The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was a tragic event to know that 146 women lost their lives in such a traumatizing event. It goes to show how companies really don’t care about their workers. They locked them inside the building like prisoners and did nothing but give the family members money as if that would bring back their loved ones. It’s disappointing to know that the owners of the factory were found not guilty. The way the justice system works in this country is horrifying, if you have money, you can get away with anything. However, I am sure that if it was 146 men that died in that factory the court would have found the owners guilty. It gave me some faith in humanity to learn that there was a march for the girls and because of them sweatshops in the United States were abolished and the rights for women were fought for. Women have been fighting for equal rights to men since 1700 and it is truly sad to know that we are still in this constant battle for our human rights. Its disturbing how big corporations and the government all over the world treat working-class people like nothing. Yes, sweatshops are banned in the United States, but these companies take their business to other countries and pay the workers an unlivable wage. learning about the fire that took place in a Bangladesh factory was shocking. The same thing that happened to the women of the triangle shirtwaist factory is the same thing that happened to the people in this clothing factory in Bangladesh. The doors were locked, people jumping out of windows to save their bodies so their families could identify them, the exact thing that happened at the triangle factory. Then, when the workers fight for their lives and protest to raise the wage to 35 cents they are beaten. I found it hard to watch the whole video because it is so heartbreaking and then to be reminded that this is still going on in the present day. Therefore, fast fashion is so toxic to our community, companies like Gucci, Gap, Nike, all the name brand companies are not ethical.

After reading “Virginia Just Became the 38th State to Pass the Equal Rights Amendment. Here’s What to Know About the History of the ERA” it was disappointing to know that the ERA is still not a part of the constitution. Why is it so hard for people to grasp the idea that women and men are equal? The right to vote was granted to women in 1920 and yet we still fight for the rights to everything today, just look at what’s happening in Texas with the abortion laws, it was annoying to read about Phyllis Schlafly and her view towards the ERA. People like Ida B. Wells, Susan B. Anthony, all the women of the suffrage movement are fighting to be seen as equals to men so they can work, vote, go to school. And this is what Schlafly feels, “What I am defending is the real rights of women,” Schlafly once said. “A woman should have the right to be in the home as a wife and mother.” This is something I hear a lot of women who are against feminine say. The right to be a mother and take care of one’s house is not taken away when women are granted the right to work and do all the things a man can. One birthright cannot overweight the other.  I really enjoyed Glory Kalu Wilson’s post presenting women of the labor rights movement holding a quote by Susan B Anthony saying, “No self-respecting woman should wish or work for the success of a party that ignores her sex.”  Anthony and many women before her paved the way for us to continue to fight for our rights as women and for Schlafly to say that the ERA would harm us as women are disappointing.

It is truly mind-boggling the way men undermine everything women do. The only reason they exist on this planet is because of us and yet they treat us like our existence is irrelevant. When reading One Hundred Years Towards Suffrage: An Overview, I couldn’t help to laugh at the buffoonery in the first statement. It reads, in 1776 a woman named Abigail Adams wrote a letter to John her husband who was attending the Continental Congress in Philadelphia asking if he could remind the other men working on the Declaration of Independence to remember the women; he laughed at her. If I am not mistaken up to today the Declaration of independence states “all MEN are created equal.” The way our opinions and values are of zero worth to them heats up every drop of blood in my veins. Then they have the nerve to say feminists are men haters. “The Cult of Domesticity “is very interesting terminology to refer to men who perpetuate male dominance. It does reflect cult-like behavior, forcing your beliefs and opinions on all you encounter, specifically women. “Sarah Grimke begins her speaking career as an abolitionist and a women’s rights advocate. She is eventually silenced by male abolitionists who consider her public speaking a liability.” This here also seems like cult behavior. Why are they so afraid of the words of a woman, is it not because they are afraid, they will lose allies? On a happier note, learning that there is or was an all-women college which was founded by a woman named Mary Lyon, warms the heart. I also did not know about the Lowell Female Labor Reform Association (LFLRA) founded in 1844; why don’t they teach these things in school along with the rest of the U.S history. I remember learning about the first-ever male work unions, and I believe the history of the female work industry is just as important. Another example is when learning about what happened after the abolishment of slavery and all the African Americans that made a difference, why was Former slave Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech not included in the curriculum? I read her speech for one of my classes and it is something that should be included in a high school curriculum. She first talks about all the things men say women can’t do and continues to prove them wrong by talking about all the things she has encountered as a former slave. A line I appreciate from the speech is ” I could work as much and eat as much as a man – when I could get it – and bear the lash as well! And ain’t I a woman?” she compares her tolerance for pain to a man and it is truly empowering. Women suffrage has been going on since 1776 and I am pretty sure way before that. The funny part is that we should not have to fight for basic human rights. The first set of condoms were available to women in 1859. And even if these items are available to women hospitals and male partners do not allow women access to these products. When I was in the 8^th grade, I watched Ironed Jawed Angels in school, and I remember a scene where a woman was surrounded by at least 10 kids because her husband did not want to use protection. Hell, it’s 2021 and we are still fighting for the rights of OUR bodies, just look at what’s going on in Texas with the rights to abortion. If you don’t have a Uterus, don’t have an opinion on any matter regarding it.

Watching The Untold Stories of Black Women in The Suffrage Movement was enlightening. I did not know about Ida B. Wells, but I am glad I got to learn about her today. She is an example to be reconned with starting the first black women suffrage movement and sorority that is still going strong today. She knew what she wanted, and she fought for it. I can imagine the bravery it took to walk in the front of a suffrage march back in the 19th century when African Americans were incredibly segregated. Erika Jimenez’s post really highlighted what the collective of women during the 100 years of suffrage really fought for and the passion they fought with, it’s because of women like Ida B. Wells and Susan B. Anthony, we can vote today.

How To Think Like an Activist by Wendy Syfret, is an amazing and motivating read. It would have been great to read this work in high school instead of Hamlet. From the start of the book, it mentions all the movements of feminists, and that immediately caught my attention. Syfret stated that all activist influence one another generations down without knowing it. One person can do something small, and people will see and join the cause. It’s another fact that the same issues are always fought for, LGBTQ+ rights, gender rights, black lives matter, Asian lives matter, climate change. These are all issues that continue to be fought for just in different ways. I really liked when Syfret mentioned the impact Covid-19 has had on the way activists share and fight for their cause. Syfret said, “Powered by the internet, nurtured by a vital network of mentors.” because of covid 19 society was forced to find new ways to reach their target groups, but because of social media people have been able to share their clauses worldwide. And everyone no matter the age can inspire and mentor the people that want to help them. When Black Lives Matter started it was because of a single post. I remember scrolling through Instagram and only sing black posts in honor of Black Lives Matter. The internet plays a huge part in the life of activists today because it allows them to access a larger span of people and allows protest without police brutality. Syfret also talks about how it’s because of the isolation we experience over the past year and a half that eyes have been opened more about the problems of the world. Because of covid 19 people have realized that to make the planet a better place change needs to happen and fast, especially when it come to climate change, non-binary issues, and women’s rights.

I also appreciated how this work is literally a step-by-step guide. First, it talks about finding what you want to stand for and how to go about it. this is something that would have really helped me as a kid. When I was in high school, I watched a movie about the women s suffrage moment in the 1920s, and after that day I knew I wanted to always fight for the rights of women. I did not know how to go about it and every one I tried to explain my clause to never wanted to hear it. Syfret mentions to mention a personal experience, that way people can easily relate and not feel like they are taking on the world’s problem. This is something I did not do when sharing my clause because I was afraid to tell my trauma to people. It was also the fact that when the older generation hear me talking about those issues with my friends, I would be told the “those issues are not in my hand so leave it alone. Syfret has a quote in the reading that reads, “Adults like us when we have strong test scores, but they hate us when we have strong opinions.” I have never related to a quote so much in my life growing up it was always a problem when I spoke about things that I found wrong with the world and the elders around me would try and invalidate my words by telling me to study things my age or you must not say certain things out loud cause people will target you. Hannah Nichols post explains exactly how I feel about the adults that would try to belittle my world. I would rather people have horrid opinions about me than belittle myself and not stand for what I believe in.

I found both readings very interesting, they both really helped to clarify the points of oppression I questioned. Patriarchy the System by Allan Johnson went deep into detail about where oppression really came from. Oppression is not an individual matter but a social one. It really has to do with the way institutes continue to perpetuate ideas into the minds of growing generations. The article states “The oppression of women happened because men want and like to dominate women and act hostility towards them. There is poverty and class oppression because people in upper classes are greedy, heartless and cruel.” I was thrilled to know that this problem is something people are starting to see from the source. If schools, movies, households, religion so many other institutes, did not teach impressionable minds about gender roles and this is for boys and that is for girls; in fact, the whole gender thing because gender is used to label and control, none of the oppression that exist today would. If gender roles were not a thing along with the importance of skin color, oppression would not exist in my opinion. Why is gender and race so important to this society? Why do I have to specify my gender and race in the beginning of each form or survey I fill out? the article spoke about a scenario of a college guy taking advantage of a drunk girl at a party. It states he knows what he is doing is wrong, but he does it anyways. This made me think of the sickening phrase “boys will be boys.” This phrase again is said by schools and by parents and relatives when a boy does something wrong but, society brushes if off likes its no big deal. When I use to work in a day care, there was this little boy who use to crawl under the tables and look under the dresses of all the dolls in the play area. I would always tell him not to do it because it is wrong and when I asked where he learned it, he said his brother. The head teacher laughed and “said boys will be boys” I was so disappointed to see a grown women see nothing wrong with his action. Yes, he was a toddler and was only following his brother, but it was still a wrong action. Let’s not talk about the toys for boys and girls, all boy toys have to do with weapons and cars, and girl toys are baby dolls and fashion. If social institutes stop normalizing these issues oppression would not be as big on any issue. Then there is the rich people gatekeeping all the secrets to wealth as if, if they share them, money will run out. Then there is the argument that if everyone is rich money will lose its value. Money again is the cause of class oppression, why do we need a piece of paper to tell us the value of something or to buy something. Money and capitalism are huge problems in the world, but the same idea that goes for gender oppression goes for class oppression. If we stop as a whole teaching gender roles and identify everything as genderfluid and teach that no matter your gender you can be and do what you want. Oppression of gender would not exist. And if we all stop working and protested capitalism, money and the social hierarchies will die because they need us working to exist. The post be Erika Jimenez, is my point exactly. Erika’s post shows a group of people caught in a web being held be a white man wearing a suit. This image truly highlights how capitalism treats us, as we are the food caught on the web, we are the source that fuels them. If we were not caught in the web capitalism would die from starvation. Both articles were words for thought.