Recent Projects
- Created a Brochure and Guide on Domestic Violence in the Workplace, in partnership with the Fairfax County Council to End Domestic Violence.
- Supports the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial. The Fairfax County Commission for Women worked with Fairfax County Channel 16 to produce two videos, one on the suffragist movement and one on the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial.
- Participates on the Fairfax County Council to End Domestic Violence.
- Celebrates Women’s History Month (March)
- In 2018, the Commission honored four women representing the theme “Nevertheless, She Persisted: Honoring Women Who Fight All Forms of Discrimination against Women.” Those women were Councilmember Grace Cunningham of the Herndon Town Council; Laura Harris of Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court; Sheila Coates of Black Women United for Action; and Lidia Soto-Harmon of Girl Scouts of the National Capital Area.
- In 2017, the Commission honored “Trailblazing Women in Labor and Business”: Dolores Trevino-Gerber, Staci L. Redmon, Patricia “Pat” Saah Bayliss, Ashley W. Chen, Constance “Connie” T. Cordovilla, Siobhan Green and Lovey Hammel.
- Built Partnerships to Prevent Human Trafficking. The Fairfax County Commission for Women worked with Just Ask Prevention Project to provide information to teens, parents and organizations about the dangers of teen sex trafficking in the county. The Fairfax County Commission for Women partnered with the other women's commissions in the region and planned a conference on human trafficking, that took place on January 31, 2016 at Sherwood Community Center. This was the first joint event by the four Northern Virginia commissions: the Fairfax County Commission for Women, the City of Fairfax Commission for Women, the Arlington Commission on the Status of Women and the Alexandria Commission for Women. In January 2015, the Commission for Women sponsored the first proclamation of Human Trafficking Awareness Month by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. The proclamation was accepted by Kyra Beckman, founder of Spartans Against Human Trafficking at West Springfield High School.In 2016, the theme was “Working to Form a More Perfect Union: Honoring Women in Public Service and Government”. The Commission honored eleven women who had worked for Fairfax County over forty years, as well as Deputy County Executive for Human Services Patricia Harrison.
- In 2015, Smithsonian National Museum of American History Curator Emeritus Edith P. Mayo accepted the Women's History Month proclamation from the Board of Supervisors.
- In 2014, the Commission honored women in Fairfax County law enforcement during Women's History Month.
- Researched Affordable Housing Options for Victims of Domestic Violence. In January, 2013, the Commission for Women completed and distributed to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors its white paper of recommendations to improve access to safe, affordable housing by survivors of domestic violence in Fairfax County. The report is the outcome of over two years of work by the Commission's Domestic Violence and Affordable Housing Committee. Read the Domestic Violence and Affordable Housing White Paper.* On October 1, 2012, the Commission for Women convened a dialogue of interested policy makers and community members to develop and prioritize recommendations in response to the increasing need for emergency and long-term housing for victims of domestic violence, which helped to inform the white paper.
- In 2013, the Board of Supervisors designated March as Women's History Month in honor of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) professions.
- In 2012, the Commission sponsored a Women's History Month essay contest for public high school seniors on their "Personal Sheroes." The Board of Supervisors' Women's History Month Proclamation was received by the first place winner, Briana Neuberger of Chantilly High School.
Reports and Publications
- In January 2013, the Commission for Women produced a white paper of recommendations regarding the housing needs of domestic violence survivors for consideration by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Read the Domestic Violence and Affordable Housing White Paper.*
- The Commission also releases a report every two years detailing the work of the Commission for that time period. Read the 2020-2021 Biennial Report.*
- The Commission conducts research on issues related to women and girls and promotes research findings and policy recommendations to the county’s Board of Supervisors through oral testimony and published reports. The following are a sample of the reports that the Commission has released since its inception in 1971:
- Rape Law Reform: A Report on the Public Hearing (March 1976)
- Quality and Equality: A Study of the Fairfax County Public School System
- Battered Wives: Report of the Fairfax County Commission for Women (April 1977)
- The Courts and Sexual Assault: Court Observer Program (March 1982)
- Separation and Divorce Information
- Report on Women and Diversity in Fairfax County Forum (April 2000)
- Spanish Resource Guide for Women
- Summer Tech Resource Guide for Girls
- Women Business Owner’s Directory
Historical Activities
- Early in the Commission's history, the Commission helped establish:
- The Human Rights Commission (now affiliated with the Office of Human Rights and Equity Programs)
- The Women's Shelter (now Artemis House)
- The Women's Re-entry Center (a career development center for women re-entering the workforce)
- The Victim/Witness Program (now the Victim Services Section of the Police Department)
- The Commission is also a leader in creating many Fairfax County employment policies favorable to women and families. Related reports include:
- Job Sharing Policies and Practices for Fairfax County Employees; Managing Work and Family: Bottom Line Issues for Fairfax County Employees (January 1994)
- Gender Distribution on Fairfax County Boards, Authorities, and Commissions;
- Breaking Barriers: Women's Achievement in Fairfax County Government (a report by the Glass Ceiling Task Force, July 1997)
Operating Policies and Procedures