She Conquers

Women in power. There’s not a ton. The numbers are not in our favor. Even with a woman Vice President, the numbers for women in power in the United States are low. Although we are far from the most suppressed group in the world, we are a breed that is slept on. Only twenty-six percent of the house and senate is made up of women. For state legislatures we sit a bit higher at thirty percent. Of fortune five hundred CEOs, women make up about seven percent.

These numbers are sad. The really powerful thing though, is remembering that most of our grandmothers weren’t even allowed to vote when they came of age. Of course, gaining the right to vote, to run, to normalize women going to college and having careers... it’s still the beginning of our path. The number of states that still don’t allow women full control of their bodies is astounding. If a woman stands in a room with her doctor and asks to get her tubes tied, they’ll ask what her husband thinks. They’ll ask if she already has kids. They’ll ask if she’s over the age of twenty-five. If she doesn’t have three kids, if her husband can’t give permission, she won’t get approved. If a man walks in to get a vasectomy, these questions aren’t asked of him. His wife doesn’t have to give her consent.

Men - dads and grandfathers cringe when they realize their children and children’s children are using the term “Vagina” more often. Why? We teach boys that they have a penis but a little girl is supposed to use cutesy terms to refer to her genitalia. Our daughters should be openly able to say that they think something is wrong with their vaginas and not have anyone correct them but rather help them and hear them. We were raised in generations where we were told to sit still, smile.. we were raised to make men feel comfortable. We were raised to never walk alone at night and carry our keys in between our fingers, while the men of our generations go get drunk without a second thought and will leave their drink at the bar while they go to the bathroom. We were raised in a generation where girls need to cover up so that they don’t distract the boys from their learning. We were raised in a world where from a young age, we were taught that our appearance was important and it was embedded into us that we must look a certain way.

We are the women raising the next generation. The urge to tell our daughters to carry pepper spray on them will probably always be there and we will and we should. Some of us will teach our daughters how to wield a gun, because men can over power women more easily and pepper spray isn’t always effective... Say it again; We are the women raising the next generation. We need to remember the schools that told us to cover up and sit down. The teachers that told us we shouldn’t speak out of turn or talk too much because men don’t like chatty women. We need to remember the job interviews that made us feel uncomfortable and not want to take the job because the interviewer spent a minute too long staring you up and down. We need to remember that there are women stealing pads and tampons, because it’s not easy to obtain them freely. Even the free ones contain dyes and harmful chemicals. We need to remember to teach our sons that women are just as powerful as them. The fight begins by not addressing the uncomfortableness we cause. The powerful women, the ones who made it to the top, who fought their way up and seem flawless doing it, do you think they hesitated because the thought they might offend someone by speaking up?

Many of us dream of a better world for our kids. The day Kamala Harris made it into office, we rejoiced. She was not everyone’s first choice but regardless it is a win. A female. A woman. She made her voice heard. She let it ring loud and look where she made it. She broke through a wall that so many of us, our parents, and our grandparents prayed for. For some, it was a step into the future. Every little victory, is a step closer to our world. Because in this world that so many of us dream of and crave, a person is not judged by their race, by their gender, by their religion or their sexual orientation. In our perfect world we are electing people because they are the best for the job hands down. In a perfect world, people wouldn’t look at a woman in power and wonder who raises her kids or if she’s a bitch or not. They would simply see her as what she is, a powerful, hardworking human being. A world where our daughters have as much of a chance to be in a political office or to run a company as our sons.

We are the women raising the next generation. There should be common names in our households and in our schools....

Amelia Earhart who told us that women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.

Eleanor Roosevelt who dramatically changed the role of First Lady and advocated for human rights, and women’s rights.

Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat and made herself heard, going on to be a leader and a huge voice in the civil rights movement.

Grace Hopper who became one of very few women to obtain a Ph.D. In mathematics in the 30’s and then went on to become a rear admiral in the Navy.

Hedy Lamarr who was not just a great actress but helped invent a radio signaling device that would become a crucial part of how we wirelessly communicate today.

Margaret Sanger who coined the term “birth control”, got the FDA to approve the first oral contraceptive, and opened a woman’s health clinic.

Shirley Chisholm who became the first black woman elected into congress and became the first woman to enter the presidential race.

Junior Tabei who became the first woman to succefully climb Mount Everest and to reach the Seven Peaks.

Miriam Makeba who used her global platform as a singer to speak against apartheid.

Sandra Day O’Connor who was the first woman appointed to the U.S. Suprememe court.

These women and so many others.... they helped shaped today’s world. We should be grateful for all of them and let their names ring loud. We should teach our daughters and sons their accomplishments. It shouldn’t be Women’s history month. It should simply be history. So many of these names are not mentioned in our history books. History teaches us how others succeeded and where they failed and all of those things should be taught and learned and appreciated for what they did for us today. We are the generation that has the power to raise the next generation of leaders, shakers, and movement makers. We are the generation that needs to let our voices be heard, so that the generations that follow us have an easier time speaking.