The YouTube video “untold stories of black women in the suffrage movement” was very educational because I learned a lot of things that school previously failed to teach me. In the video we learn about a few empowering women who have fought to get us women, especially black women where we are today. In school, I didn’t really learn anything about ida b wells so it was really interesting to hear about the things she has done to help get black women the rights we have today. To hear that she was born to slavery, lost her parents at a young age but was still able to become educated and become this powerful black woman who made a huge impact on the lives of women/ black women and black people in general is incredible. To also hear that she used her power to expose lynching as something that white peoples used to intimidate and oppress black people resllt blows my mind. Especially since lynching was something sadly a lot of black people had to go through back then. She also started the alpha suffrage club which set out to register black women and men voters, which led to many other people forming their own groups to fight for the rights of black people. 

To hear about the 22 college women, the founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority who saw the importance of the right to vote so they marched in the women’s suffrage march is amazing. I don’t know why but I couldn’t imagine myself right now making that much of an impact on the world at such a young age. It just shows how powerful those women back then were and how dedicated they were to fighting for the rights we now have today. 

I have heard of Susan b Anthony but I never really learned about what she has done so this video helped me learn a lot that I didn’t know before. Susan b Anthony was someone who fought to end slavery and property ownership of women. Many people didn’t like the fact that she said “Women deserved the vote more than black men” which I can agree with them. Even though I’m sure men believe they deserve to vote more than women. I don’t think we should be saying we deserve something more than them because I think it would make us stoop down to the same level as those who thought we didn’t deserve the right to vote. 

All of the women mentioned in the video are very powerful and are very appreciated because us women definitely probably wouldn’t have the rights we have today without them. 

The one hundred years toward suffrage timelines is something that shows us a bunch of events that eventually led to women receiving the right to vote. It’s mentions that in 1849 Harriet Tubman escaped slavery and over the next 10 years she lead many others slaves to freedom by the Underground Railroad which is something I already knew about but it is something that really made history. In 1891 ida b Wells- Barnett launched her nationwide anti lynching campaign after three black who were businessmen were murdered. In 1919 the nineteenth amendment which from google states “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex”, passes both house and senate and goes to the state for ratification. In 1920 the nineteenth amendment was adopted. Although I only listed a few out of the many things that took place before the nineteenth amendment was adopted, there were  so many more things that happened that contributed to it. 

I really liked Raquel Hernandez’s snapshot because to me it represents women being restricted by those who believe that politics is no place for women.

“The Feminine Mystique” by Betty Friedan talks about how the American dream back then was women loving the idea of only being housewives just staying home to take care of the children. Back then it was a normal thing for the woman to take care of things around the house while the men went out and worked to bring home the money. To me this just proves how women were seen as less than men. The men were able to go out, have careers and do whatever they wanted to do while the women stood home and cleaned up after them. 

Betty mentions something called “The problem” which had no name but to me it was the women realizing that this is not all they want to do with their lives. She mentions “she was afraid to ask even the silent question – “is this all”. Although the feline mystique made it seem like women loved only doing housework, I think we all know that some part of them definitely wanted to do more with their lives like have a career or hobbies. 

“The Politics of Housework” by Pat Mainardi is something that talks about how men expect women to be the ones who do all the housework and care for the children. For example Pat says “Housework is garbage work. It’s the worst crap I’ve ever done. It’s degrading and humiliating for someone of my intelligence to do it. But for someone of your intelligence….”. She also mentions  “House work is beneath my status. My purpose in life is to deal with matters of significance. Yours is to deal with matters of insignificance. You should do the housework”. This shows how men during this time thought they were too good to do housework, probably because they were the ones who were paying the bills. Men thought they were more important or seen on a higher rank than women so stuff that required cleaning and stuff was seen as not worth their time. 

I don’t get how men probably loved coming home to everything taken care of around the house but l never really acknowledge the hard work and time it took their woman to get it done. Men are the type to like to get praised for the job they do but when it comes to women doing stuff around the house they probably see it as something we were supposed to do so we didn’t deserve any praise or thank you. 

The myth of the vaginal by Anne Koedt was something I found very interesting to read especially since I am female. It talks about how the clitoris is the center of sexual sensitivity and is what causes us to have orgasms. Many men believe that women are incapable of having orgasms during sexual intercourse which is false. It is just the fact that the vagina isn’t a highly sensitive area and the clit is often not stimulated which is why many women do not have orgasms during sexual intercourse. 

When Freud said “the clitoral orgasm was adolescent, and that upon puberty, when women began having sexual intercourse with men, women should transfer the center of orgasm to the vagina” I found that a little weird. I don’t get how he just expects us to just transfer the spot that causes us to have orgasms just because he thinks of the clit as childish and the vagina more adult like. What made it even more weird was that it mentioned that he did not base his theory off of the study of the woman anatomy but based off of his assumptions of woman as an inferior appendage to man.

I really liked Emely D’s snapshot because it says “There are other rooms in this house” as a woman stands in the kitchen doing dishes. To me it basically represents how women back then were only ever known to be in the kitchen either cleaning or cooking for their family and really didn’t do anything else with their time. 

After watching the film “Disclosure” it really made me emotional because I never really knew of the tragic and sad things Trans people go through just for trying to live their life the way they want to. It’s even sadder to think about all the ignorant people out there who take time out of their day to try and bring down those who are a part of the trans community. I still don’t really understand how people have a problem with the way trans people live their lives when it doesn’t affect them in any way possible.

As I grew up, I watched movies like Big Mama’s house and Mrs. Doubtfire but I never knew that making these kinds of movies was a way of making fun of the trans community until watching this film. It really broke my heart to hear that a lot of trans people were excited when they would see trans people represented in movies or tv shows until they realized they were being portrayed in a negative way to make people laugh. Laverne Cox said that “People are trained to have that reaction” when talking about riding the train in NYC early on in her transition and someone laughed at her. If all of these movies and shows are portraying being trans as a joke and something to laugh at, and a lot of ignorant people take that and run with it to the point where when they see someone who is trans, they completely ignore their feelings and see them as some kind of joke. 

It really blows my mind how many people don’t accept those who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community because they would not like it if they were to be treated the way they are. I don’t get how it is hard for people to just mind their business, respect others and just be nice regardless of skin color or gender identity. 

It was really shocking to me to find out that these movies and tv shows were portraying trans people as vicious/ bad people or people we need to fear. I think stuff like that definitely can change the way people view those a part of the trans community in real life. It was also sad to know that they would show people finding out one of the characters were trans and they would instantly become sick as if being trans is just some disgusting thing. Someone being trans makes them no different than anyone else so people shouldn’t see them as less of a person because of it.

I really liked Kevin Kimbles snapshot because a lot of people probably think that the issues trans and black people face aren’t as big as we make it seem. They probably think we only went through simple issues like trans people not being able to use the bathroom with the gender they identify with or that the only issue black people faced is having to use different water fountains as the white people but the issues go completely beyond that.

Too Latina to be Black, Too Black to be Latina is something that talks about some of the things  Aleichia Williams has experienced as someone who is black and Latina. As she continued to get older, she noticed that people tried to fit her into a specific category solely based on her skin color. In today’s society, many people believe if you have a dark skin complexion and kinky hair that you’re automatically African American and find it hard to believe when you tell them you’re Hispanic. The same way they automatically assume someone with a lighter skin complexion and a loose hair texture couldn’t be fully black. I am someone with a dark skin complexion and a loose hair texture and as I got to middle school/ high school people found it hard to believe I was fully black. They would ask me if I was Hispanic and when I would say no they would be shocked. Although I could have been Hispanic and black at the same time, it still blows my mind that they would still question me that I was just African American, as if African Americans are only known to have kinky hair. It kind of shows that society’s way of thinking is very weird and not broad at all. I really enjoyed reading what she wrote because there are so many people who experience what she experienced on a daily basis which shouldn’t happen. 

“The power of identity politics” by Alicia Garza talks about identity politics and how white people see it as an issue because those who aren’t white like to identify with groups that are actually the same as their own individual identities. White people wonder why people of color always have to see everything as a race thing and can’t just identify as human beings since that’s what everyone in the world is. I liked how she mentioned “Those who have power rarely want to acknowledge that they have unearned benefits at the expense of others”. White people will always have some type of power that people of color or those who aren’t heterosexual/ cisgender white people don’t have, even if they don’t like to admit it to themselves. So why would we want to identify ourselves with the norm in the United States when we clearly live outside of it and we’re never considered a part of it. Deep down inside we know white people know we are all not equal even if we all have equality. They don’t care to acknowledge they are held at a higher pedestal than others because they don’t see anything wrong with it. They continue to benefit from it so why would they want change.

I really liked Isabella Celentano’s snapshot because it says “It is one thing for black women to deal with racism, but it is even worse when dealing with colorism in your own community”. This is something I think summarizes what Aleichia and many others who are afro latino go through because although they are apart of both groups (black and Hispanic), they often face discrimination since they don’t look like the norm.  

The triangle shirtwaist factory fire was a very horrible thing that happened which ended up killing 144 workers out of 500. This incident was a very sad but interesting thing to hear about. It is really heartbreaking to hear about the conditions the workers had to work in just to get paid very low wages. It is even sadder knowing that they went to work trying to get money to survive but ending up dying because the building they were working in was horrible and not safe to work in at all. 

It breaks my heart to know that if the factory managers kept the exit doors unlocked that could have saved so many people’s lives. It is tragic to know that all those people who couldn’t get out had no option but to either jump to their deaths, be burned to death or from smoke inhalation. 

It rages me to know that the factory owners were found not guilty because they should be held responsible. I know they didn’t start the fire but they had all of those workers working in that unstable building and should be responsible for what happens to them while on the job. They could have prevented all of this if they actually kept up with their building maintenance. 

In the video Triangle returns, we hear about a similar situation just like the triangle shirtwaist factory fire that happened at the hummin factory in Bangladesh. Like the workers of the triangle factory, the workers were trapped because the exit doors were locked and many had to jump off of the 11 story building. 

Hearing that this happened 3 months shy of the 100th anniversary of the triangle factory, when you would think factory conditions would have improved for the safety of the workers and things would have not ended up the same way is really sad. But it is even sadder that they were getting paid less than the workers of the triangle factory. And to hear that as they were jumping out of the building, people thought their bodys were clothing and not people falling to their deaths is so heartbreaking. 

In “virgins just became the 38th state to pass the equal rights amendment. Here’s what to know about the history of the ERA”, talks about how Virginia became the most recent state to vote to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment which could

Impact women rights in a big way because it could help strike down the laws that restrict access to abortions or could strengthen the legal basis for combating violence against women, pay equality and maternity leave. To me this is something that should have happened because women deserve all of those. Although in today’s society women are pretty equal to men but there are a lot of things like abortion bans that still take place today

I really enjoyed Samantha Martinez’s snapshot because I feel like it pays a tribute to those women who lost their lives by jumping out of the burning building. 

The abortion divide was a documentary I really enjoyed watching especially as a women. It shows us both sides of the opinion of abortion which are those who are for it (pro choice) and those who are against it (pro life).  

It was very interesting to see these different women tell their stories and to actually see them go through the process. To see those who decided to go through with the abortion, those who decided to keep their babies and those who decided to give their children up for adoption. But it was really sad to hear about those women who have their babies but are financially unstable and don’t have a proper place to live. It sort of makes me even happier that us women have abortion as an option because i know it would be hard struggling to take care of a baby while struggling to take care of yourself. 

This documentary sort of upset me a little because I don’t like the fact that there are men who feel like they can tell a woman it is wrong to have an abortion when they will never know what it is like to have to make that decision as a baby is growing inside you. I also don’t like the fact that there are other women who feel they can tell other women what they should do with their bodies. I get that there are people who see abortion as wrong but like having other opinions, I wish they would just keep it to themselves. Yes the protesters have a right to their opinions they wouldn’t shame those who decide to go through with an abortion. I know there are a lot of people who see it as taking an innocent life but I personally see it as these brave strong women making the decision to not bring a child or children into this world when they know they cannot give it the life they deserve or know they aren’t ready. People see it as a selfish decision made but it can also be seen as selfish to bring a child into this world knowing you cannot give it the best life it deserves. 

Hobby Lobby: Last week tonight with John Oliver talks about Hobby Lobby founders claiming they should have freedom of religion because they think birth control mandates conflict with their Christian faith. Hobby Lobby does not like the fact that the health insurance plan they have for their employees gives them access to birth control. They believe they should be able to control their employees’ access to birth control which to me is very weird. I understand they follow a certain religion and believe certain things but they shouldn’t have a right to control whether or not their employees take birth control or not. What they do with their bodies is their choice just like it’s the hobby lobby’s founders’ choices to do what they want with their bodies. 

I really liked heatherlees snapshot because it shows how people will fight for their rights on what they do with their body when it comes to something they don’t want to do like getting the vaccine but when it comes to stuff like abortions they believe they can tell other people what to do with their bodies. 

White privilege: unpacking the invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh, was very interesting to read. It is kind of obvious that a lot of white people don’t realize the privileges and advantages they have just because of the color of their skin. They don’t see a problem with them being held at a higher pedestal compared to people of color because of the simple fact that it doesn’t affect them and they benefit from it. 

Seeing the list of the things Peggy could do as a white person that people of color couldn’t really open up my eyes on just how unfair this world really is. It is seriously messed up that on the list was “ I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed” because many black people and other people of color deal with the opposite on a daily basis. A black person walks into a store and many owners automatically assume we came in there to steal. Or when she says “I can choose public accommodation without fearing that people of my race cannot get in or will be mistreated in the places I have chosen”. This is something that happens so often which is so unfair because we really try to just kind our business and do what we have to do in peace but that doesn’t always work out in our favor. 

It is sad we live in a world where people of color have to live in fear of being pulled over by a cop or being arrested for something they didn’t do just because of the color of their skin. When it comes to white people and people of color being in the same situation, white people usually always get off with a simple warning while there are many people of color who lose their lives because police see them as people to fear. This will constantly be something that continues to happen and something that never goes away because it will take every single person in this world to realize that the way things are now aren’t right, which will never happen. 

Just like the first reading, “Oppression” by Marilyn Frye was also very interesting to read because she talks about the oppression women experience. I really loved that she mentioned “It is common in the United States that women, especially younger women, are in a bind where neither sexual activity nor sexual inactivity is all right”. In today’s society, a women is a whore because she is sexually active but men are seen as cool when they are sexually active. And when a women is sexually inactive, then she is boring or men are uninterested in her because one of the main things they look forward to when talking to women is sex. I also liked that she mentioned “If a woman is raped, then if she has been heterosexually active she is subject to the presumption that she liked it”. A lot of men find it hard to believe women when they say they have been raped because they believe in some type of way they gave off the impression they wanted the person to do it. They always assume that maybe the woman led them on in some type of way and regretted it after so they claim it was rape which is not the case. 

I really loved Magaly Garcia’s snapshot 3 because it shows that men and women can be doing the same exact thing but women would almost always have way more obstacles to get through to achieve it while men get the easy way to it.