Woman Up!
I felt it fitting to write about woman and woman's rights given that the media and Hollywood have provided a limelight to these issues lately. As a mother, business owner, daughter, niece, friend, and of course woman I find it interesting to read and hear comments such as "It's about time" "It's our time now" I mean is it really? Let's go through a brief and consise woman's rights history lesson here people.
July 13, 1848, upstate New York, Elizabeth Cady Stanton was having tea with a couple of her friends and they started to discuss their "role(s) in society" to keep it simple. July 19 and 20 1848 at the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls they had their first "Convention". Stanton wanted to come with a plan so to speak so she decided to go to the one source that we all should be familiar with The Declaration of Independence and with that created The Declaration of Sentiments for the Women's Rights Movement. This movement ended back in 1998. So if you are a woman with a credit under her own name, took out a loan, have a college degree and maybe even take birth control.... you can give thanks to Stanton and the many woman that supported her vision.
December 1, 1955, a seamstress at the Montgomery Department Store got off of work after a very long day and sat down on the bus to go home when this white man decided that he wanted to sit in her seat and she respectfully denied his request. She was later found guilty after a 30 minute trial and was fined $10.00 with a $4.00 court fee. Fast forward to June 1956 where what is known as the Jim Crow Laws declared racial segregation laws unconstitutional. On November 13, 1956 the attempts to overrule this Law failed as the United States Supreme Court upheld the lower Court's ruling.
So now lets go to more recent news, January 1, 2018 Times Up Movement is founded by Hollywood's finest. This movement in conjunction with #MeToo focus on sexual assault, harassment, and inequality in the workplace. All good causes and most of these topics have not been highlighted in the past with the exception of woman actually having the right to go to the police to let them know of the abuse and of course that this type of abuse is actually illegal at the present time.
I am all for Woman rights and woman power. I was raised by both of my parents, middle class and at the age of 15 years old my parents decided to get a divorce. But there was one thing that both my parents taught me and that was to "Respect myself". My father always told me never let ANYONE disrespect me in anyway as him as my farther never did, why should you let anyone else do so? I was taught to be a strong and confident woman and was lead by example by my wonderful mother. Pushed to be better then previous generous I believe it was these words and motivations that helped me "Put my foot down" by showing that you have no fear in anyway meaning fear of loosing your job because of XYZ, fear of being rejected because the way you look, fear of failing due you thinking you're not good enough, etc. You are setting yourself up for failure. If you do not respect yourself ... why would you expect anyone else to?
As a mother of a girl I have instilled in her these very morals. Just because you are a woman, does not mean you are less then anyone. Always know that male or female you are good enough, you are good looking enough, you CAN do it, and most of all respect yourself.
