Monday, February 15, 2010

Happy Birthday Susan B. Anthony!

Today has been marked "Presidents' Day" combining George and Abraham's birthdays. If you are a woman who has voted in any Presidential Election you have Susan B. Anthony to thank and guess what? Today is her birthday, Susan B. Anthony Day.

Ken Burnes Series called, "Not for Themselves Alone" tells the wonderful story of not only Susan but her sidekick, Elizabeth Caddy Stanton. I love the story because these activist women who were trying to get the vote for African Americans realized that they had no political power to do so until they themselves got the vote. I loved the example they set of what women working together can do. Women from all walks of life joined the movement. Elizabeth a wife with many children was the brains while Susan who was unmarried, refusing to be a man's doll or drudge, was the feet to get out the message. Elizabeth, a bit of a radical along with Susan's political savy and organizational skills, made great strives to get women the right to vote.

Sadly, they didn't live to see the day when the 19th Amendment named after Susan B. Anthony was passed by many of who were called Susan's nieces in the movement. Women who brought their own skill sets to accomplish the vote for women.

She reminds me of what we as women, forgetting our differences, can accomplish working together to make this world a better place for the next generation. As I look into issues such as Health Insurance for all, education for girls all over the world, and stopping the violence to women in the Congo; I hear Susan whisper in my ear to continue her work for total equality for all women.

©Buist 2-15-10

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