It was in an article for “American Quarterly,” about the pious and extremely well-behaved colonial women described by Cotton Mather as “the hidden ones,” that Ulrich made her now familiar observation . The author of the sentence is Laurel Thatcher Ulrich who has since written a book of the same title.
I feel we as women take so many things for granted, there was a time when our voices were not heard, when we were basically equal to slaves. Yet women worked within those societal and oftentimes legal confines to make a way for themselves and their daughters a way to have a voice and an opinion and a way to be safe in their homes. These women were amazing soldiers in the war of equality among men and society, we have come a very long way. These women took a stand against injustice and made themselves be heard, they did it with grace, with elocution, with education, with families at home, with husbands and families that weren't supportive, they did it because they felt a calling. So when I see these stickers and t-shirts and mugs with this cute little saying, I wonder do you know the women you are referring to, is it you? Are you facilitating change? Are you raising women to stand in the face of adversity and to do what is right despite the cost? It's a tall order and a great burden but as we have seen in the past and will see in the future we can bear it and we will carry on the torches handed to us by those beautiful strong souls that have come before us.
We are not done yet changes are coming, women are still enslaved are still unequal are still treated as property. I have hope that one day freedom and equality for women will be worldwide.
No comments:
Post a Comment