Who would have thought that Mitch McConnell would be the one to provide a great summary of women’s progress and a new feminist rallying cry:
She was warned, she was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.
For those of you that may have been in a coma for the last couple of days: This was McConnell’s ‘mansplanation’ for invoking an obscure and bizarre rule to ban Senator Elizabeth Warren from reading a letter from Coretta Scott King during the nomination hearing for Jeff Sessions as Attorney General: a decades-old letter which urged against naming him as a Federal judge due to his track record of blocking civil rights and voting rights. Although Senator Warren was banned–multiple male colleagues were inexplicably allowed to read the same letter.
I admire so many women for their ability to rise and persist in the face of adversity. In my own lifetime I have seen sexism become less institutionalized; yet it is still pervasive. In many ways I think it is even more difficult to raise a strong, confident woman in these days of hyper-sexualization and a social media that is both brutal and 24/7.
There are times in everyone’s lives where they face a decision as to whether to take a stand or submit to the prevailing winds. In my own life, I most regret the times I have not persisted in doing what I felt to be right. I recognize that not every issue is worth the fight – sometimes the ‘juice isn’t worth the squeeze’. Yet, at some point, we need to say enough is enough. I will not let your sexist or racist statement go unchallenged; I will not allow my daughter to be treated that way; I will not allow my co-worker (or myself) to be treated disrespectfully; and I will NOT stand by quietly while our ‘so called president’ ravages our country.
I have long held that the definition of courage is standing up for what is right — even if the odds are against you. It is that brand of courage that won women the vote, desegregated our schools, gave us a 5 day work week, did away with Jim Crow and more. People have suffered, people have died. Nevertheless, we persist.
Frustrating to see misogyny this blatant in the senate (and it should be noted that many republican senators – including Ron Johnson – voted to support McConnell’s motion to silence Senator Warren), but heartwarming to see the overwhelming response from the public.
May we know strong women
May we be strong women
May we raise strong women!