20^th Century Feminist concerns

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was a tragedy that was believed to be man-made. It was in around Washington Square Park which was one the areas known for its riches in the city of New York. It was a sweatshop that had about 500 workers with a terrible work schedule and most of the workers were immigrant women. They could not speak English and were stuck for hours making clothes for other rich women. Unfortunately, the fire started small and began to spread, as if the fire was not enough it was very hard to escape when the doors, elevators did not work properly. It was checked regularly maybe many more people would have survived. The employers did not care about them to make a suitable work schedule and to make a safe environment for emergencies. It’s bad that it takes a disaster to realize that factories should have sprinklers and the lives lost were unfortunately used as an example. 

It was not just about sprinklers, the building was too high, windows locked, not all elevator worked and way too many workers. Basically, it was the poor working condition that killed so many people. The garments being made were highly flammable and oil were used in the machines, it was a risk working there at all. Now that the society’s eyes have been opened to be more cautious, they mad more lawsy to have good working conditions. 

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is an advanced change in the United States used to assure equal rights for all American Citizens no matter the sex. Even when it was allowed to vote it equality still did not become a thing and it is one of the most common protest reasons today. Centuries later and The Equal Rights Amendment has not been added to the constitution. Using people’s gender to make decision for them is very wrong. Women are not getting jobs because of their gender and their race; they are seen as fragile. The amendment was made to change that but there has been no difference for so long, we are still fighting for the same thing, and we might still be years to come. The ERA is also important because it is a way to prevent women’s right being taken away again. Equality doesn’t just have to be for women but it’s for all genders, race, religion and more. The society is trying to avoid low payed jobs for works due to their race, being able to walk around freely without being afraid. Having the same education and finance, people of color are more likely to not get jobs or be payed less. No gender should be preferred more than the other because for centuries we have been going over the same issue with little progress. Its good now that states are passing The Equal Rights Amendment to change things for the better. One day we hope to look back and say making our voices heard was not in vain because then it will be added in the constitution. 

I do not even know why there was even a law saying women should not be allowed to vote, everyone should be allowed to vote and make a change.  Saying that women belong in the kitchen and won’t have time for to partake in political activities is very wrong. Everyone should be giving the same chance to do what they want to do. It’s very ridiculous that it took one hundred years to finally allow women to vote. The women before allowed to vote always wanted to join their husbands and had to watch them leave and make decisions concerning the government alone. Imagine a person ruling and you had no say over it or staying in a community and not being able to join others to make change. It can be frustrating watching things turn upside down. Women who were doing great where being told to be silent because they could not handle women being in the spotlight. Women were treated badly and discriminated; it still happens today but back then when it was happening, they were not allowed to do anything about it. Change would not have happened if some were not brave enough and cared what men thought about them, they are the reason for making a big step and allowing progress to happen. Mary Lyon who founded the first college in Massachusetts and others followed to conventions and groups being opened and Harriet Tubman who saved so many people. There are many other ways women have gone over the top, yet they are still told to stay home and take care of the children or clean. It continues as women are writing speeches, articles and can publish them. They were finally given good condoms and population of children reduced.            

1920 August women were finally allowed to vote. Ida B. Well, lost her parents at a young age, she went to school and changed things for good by helping to fight for women’s rights and black people, she was very popular in the time where there was too much violence and hatred. She was brought into slavery but freed by emancipation. Women from all over traveled to Washington DC to participate in the march, African Americans were allowed to participate but were told to stay at the back. Ida B. Well did not want hat happening and she decided to change that. She was a speaker and always wanted change for good. Anna Julia Cooper was a slave, she graduated college, became a principal later. Today we see black woman as vice presidents, principals, doctors, and many more because of changes made back then. Even though there are times when there is still discrimination it still won’t stop women from being the best and changing the future for other women. Girls can grow up and not be afraid of being the president or vice president, they won’t be arid of working in a medical department because they are black, they know they worked hard for it so they will get it. Fear can prevent you from moving forward and that is why we must fight it and make change. We should speak out and let others know that women deserve much. 

Activisms

Activisms is an action used to support a change. When there are things, we need happening that are needed to change people begin to protest or go on a strike to show how such a decision can affect them. It is also way to fight for your rights. Activism begins when a person decides to use their voice and energy to speak out on what they think should be different. All it takes is for one person brave enough to speak out and others will follow. When there are many there is a big chance for change. There also other ways like posting on social media instead of going outside to protest, like in this time when we must be careful of COVID-19. When the youth come together to speak people are curios to what these young adults are going on about. They bring I knew ways to catch people’s attention, they are creative on social media, and it catches people’s attention. When older adults see what they have been protesting about for years and the way the youths are going about it, it might make them know that we won’t just take anything and that we fight back. 

            The use of videos has really helped during activism and has made a lot of cases open, if people did not record it people won’t believe that such is happen. Even if it when it is not recorded does that mean that that incident should not get the same attention. People getting to see it spark the fire.

            In the film Girl Connected, some girls speak on how they feel left out when they are asked to marry ate young age, not allowed to study certain a course, and can’t go out as much. I noticed how these girls do what they want because it is right and don’t try to blend in. They start as one to speak on what is right and go on by having people in their community support them and bring in more people. They have support from their families which is the most important, like in the case where girls must marry young. Her parents know she does not want it and dis not force her. It’s hard being a girl in so many places because you have some who can’t be who they want to be because they are being disrupted in certain ways. If they do not get married, they can be attacked which is scary for them and very young. If the girl marries at that age, she won’t achieve what she wants. Women have rights and not everyone is given the opportunity most have. Its very good now that even from a very young age girls know the certain things they should follow or accept. Girls can learn karate if they want, they can take engineering courses if they want. Whatever they choose does not make them less girly, but it allows them to have a dream and achieve it. 

Patriarchy is when the male gender is dominating in certain areas and make it hard for women to also have the same power. It is true that when people talk about patriarchy, they think about mean being in charge and yes, it is but it is also about women who will not stand for that and want people to see that they exist and are even as strong as them. I can’t just blame a person for something unless they did it and that is why women do not say men treat them badly because they just don’t like men. They make people aware of what is going on because it has happened to them and there is no way they will want men at work or at home trying to make them feel less of a human being. The idea that women are fragile, and men are strong should not even be a thing. People tend to say discrimination started by the system, who is part of the system, the government? They tend to blame a group when it starts from an individual and moves on to others. Yes, people in the government also treat women terrible but they were not always there, they learned it somewhere else. 

When women mention patriarchy, they are not agreeing that they should be downgraded they choose to fight. If women did not exist I winder who they would downgrade. Society has made it seem like men do the most important things which means they should be praised more but what I do not understand is how can they dictate that when they never let women who can do the same thing a chance. Even when they give a chance, we are seen as not good enough. It can be hard for people who just want their work to be accepted and it’s even worse for people of color, being discriminate for their color and their gender.

Being a person of color, part of the lgbtq community should not be seen as a bad thing because these people are still humans. If you assume there is something bad, then you are most likely the problem. They are strong people because they are going through more oppression just because they finally found themselves and because of how they were born. Punishing people for who they are is completely wrong. There are people who can’t fight discrimination and that is why we need to fight for them and stop this hatred which has been happening. Sometimes I like to know what make a human being harm another human being because they don’t like who they are. It just does not sit right and that is pure wickedness. That fact that some people are beginning to accept that they can’t fight the oppression shows how bad it is and how fast it needs to stop. Being in a certain group should mean you are accepted and not put you in any harm or danger. It just unreal how far others can go because they do not like you or because they think they are better than you.