Why are women wearing white to the 2019 State of the Union?
WASHINGTON – There is one clear area where President Donald Trump has had a unifying effect on Capitol Hill: the color Democratic women wear to joint sessions of Congress.
The chairwoman of the Democratic Women’s Working Group, Florida Rep. Lois Frankel, is encouraging members to wear white to this year’s State of the Union address as a shoutout to the voters who handed Democrats a majority in the House in the midterm elections and a reminder that they plan to make women’s economic security a priority.
The color choice is also meant to honor the women’s suffrage movement that led to the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920.
“By wearing suffragette white to #SOTU2019 tmrw we’re sending a message to everyone that voted for @HouseDemocrats & delivered us the majority that we’re working #ForThePeople, promoting the economic security of women & their families!” Frankel said in a tweet Monday.
Democratic members of Congress, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., center, arrive before President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
President Donald Trump, second from right, speaks in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, as he hosts a roundtable with conservative leaders to discuss the security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is second from left. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Democratic members of Congress take photos before President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Democratic members of Congress, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., center, pose for a photo before President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Democratic members of Congress, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., center, talk before President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
President Donald Trump turns to House speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., as he delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, as Vice President Mike Pence watches, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Buzz Aldrin salutes as President Donald Trump recognizes him during the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. First lady Melania Trump is at right. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)