"Where are the angry American women? In all honesty, I've also been watching the men talk about your reproductive issues and saying, Why are these women not angry and beating men left and right?' It's time for women to stop being politely angry."
--Nobel Peace Prize winner and Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee
So women will be the decisive factor in the presidential elections, huh? Well, listen up... we're steaming mad and we're going to march. But guess what? We're also going to vote. And that's why all you policy makers better pay close attention to what we have to say.
Last spring, I wrote "From Anger to Action: Why Women Must Get Mad" in which I pleaded with those who are sick, tired and frightened of the daily abuses of women and girls in this country, lack of jobs, pay inequity, toxic air, water and food, cuts in education and health care, wars that never seem to end -- and so much more -- to band together, stand up and say "Enough is enough."
During the ensuing months, things went from bad to worse but women, it seemed, just weren't quite mad enough, or were so weighed down by the enormity of it all we collectively waited for someone to come along to push us out of the depths of our despair. We experienced deeper and more painful levels of unemployment, a dearth of senior level private and public sector positions (in fact, according to recent reports, more women lost government jobs than men thanks to cuts, cuts and more cuts), legislation and programs that would compromise our health and safety and witnessed ultra conservatives referring to women as sluts and comparing us to farm animals. And that's just the short list.
How, we wanted to know, did this happen? How did American women slip so far backwards in the eyes of this country that huge groups of people want to see our rights taken from us? Want to see us give up control of our own bodies? Hope to never see us enjoy equal pay or equal rights? Want to control us and our daughters? How?
It was a very long winter.
But this spring, something miraculously clicked in the collective consciousness of American women, and it was palpable. We got really, really mad. Even Republican women in office became angered (a little late perhaps) by the war on women, as did Republican voters. We grew weary of being used as pawns in an increasingly nasty political game where the only real players are men. And it brings us no joy to know that both political parties are using women in hand-to-hand combat to win the presidential election.
Finally, one woman had seen, heard, and experienced enough and said, "No more!" ...unleashing a movement that was just waiting to happen. Watch this:
UniteWomen.org, an organization that was formed only a month ago by Karen Teegarden and Desiree Jordan, has gained tens of thousands of members (with more joining every day) through the power of social media, the support of pro-women groups such as NOW, National Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice and many others. They've organized a one-day march and rally which will happen all across the country.
On Saturday, April 28th American women will join together in non-partisan unity and shout, "Enough is enough!" The days of standing on the sidelines to watch others control our bodies, health, income and rights are over. In every state capital around the country, including DC, women will participate in the "We Are Women March" and shout and be heard. To find out where the march will be held in your state, go the "Unite Against the War on Women" website.
I will be marching (with my two teenaged daughters) in New York City. Recently, I was invited to be one of the key speakers, along with Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, actress Martha Plimpton, head of the National Advocates for Pregnant Women Lynn Paltrow, and others who are angry about the state of women in America today... and plan to use their feet and voices to be the change.
No matter where you live in this country, you can join us. No matter your age, sex, religion or political orientation, you can join us. Let's put a stop to the craziness, once and for all.
Need an extra push to bring out your walking shoes and march with us on April 28th? Watch this:
Follow Barbara Hannah Grufferman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BGrufferman
There are a relatively few people who control this country and really benefit from its laws. If the votes matched the self-interest, the national elections would be determined not by margins of 2-3%, they would be determined by 20-30%, or more. What no one likes to admit is that the various secondary classes in this country - women, poor, minorities - as a class don't have the brains to vote their best interests.
Frankly, I'm disappointed and confused that so few women are angry or excited about the loss of control over their own bodies. And I don't understand why so many are willing to let a batch of angry old men take control and funding from facilities that serve women. But being a realist, I have to accept the fact that this is occurring in most places and most states in America. In many, these women's services have become difficult to obtain or prohibitively expensive for many. I truly don't yunderstand why wome, who are in the majority, are letting mostly right wing reactionary chrisatain men do this to them?
I don't know! But it is very ironic to watch a batch of mostly old men and conservative christian female allies tuen their backs upon modern medical & scientific know-how and enact laws that afre based upon arcane beliefs. The ultimate may be the new Arizona law that pregnancy begins two before conception. Are these people really unable to understand that Cause preceeds Effect?
Faced with this level of public stupidity, many (if not most) are withdrawing from any involvment with public policy. Is that apathy or surrender to the reality of prevailing American mores?
I have also, for the first time in my life, begun contributing to female political candidates with every paycheck.
I suspect that the Republican party's sad, sudden veer rightward (and its subsequent series of cheap shots at women) may finally have awoken a sleeping tiger. At least, I certainly hope so.
Make your voice heard in November, everybody!
I prefer to vote for ideals and intelligence, not just for sex organs. :)
This is not full of complexity or shrouded in mystery. There are a group of Americans.... predominately conservative men that are sending a strong message to women. That message is....you mean nothing. Your rights mean even less and your fears and concerns fall on deaf ears.
You are a political machination to divide and distract. They use you because they don't respect or truly care about you. They don't admire your independence.....they loathe it. It weakens their grasp on you....both at home and in the public square. They want you fearful and dependent.
So if finding your voice at this point is a problem than you never had one to begin with. Punish these people for disrespecting you. Make them regret every punitive and regressive law and proposition they thought they could slip past you.
Make them pay and the next time they will think twice before they present you with the bill....
You have that right, and their Marxist plan has worked perfectly for decades.
it's about damn time we got angry. there is absolutely nothing wrong with anger. anger gets things done, and there's nothing bad about getting angry if you've got something good to be angry about.
and women in america have PLENTY to be angry about. we're more than half the population, more than half of voters, more than half of college graduates. we've got a lot of power, and it's about damn time we used it.
now the males who feel comfortable calling all male panels to oink about birth control and the male legislators who feel comfortable comparing us to livestock are going to pay. they're about to learn a lesson. and men sometimes need a good smack in the mouth so they pay attention.
--Nobel Peace Prize winner and peace activist Leymah Gbowee
Something ironic about Leymah's comment....
women aren't the ones doing the polarizing. MEN ARE. and it's time they pay for it.
you can stop your whining.
Super-feminist here, but I gotta say: You seem anti-male, not just anti-male-supremacy or anti-male-privilege. There's kind of a difference, you know.
Maybe you hadn't noticed, but those of us in favor of full equality include a large number of male allies. Just like how gays have pro-gay STRAIGHT allies, and blacks have pro-racial-equality WHITE allies....
It would be helpful to everyone if all of us could understand that it's not men vs. women, but rather patriarchists vs. egalitarians. There are men and women in BOTH groups.
Do you have ANY men anywhere in your life that you love and respect? Maybe you should try to keep them uppermost in your mind when you're tempted to make "all men...." statements. I know I have to do this little mind-trick on myself sometimes.
It may very well be us vs. them, but "us" and "them" is not who you seem to think it is....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z8XIRyUq9Q
Park has a new movie out, "All in the Family", and starred in Empty Nest on TV!