Commander Richard Ellis described Catt as a renowned trailblazer in women’s rights. Catt founded the League of Women Voters and succeeded Susan B. Anthony as the head of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.

“It’s truly hard to believe there was a day when women didn’t have the right to vote,” Ellis said. “I am proud to be a part of the Department of Defense, an organization dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities for women.”

During Jordan’s portrayal as Catt, she described her as a resilient and highly motivated individual. Catt became aware of women’s rights as a pre-teen and supported herself through college after her father refused to pay. Throughout her career, Catt organized nationally for women’s right to vote, Jordan said.

The DLA Troop Support Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Committee sponsored the event.