YWCA's Women Holding Office Celebration Set for April 29

YWCA's fifth annual Women Holding Office Celebration April 29 features a documentary about the first Rhode Island women to hold statewide office and keynote speaker Ayanna Pressley of the Boston City Council.  

The evening, which is open to the public, runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at Kirkbrae Country Club, 197 Old River Road, Lincoln.  

 YWCA Rhode Island has commissioned local photojournalist John Freidah to create the documentary on the first three women elected to statewide office in Rhode Island.

They are, in order, Susan L. Farmer, secretary of state from 1983-86;
Arlene Violet, state attorney general from 1985-87, who also is the
first woman nationwide to be elected to that position; and Kathleen S.
Connell, secretary of state from 1987-1992.

The evening's keynote address will be delivered by Ayanna Pressley, the first woman of color elected to the Boston City Council where, since taking office in 2009, she has worked to break cycles of poverty and violence, including creating and chairing a standing committee, the Committee on Women and Healthy Communities.

“More women in office means a truly representative democracy,” Pressley said. “Our government should reflect the constituency it represents. Women make up 51 percent of the population in the United States, but their numbers in office do not represent that reality. More importantly, women lead differently and we need their skills, perspective and passion in elected office.”