OPINION |
This month reminds me of how I grew up in the 70s while being raised by my dad. I heard talks about women’s liberation, and how women can open their own door.
These talks were different for me because my dad would make comments like “work hard when you are young, so you can play hard when you are old” or “Never take no for an answer” or “if you work hard, you can achieve anything.” He used to say only the strong survive and men are supposed to cry.
When I attended events with my father, I noticed the women were on one side of the room and the men on the other side. My father would tell me to engage in conversations with the men because they talked about real world issues and how to conquer them. He said women only talked about raising children and soap operas. Many concepts I heard by men were to be ruthless and do whatever it takes to win. As I moved through my career, I realized several things I learned were not accurate. I learned about the historical suffering of women. I experienced my own setbacks with harassments for being a woman, especially a young woman in a career path where the majority of leaders were men.
I believe I viewed the world through different perspectives and learned to give people the benefit of the doubt. However, this month has me perplexed. Why would one woman think it is OK to challenge another woman (or man) in front of a group of young people that are supposed to be nourished and protected? Even if the person was an expert on the topic, could the concern have been addressed after the session? How was this uplifting and supporting another woman? Even the American Academy of Pediatrics wrote a policy statement, in August 2019, based on scientific data entitled, “The Impact of Racism on Child and Adolescent Health” and what they discovered.
I also do not understand why it was important to point out whether someone said a pledge or not, understanding we do have the First Amendment right to freedom of speech. Who are we to dictate what we believe is acceptable or not? How are we lifting someone up with a Facebook post depicting a tower filled with what appears to be thick black hair, bulging through the seams of the structure, with a hair pick sticking in it or make a play on how many hands were up? What happened to lifting people up, especially during a month where we are supposed to honor women?
I am paraphrasing a passage I read in a book recently, “Love thy neighbor as thy self.” Maybe we need to love ourselves a little more so we can love others as we love ourselves. I know many people have struggles in life, that can impact us differently. However, we can choose how we react and respond to life’s circumstances. An agape type of love will always lift someone up! When we fall back in love with ourselves, we can better see the good in people and their true intent.
There are many women of culture I want to lift up and recognize this month. These are women I worked with over the years on many projects for every culture I can think of in Springfield. These are women who used, their passion, position, and/or power to make someone’s life better:
- Amy Blansit with the creation of the RISE program and Blue House Project to assist one family at a time change the trajectory of their lives.
- Cora Scott is one of the most creative people I know to use events to engage different cultures, such as the ongoing jazz festival to bring people together, and the expanded Route 66 festivities.
- Crista Hogan started a felony expungement program with lawyers volunteering their time to help previously incarcerated individuals.
- Dr. Grenita Latham, her administration, teachers and staff strengthened a community pathway to provide opportunity for students to engage in career and college programs while in school.
- Janet Dankert implemented the inclusive excellence model and expanded services to people of culture, which included creation of the O’Reilly Center of Hope with one-stop resources.
- Jordana Vera and Yeni Vasquez were first in their families to attend college and started a nonprofit after graduating from Missouri State University to help others attend college.
- Monica Horton is a very passionate community volunteer without any hidden agendas, using her expertise to advance the constituents she serves and youth in the community.
- Rosalie O’Reilly Wooten, Mary Beth O’Reilly, Brooke O’Reilly and Dr. Nancy O’Reilly are women I admired when I first moved to Springfield. Their creation and support of Isabel’s House and many other community needs has made the lives better for many in this area.
- Dr. Rosalyn Thomas has been an educator and supporter of youth and now young adults for several years in Springfield.
I applaud many other women as we celebrate this month. What matters is our children. It does not matter whether this is where “her people live or his people live” – statements I heard this month. What matters is who has the heart, knowledge, and passion to set policy and work independently, yet collectively, with others to best serve our children. Fill those two school board seats wisely.
Happy Women’s History Month.
