lisaannettestanley
Fixing Prejudice. Let's Have a Listening Party for the 4th of July
Prejudice in all it's forms, whether Racism, Sexism or Bigotry - whatever NAME you give it - is God awful.
Tomorrow is our American Independence Day.
The 4th of July.
The History of our of our Nation's Founding has several glaring omissions from the Historical Record - namely Women's History & Black History.
While I am not an "Expert" on either of these two subjects, my knowledge has increased by leaps & bounds since 2017 when I began looking into this.
By all accounts it seems that the Women's Rights Movement began by way of the Abolitionist Movement to End Slavery.
As a person who has lived my entire life being fully racially integrated, I was shocked that I've never heard of any of this until now.
All of us have had some introduction to the History of Civil Rights, even if just on a surface level.
What rock would anyone have to be living under to not have heard of Civil Rights.
But Women's Rights?
Was there even a time when WOMEN were viewed as 2nd Class Citizens?
Was there a time when WOMEN were viewed as the Property of the Men in their lives?
Was there a time when WOMEN could not Vote?
Yes.
And the early Women's Rights Pioneers were Abolitionists first.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was one of the original Women's Rights Pioneers.
During the Women's Suffrage Centennial in 2020 in Celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, the National Constitution Center, located in Philadelphia first got on my radar as a credible source for Civics information & Constitutional Law both Past & Present.
The NCC regularly hosts Town Halls on their YouTube Channel with speakers like the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader-Ginsberg.
Below is one such Town Hall on the History of Stanton's career of political activism during the time when our Constitutional Amendments were being written.
While I really enjoyed the National Constitution Center's Town Hall discussion with Elizabeth Cady Stanton Biographer Laurie Ginsberg, I felt like she was overly-apologetic of what she refers to as Stanton's "Breath-takingly Racist remarks."
Ginsberg is witty & thoughtful & charming in her assessment of Stanton, but all I could think is
"Wow. Have you heard those breath-takingly SEXIST Lyrics in Black Rap Music Lyrics now?"
I would actually like to continue this conversation on the subject of PREJUDICE while listening to some nice soft & soothing Rap Music screaming about Bitches. (Bitch is the CLEAN VERSION.)
From my perspective as a White Woman who has always lived my life the right way, reaching down my hand to help others less fortunate than me, I SO DEEPLY understand the sense of BETRAYAL Stanton must have felt at being repeatedly snubbed by History.
The 13th Amendment was passed - ok good. That's what she wanted.