Directed by Martha Wheelock
Inez Milholland ~ Forward into Light’s protagonist held the vision of an equal pacifist world, her fight for the vote for all American women, and her illuminated ideas about justice for women. Her disruption of the male-dominated Democratic party for the benefit of a mass of invisible women, and her defiance of the president of the United States for his silent acceptance of women’s condition is an exhilarating and powerful reminder of our own present state as a divided America at war against women. The film is an inspiring call to action.
Inez Milholland is a free thinker, a passionate member of the National Woman’s Party (NWP), and a labor lawyer. She stands as a modern emblem of women’s fight to have the same rights as men. Exactly 100 years after Inez’s last speech in L.A., where she shouted: “Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?” women in America are still shouting for equality: “How long must women wait for the Equal Rights Amendment to be ratified?”
This film, which traces the life of an indefatigable fighter for women’s rights, couldn’t be more timely. Milholland’s trailblazing feminist battle is a model for us all, especially in this year’s election when we’re still fighting for women to occupy their rightful place in this country. This year the U.S. is on the verge of electing its first woman president and making the dream of Inez and thousands and thousands of other suffragists worth their suffering and their sacrifices.
Exhausted and ill, Inez Milholland collapsed onto the floor of Blanchard Hall in Los Angeles, after screaming that question to the president. She died 30 days later. She paid for her beliefs with her life. The echo of her words resonates throughout the film. Thank you to the writer, producer, director of the film Martha Wheelock and to producer Zoe Nicholson for introducing us to Inez.
To obtain a free DVD of Inez Milholland ~Forward into Light visit http://inezmilholland.org/order/
This article is a part of the Celebrating Food & the Harvest 2016 issue of Whole Life Times.