Eastern Iowa women ready for ‘Nevertheless, she persisted’ tattoos

MOUNT VERNON - 'Nevertheless, she persisted.”

The phrase was uttered in February by Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell in explaining his decision to silence Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren as she read a historic letter from a civil rights leader on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

Almost instantly, the phrase became a rallying cry for women across the country.

There were tweets and Facebook posts galore, all invoking the hashtag #LetLizSpeak. Iowa apparel company Raygun made T-shirts that sold like hot cakes. And now groups of women are lining up to get the three words tattooed on their bodies.

'I was outraged when Mitch McConnell made Elizabeth Warren take her seat and stop reading a letter written by Coretta Scott King, but then allowed three white male senators to read the same letter,” said Tommi Jo Karma, of Cedar Rapids, who plans to take part in a tattooing event from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday at Ink Expression in Mount Vernon.

'This is just a small glimpse into what the next four years are going to be like for anyone who is not an affluent white male,” Karma continued. 'I'm getting this tattoo to show solidarity for all of my sisters, past and present, who are willing to speak out and take a stand.”

About a month ago, Dori Patrick, of Cedar Rapids, helped create a Facebook event and invited friends to join in, pretty quickly realizing there was definite interest. She helped reach out to Adam Oxley, owner of Ink Expression, 106 First Ave. S, to see about finding a date for a group tattooing event.

'I just think it's so cool that they came to me,” Oxley said. 'I was all for it, even though I've never done something this big.”

Oxley said there are to be several artists tattooing during the seven-hour event. With five women signed up per hour, he said each tattoo should take about 15 to 20 minutes to complete.

Oxley has picked out a few of his favorite fonts, but participants can also bring their own artwork. Each tattoo is to be about 3 for 4 inches long and costs $30. During the event, organizers plan to collect donations for Girls on the Run of Eastern Iowa and Oxley said he plans to donate a portion of the proceeds to the organization as well.

Julia Dvorak of Hiawatha is one of those planning to get inked Saturday. While this is not her first tattoo, this one is especially meaningful, she said.

'I'm involved for two reasons - the current state of affairs in this country and because I've battled major depression my whole life. This quote speaks to me on both levels,” she said. 'Now is the time for women especially to persist and not have our voices silenced. And on a personal level, I've been struggling to persist my entire life. It's a daily struggle but one that I've won so far.”

While all the time slots are filled for Saturday, Oxley has agreed to continue taking appointments for other women, or men, who are interested in getting a similar tattoo; they simply need to call the tattoo shop at (319) 895-4071 to schedule an appointment.

Patrick said it's exciting to think of all the like-minded women who will show up and get to know each other as they are waiting for their tattoo.

'The response to this event has been awesome,” she said.