As Vice President Kamala Harris prepared to greet delegates on the final night of the Democratic National Convention Thursday night, a sea of women dressed in white prepared to greet her.
White suits, white dresses and at least one pair of white lace socks filled the Chicago stadium as women dressed to honor the legacy of the suffragettes who fought to give women the right to vote and to celebrate the first Black and Native American woman to become a major party candidate.
“Wearing white today reminds everyone that these are women who are on the move, women who have suffered and who are now taking their rightful place in the leadership of Democratic Party politics in a profound way,” said Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), who wore a white pantsuit over a colorful blouse. She added that “women are on the ballot,” and that abortion access is such an important issue for Democrats this year.
Dressed all in white, California natives Diana Madoshi, 78, left, and Jackie Smith, 68, unfurl a homemade banner with the word “Kamala” before Thursday night’s final session of the Democratic National Convention.
(Fe Pinho / Los Angeles Times)
Alice Mungia, a 62-year-old Ontario teacher wearing a white T-shirt and shorts, said the fight for reproductive rights was the main reason she traveled to the Democratic National Convention this year. Mungia has had two miscarriages that required dilation and curettage procedures. She said she didn’t want her granddaughter to have to go through that with fewer protections than she had.
“[Republicans] “They are sending us back to the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant,” she said. “I wonder, what is going on here?”
Jackie Smith of Placer County arrived dressed in full suffragette garb: a white jacket and pants, as well as a wide-brimmed white hat. She topped her outfit off with a sash emblazoned with the slogan “Women Win the Vote.”
The convention week coincided with the anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, the constitutional provision that gave women the right to vote in 1920.
“It is not lost on me that I just boarded a flight to Chicago on the 104th anniversary of the 19th Amendment (named after the publication I helped found and write for) to watch the first woman of color officially accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for president,” tweeted Errin Haines, editor-at-large of 19th News, a publication that covers the intersection of gender, politics and public policy.
“Elections are about the future, but we cannot forget the history that is also present at this moment.”
Democratic women dressed in white are becoming an increasingly common sight at political rallies.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wore white to become the first woman to accept the party’s nomination for president at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. In 2018, a sea of women dressed in white filled Congress after a historic number of Democratic women won seats in the House of Representatives. Female politicians have worn white at most State of the Union addresses in recent years, sometimes intended to draw attention to issues such as abortion access.
