Still from Girls State
Monroe County NOW President TammyJo Eckhart, PhD, explains why the organization recommends the 2024 documentary Girls State.
All 50 states of this United States of America host a weeklong program attended by young people picked by a sponsoring American Legion (or American Legion Auxiliary Unit in the case of “Girls States”). To be chosen, an applicant must have finished her junior year at a sponsored high school. Other criteria seem to vary from state to state, but concern about current and government events, as well as academic and personal character requirements, are common. In 2020, the documentary film Boys State directed by Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss showed the world what happened at one such event in Texas. Just last year, the same directors released a sister documentary, Girls State, which looked at Missouri’s 2022 program for young women. When the board of Monroe County NOW (MC NOW) was contacted in early 2024 about the second film, we were impressed and knew we needed to find a way to make this available for more than just Apple+ TV subscribers.
As our chapter’s multiyear get-out-the-vote work has shown, we believe in participative democracy at all levels. While Girls State is not set in Indiana, there are strong parallels between Missouri and our state in terms of political power, governance style, economic conditions, demographics, and voter turnout. Watching the documentary, it is not difficult to imagine similar young women participating in our own Hoosier Girls State. Having watched this documentary, we knew that once others viewed it, too, it could inspire girls and women to get involved and stay involved in government. It was just a matter of timing that pushed our screening at the IU Cinema back to 2025.
In the aftermath of a volatile election cycle that shockingly saw voter turnout rates down in comparison to 2020, encouraging people to vote is more important than ever. With each news day revealing the rapid pace at which the federal government is pulling our nation into an ever-widening partisan chasm, MC NOW knows that we must find ways to positively engage all women and girls (as well as boys, men, and nonbinary folks) with their rights as citizens to determine their government and governance. We believe this documentary is one method to inspire us all.
MC NOW hopes to see many members of our community at this screening event. We invite you to stay for the livestreaming Q&A with two of the film’s subjects, Tochi Ihekona and Emily Worthmore. We also want to thank our local co-sponsors: the Indiana University Cinema, Girls Rock Bloomington, Girls Inc. of Monroe County, and the League of Women Voters of Bloomington Monroe County. Together we can increase voter turnout in 2026 and keep it growing.
To learn more about Girls State, please visit the Apple+ website.
Girls State will be screened at IU Cinema on March 13 at 7pm. A Q&A with Tochi Ihekona and Emily Worthmore, two of the film’s subjects, will follow the screening.
TammyJo Eckhart is a decades-long member of NOW who joined Monroe County’s chapter when it formed in 2017. Since then, she has served in various roles as part of the communication committee and election committee. She is honored to be able to serve as president for a second term as we must focus our fight to restore, maintain, and expand our rights.