BUT before I get back to that………I tell my students that we aren’t going to have class on Election Night because they have to go vote.. like their student loans depend on it….actually their future student loans WILL depend on it. We will make an election photo blog on Twitter or something instead. I also preach to them that you do not have the right to complain about any presidential administration for 4 years or even celebrate on election night if you are 18 yrs. old, a U.S. citizen, and have not done your civic duty.
But this “duty” is still somewhat a privilege. I immediately think of my great-grandmothers, Elsie, Em, Ellie and Big Mama. When my mother became “of voting age,” Em told her that she was married and had a child before she ever got to cast a ballot. She said this right was so precious to her that she NEVER missed voting once she finally received it.. until she passed at the age of 92. And now my mother, my aunts, my cousins, my sister-in-law, and myself do our bests to live up to their example. If I missed an election I feel I would dishonor their memory. (yes, I take it that seriously). Because this basic civil right wasn’t even guaranteed to us women until 1920. 88 years ago. Almost the lifespan of my maternal grandmother, Marybelle.
So what’s a girl to do? Thanks to the many women (and brave men) who have come before us, the suffragists and three waves of feminism…we have women who run for office and we actually have a say over the governing of our bodies and lives. For me, being the second generation of women in my family… actually born with the right to vote, that’s where Gloria comes in: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-steinem4-2008sep04,0,1290251.story
Here is a picture of Em and her sister.
That is so beautiful MRF! Thanks, too, for the article. That was awesome to read it from Gloria’s perspective.
Mary Rachel- didn’t you learn anything from growing up in the South? Palin should be a dream come true! I would hardly call myself a feminist, nor was I a Hillary supporter; however, I couldn’t be more insulted by this choice. It was clearly for the ‘shock and awe’ factor than for anything else. And that stands to hurt women more than it could ever help us. Here’s another read for you…http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/the-mirrored-ceiling/index.html. (sorry, not html literate!)
Good post!
despite all of the political baggage and stereotypes, the definition of “feminist” is to be a supporter of women’s rights. Whether it is in society, the government, in the workplace, or as mothers. so everyone (including most men) are probably more feminist than they realize!
That is a family tradition that I am also proud to uphold. I would also like to add that if you don’t vote, I feel that you do not have the right to complain about the decisions that are made for you as you didn’t take the time to consider who the “decider” will be. That’s a great picture of grandma Em too.
Great comments, Mary Rachel, and thanks for the link to Gloria’s words.
My gut feeling (and my hope) is that the Palin nomination will come back to bite the McCain campaign. When is she going to show us that she has any kind of knowledgeable world view? I can’t imagine, 60 days away from the election, a vice presidential candidate needing a crash course on world politics! And many are wanting the man who made the selection to become our Commander in Chief? Our “decider”? Mercy!
PS Rosemary is the spitting image of Grandma Em!