Women in Congress are wearing white at Trump’s State of the Union in a message of ‘solidarity’

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., top center, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., bottom center, pose for a group photo of House Democrats in the Capitol Visitor Center, who plan to wear 'suffragette white' to the State of the Union address to show solidarity for women's agendas on TuesdayTom Williams/Getty Images

  • Scores of Democratic congresswomen wore white on Tuesday evening to express "solidarity" with each other and the nation’s women while attending President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in the Capitol.
  • At least one Republican woman, Rep. Elise Stefanik, also wore white for the event.
  • The sea of women dressed in white also created a striking visual on the House floor — one that’s intended to send the president a message. 
  • "We’ll honor all those who came before us and send a message of solidarity that we’re not going back on our hard-earned rights," Florida Rep. Lois Frankel, the chairwoman of the Democratic Women’s Working Group, tweeted last week.
  • Follow along with all of INSIDER’s coverage of the State of the Union here.

Scores of Democratic congresswomen and at least one Republican lawmaker wore white on Tuesday evening to express "solidarity" with each other and the nation’s women while attending President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in the Capitol. 

A record number of women were elected to Congress in 2019 — 102 women now serve in the US House of Representatives and 23 serve in the US Senate.

This year also marks the 99th anniversary of women’s suffrage. 

"We’ll honor all those who came before us and send a message of solidarity that we’re not going back on our hard-earned rights," Florida Rep. Lois Frankel, the chairwoman of the Democratic Women’s Working Group, tweeted last week.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who also wore all white to the address, told CNN that the move is also a recognition of the issues affecting American women, including the wage gap and sexual misconduct. Ocasio-Cortez also wore white to the new member swearing-in in early January. 

"I wore all-white today to honor the women who paved the path before me, and for all the women yet to come," she wrote in a tweet. "From suffragettes to Shirley Chisholm, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the mothers of the movement."

While most of the women wearing white were Democrats, at least one Republican member — Rep. Elise Stefanik — also joined the movement.

Read more: ‘2020 class warfare?’: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the left face off against billionaires in a fight to tax the rich

The sea of women dressed in white also created a striking visual on the House floor — one that’s intended to send the president a message. 

 

 

 

At least one congressman, Rep. Dean Phillips, a Minnesota Democrat, also wore white in solidarity with his female colleagues. 

Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., talks with Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., after a group photo of House Democrats in the Capitol Visitor Center who plan to wear 'suffragette white' to the State of the Union address to show solidarity for women's agendas on Tuesday.Tom Williams/Getty Images

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Source: Business Insider

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