WOMEN AND MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL
The year was 2000, and Marcy was about to graduate from Syracuse University. My parents and I had flown to Syracuse and had a day to kill before the graduation ceremony. We decided to visit Niagara Falls, only a few hours' drive from Syracuse.
On the return trip, we stopped in Seneca Falls, NY. Little did I know what I would discover as we drove through the small, quaint village. I knew that the town was significant in the Women's Rights movement.
As we entered the town, I had an overwhelming sense that I had been there in the past, although this was my first time. Main Street was a short street. We quickly found a parking place and walked the streets, stopping briefly at the Women's Rights National Historical Park. Deja vu became an almost overwhelming sensation to the point of being uncomfortable––almost like a sense of smothering. I mentioned to my Mother that I had been here in the past, but not in this lifetime. She acknowledged my experience by saying, "I believe you were probably in the thick of it when it happened." I loved her for affirming my assertion that I had played a part in the organization of the Women's Movement in a previous life.
July 19, 1848: A group of women held the first Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls. The movement's leaders, including Elizabeth Stanton and Lucretia Mott, met for two days with 66 women and 32 men. They drafted the "Declaration of Sentiments" after the convention. Part of the Declaration states, "We hold these truths self-evident; that all men and women are created equal..." Did you notice that this statement was lifted from the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson? Only he omitted "and women."
It wasn't until 21 years later that Wyoming passed the first women's suffrage law, which allowed women the right to serve on juries. Colorado was the first state to pass legislation for women to vote in 1893––forty-five years after the first women's convention in Seneca! It would not be until 1920 when the 19th Amendment was passed, allowing women to vote in all the states––that's 72 years after the first Women's Convention. Let that sink in for a minute. Women have only been able to vote for less than 100 years.
African-Americans have only been able to vote for 52 years. Even today, there are attempts to make it more difficult for African-Americans to vote by passing ridiculous voter ID laws, limiting voting places, and gerrymandering voting districts to discourage fair representation. Texas is one of the states most egregious in its voting laws. A recent Tufts University study revealed that 4% of eligible voters cannot vote due to not having "proper" voter identification. If you don't drive a car, depend on public transportation, and work long hours, obtaining an ID card at the local driver's license bureau is difficult. Just imagine––I voted by MAIL in Washington. There were no polling places, as voting by mail in Washington is the only way to vote. Registered voters are mailed ballots. After the Election Board receives the completed ballots, they match them with the names registered to vote. How simple is that??
It's not a puzzle why I am politically active. You don't have to wonder why in the hell I march with women. It's in my genetic DNA. It's unbelievable that we have to take to the streets AGAIN to not only advocate the impeachment of an incompetent, racist, misogynistic president but march because we believe that our bodies belong to us––not the "pussy grabbing" president nor to the people making laws. I no more want to have my reproductive rights legislated than I advocate that men be forced to have vasectomies. But, I am pro-life. I'm pro-life because we are obligated to take care of the elderly, disadvantaged children, and the disabled. When legislators vote for substantial tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, it's immoral to turn around and cut funding to programs that provide care for those needing it. We have to fight for them. We have to march for their rights, too.
From Seneca Falls in 1848 to Austin in 2018, and in future lifetimes, if necessary, I'll be marching. It's not what I wish for, as I want equal rights without taking to the streets to demand them. I also want a government of, by, and for the people. Not for people in positions of power to continue lining their pockets. And certainly not for someone sitting in the White House, watching Fox News, and tweeting the night away with inflammatory language and lies. Enough already.
March On!
On the return trip, we stopped in Seneca Falls, NY. Little did I know what I would discover as we drove through the small, quaint village. I knew that the town was significant in the Women's Rights movement.
As we entered the town, I had an overwhelming sense that I had been there in the past, although this was my first time. Main Street was a short street. We quickly found a parking place and walked the streets, stopping briefly at the Women's Rights National Historical Park. Deja vu became an almost overwhelming sensation to the point of being uncomfortable––almost like a sense of smothering. I mentioned to my Mother that I had been here in the past, but not in this lifetime. She acknowledged my experience by saying, "I believe you were probably in the thick of it when it happened." I loved her for affirming my assertion that I had played a part in the organization of the Women's Movement in a previous life.
July 19, 1848: A group of women held the first Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls. The movement's leaders, including Elizabeth Stanton and Lucretia Mott, met for two days with 66 women and 32 men. They drafted the "Declaration of Sentiments" after the convention. Part of the Declaration states, "We hold these truths self-evident; that all men and women are created equal..." Did you notice that this statement was lifted from the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson? Only he omitted "and women."
It wasn't until 21 years later that Wyoming passed the first women's suffrage law, which allowed women the right to serve on juries. Colorado was the first state to pass legislation for women to vote in 1893––forty-five years after the first women's convention in Seneca! It would not be until 1920 when the 19th Amendment was passed, allowing women to vote in all the states––that's 72 years after the first Women's Convention. Let that sink in for a minute. Women have only been able to vote for less than 100 years.
African-Americans have only been able to vote for 52 years. Even today, there are attempts to make it more difficult for African-Americans to vote by passing ridiculous voter ID laws, limiting voting places, and gerrymandering voting districts to discourage fair representation. Texas is one of the states most egregious in its voting laws. A recent Tufts University study revealed that 4% of eligible voters cannot vote due to not having "proper" voter identification. If you don't drive a car, depend on public transportation, and work long hours, obtaining an ID card at the local driver's license bureau is difficult. Just imagine––I voted by MAIL in Washington. There were no polling places, as voting by mail in Washington is the only way to vote. Registered voters are mailed ballots. After the Election Board receives the completed ballots, they match them with the names registered to vote. How simple is that??
It's not a puzzle why I am politically active. You don't have to wonder why in the hell I march with women. It's in my genetic DNA. It's unbelievable that we have to take to the streets AGAIN to not only advocate the impeachment of an incompetent, racist, misogynistic president but march because we believe that our bodies belong to us––not the "pussy grabbing" president nor to the people making laws. I no more want to have my reproductive rights legislated than I advocate that men be forced to have vasectomies. But, I am pro-life. I'm pro-life because we are obligated to take care of the elderly, disadvantaged children, and the disabled. When legislators vote for substantial tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, it's immoral to turn around and cut funding to programs that provide care for those needing it. We have to fight for them. We have to march for their rights, too.
From Seneca Falls in 1848 to Austin in 2018, and in future lifetimes, if necessary, I'll be marching. It's not what I wish for, as I want equal rights without taking to the streets to demand them. I also want a government of, by, and for the people. Not for people in positions of power to continue lining their pockets. And certainly not for someone sitting in the White House, watching Fox News, and tweeting the night away with inflammatory language and lies. Enough already.
March On!
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