What happens when women get sick of the status quo and decide to do something about it? I’ll tell you what:
Bus segregation ends in one city (please don’t forget that this one just one in a long line of major victories for women of color).
We gain the right to vote (admittedly in a painfully slow fashion).
We win the right to work in any field we want and prove that we can work in situations men could only dream of.
There are times when “having it all” means some serious redefinition work. I don’t want to come across as feeling like this work is unsustainable though. There are pieces we all can do to that might seem small but make a big difference. Maybe you can make copies at your office copier during your lunch break (the ladies who mimeographed announcements with plans for the Montgomery Bus Boycott will be jealous you could do it so fast!). Maybe crafting is your jam and you can make protest signs – channeling the women who picketed President Wilson often using his own words against him. Maybe you just show up, pregnant and tired, and do your job because you need a roof over your head and food on your table. Women’s advocacy has a long and proud tradition. Like one of our best allies, the last Senator Paul Wellstone used to say: “We all do better when we all do better.” Doing our best keeps getting better when we lift as we climb.
Photo by Natalie Collins on Unsplash
