In The Ladies' Room: On My Soapbox for Elizabeth Cady & Susie B.

This post submitted by TNG Events Planner Amelie.

Every March, my friends start automatically vetoing my movie suggestions.

It's not because they're just mean people. Or because they don't love films by Amanda Bynes or about 19th Century England. It's because there's only one movie I want to watch: Not For Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.

The documentary is easily one of my all-time favorite films; however, with a broken computer and no television of my own, I have to resort to trickery to be able to watch it. Like having a "Happy 19th Amendment Anniversary!" party. Sadly, only one friend bought it, and when I went to the bathroom about an hour in she turned off the movie. So I gave up and sat sipping the champagne my friend's father got for free from Scores and pondered the irony. And, you know, got drunk.

So, since it's March, which is Women's History Month, I now have another excuse and another outlet to gab about my favorite movie.

First and foremost, it's well made. Directed by Ken Burns for PBS. So, you know that's going to be quality.

Secondly, the documentary does a great job telling the story about the first part of the women's movement, one that I personally feel doesn't get nearly enough recognition. Women's struggle for rights and for the right to vote began over 80 years before women finally got the right to vote. The story is told through Stanton and Anthony's lives, but you learn plenty about the broader struggle for civil rights and voting rights for women. Additionally, the documentary doesn't gloss over issues like the racism in the women's suffrage movement.

Finally, the movie incorporates narratives from women who either participated in the movement or voted in the first election, and hearing their stories are moving and heartbreaking. One of the last interviews is the one that always makes me cry: "We thought that everything would change. But it didn't."

Given the few events around the district occurring for Women's History Month, I want to encourage all of you to do something to recognize the struggle it has been for women to gain the status we now enjoy. Whether or not you identify as a feminist, I think it's important for women--and men--to be aware of the history of women in this country and the hurdles we have faced.

Alright, I'll step down from my soapbox now. It's the Women and Gender Studies major in me. But, seriously. Watch this movie. Learn! I can even tell you the drinking game I made up for it. Who knows, maybe you and your friends can make your own versions of Drunk History.