Women’s Rights, One Step at a Time

I spent last weekend, like millions of other people, marching for Women’s Rights. With my Storytelling class in mind I wanted to record all of the chants and placards I saw, but holding my own sign up was a struggle in itself, so I missed a lot of the amazing recordable moments.

A group of marchers behind me were not just chanting, but breaking out in song. I heard, and sung along to as best I could to: “This Land Your Land”, “God Bless America”, Madonna’s “Express Yourself” and even Venessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles.”

Because we had made our way downtown. We were making our way through the crowd. We were homebound, but not until we got some business done.

Making my way downtown

In the aftermath, many people posted their signs and a message of their most pressing concern in the storm of uncertainty. For me, I wished to keep moving forward with equal rights for women.

“No advantage and no success is ever permanent. The winners are those that keep moving.” ~ Michael Dell (Matthews, 2005)

I know I stand on the shoulders of other people, other women, that questioned the norm and fought for our rights. So when I saw my friend Maureen Milliken’s post on Facebook of her father’s letter to a nun about being denied the right to work on patrol duty in grammar school because she was a girl, I asked her if I could read it for my Storytelling class (personal communication, January 24, 2017).

I think you’ll enjoy it. Please have a listen:

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0UQfFkFVDDG

Sources:

Matthews, Joseph R. Strategic Planning and Management for Library Managers. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2005.