The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire incident has caused realizations across the globe, the conditions many individuals work under. We learn of a sad tragedy that had befallen some young people who strived to live better. During the early twentieth century, a disaster occurred, which lead to about 146 people losing their lives, majority of them being women. A factory where clothes were made had caught fire, but unfortunately in both buildings (the only ways to get out), there was zero chance of escape. One side was filled with smoke, the other locked by owners/ supervisors to prevent workers from having breaks constantly, and to also avoid any materials from getting stolen. With obvious no chance of survival, some of these people who were caught up in the fire decided to jump from the eighth, nineth floor. They did this with the purpose that their families would at least have access to their bodies. This incident is said to be one of the most horrifying, that had ever occurred in the history of New York. Thousands of people marched to demand for amendment, for secure working conditions. Countless felt raging anger, at the unjust manner at which those young workers died, caused them to protest for change. A fight for change, a fight that prevailed and secured benefits for the minimum wage-earning individual. A fight that had set a light at the end of the tunnel. 

Nevertheless, going forth in our very twenty first century, a similar event transpired in a country in the South part of Asia. Almost the exact situation as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, the building had caught fire, the exit doors were locked. Again, some of the worker jumped through the windows so their families could have their bodies. This circumstance described and its similarities to that of the one that occurred years ago is what the speaker terms as, “race to the bottom”. Something that had taken place almost a century ago was repeating itself, just that this time it was in Bangladesh. A sad part of this was that their wages earned were way less, compared to the workers of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory hundred years ago. The clothes they make when exported, sell for more than what they make in a week. They work for more than eight hours every day but get paid so little. These workers live in immense poverty as a result. It is a good thing however, that laws are getting implemented to stop the importing of goods made by minors for these big named corporations, who only take advantage of them.

Keeping up with the Women’s Suffrage movement from previous readings, which focused on the ratification of the 19^th amendment, to enforce the voting rights of all citizens, both men and women. The equal rights amendments was yet to be discussed, or even ratified. Alice Paul was a highly educated woman, she had degrees in different fields of study. Alice was the writer of the Equal Rights Amendments. She managed to convince her colleagues to use tactics to get what they believed was right, tactics which were termed as “civil disobedience”. 

The fight for civil rights for women and in general, equality for all started since the early nineteenth century. Ida B. Wells was a famous activist back in the 1800’s and co-founded the “National Association for the Advancement of Colored People”. Ida B. Wells including many other selfless women contributed to improve conditions which women have to their advantage in the United States today. They founded the movements like “The National Association of Colored Women”, Women’s Suffrage movement etc. The women’s suffrage was a decade’s– long fight to win the right to vote for women in the United States. Men had the rights to vote, including black men who were granted the right in the year 1870, though most were unable to exercise this right due to taxes, etc. During this time, there was an adapted norm which was later termed as “The Cult of Domesticity”, this was when people believed there were “specific” roles for women and men in society.

            The suffrage movement involved organizing campaigns, conventions, petitions. The founders and its members spread awareness to many other women, whether or not they knew of their rights. Many acts were put in place with the purpose of achieving the set goal (which was to gain the voting rights of women). In the year 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, alongside Lucretia Mott invited a group of abolitionist activists and reformers (both men and mostly women). They met at Senaca Falls to discuss the problems associated with the rights of women. “All sorts of reform groups were proliferating across the United States- temperance leagues, religious movements, moral reform societies, anti-slavery organizations – and in many of these, women played prominent roles”. When the civil war began, the momentum which was infused in the suffrage movement was indefinitely halted. Nevertheless, the movement gathered its steam once again, after the civil war, and were determined to have the 15^th Amendment ratified. “They even allied with racist Southerners who argued that while women’s votes could be used to neutralize those cast by African Americans”. Two different groups by the name “The National Woman Suffrage Association” and “The American Woman Suffrage Association” merged and created “The National American Woman Suffrage Association”, of which its first president was Elizabeth Cady Stanton. With this, the movement’s standard approach also differed. They argued that they deserved the rights to vote not because they had equal rights as men, but because they were different from men.

            The fight over the Equal Rights Amendment took activists and reformers nearly a century (100 years) to win. Some expeditions and tribulations that issued within the years of the suffrage movement includes, “Emma Hart Willard founding the Troy Female Seminary in New York – the first endowed school for girls. Sarah Grimke who begins her speaking career as an abolitionist and a women’s right advocate. Though she was eventually silenced by male abolitionist, who considered her public speaking a liability.  Harriet Tubman escaping from slavery and leading many slaves to freedom. Abigail Scott Duniway publishing a weekly newspaper, dedicated to women’s right and suffrage”. After struggling through bolts and thorns, the 19^th Amendments was ratified, on August 18, 1920. And as result, over 8 million women across the States voted in the elections on November 2^nd of that same year.

REFERENCES.

https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/the-fight-for-womens-suffrage

Many and countless privileges we enjoy today are as a result of the actions taken by activists who never gave up, nor put themselves before others. The selfless measures, resilient movements and risking their safety so as to gain and maintain a fair world. Activism is popularly known to be using vigorous campaigning to bring about political and/ or social change. Wendy Syfret defines activism as “a powerful thing. It has the ability to change communities and lives and reorder the way we think about our place in the world” (Syfret 38). This week’s reading, like our past readings is very insightful and captivating. Wendy Syfret’s “How to think like an activist” broadens our concepts regarding activism. 

We learn that in order to not give up along the way and be a true activist, we are to have deep and clear understanding of what we intend to gain. One should sincerely and wholeheartedly know what it is they may be fighting for, and above everything, why they are fighting. We sometimes fail to acknowledge that protesting once or twice does not guarantee that the government or society may accept or give into our demands. Wendy, the author shares stories of movements that happened centuries ago. The French Revolution. The French Revolution was one movement that served as an eye opener to the rest of the world. This act took place over two hundred years ago, and it was led by Parisian craftsmen and store owners. They set this act to protest the monarchy’s brutal authoritarian rule. The movement was a very harsh and unpleasant one. Many people lost their lives including the reining King Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette. So many unpredicted things occurred, but the movement was a success. The monarchy ended and France ended up becoming a Republic country. This would not have been so if the protestors had given up. Meaning they had started their movement without a good reason or cause. 

            A very practical example I would give is the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Throughout the very intense protest, which was to get justice for black people that were unreasonably killed by the cops, mainly George Floyd. A man who was sadly murdered in Minnesota by a police officer. This movement was very uncanny, dangerous and went on for a very long time (if not ongoing). The President of the United States at the time tried his possible best to end/ stop the movement. He called on the army (fully armed soldiers), barricades were put, almost every state had a very strict curfew and many others, but the protests went on. Without a valid reason, or if people did not strongly believe in what they were in for, countless would have dispersed at the sight of soldiers with their guns. The author states, “As groups like Black Lives Matter, March for Our Lives and Fridays for Future have shown you don’t need to be a power holder or career activist to change the way we view the world” (Syfret 11). If one puts their mind to it, we can all fight for change.  You do not have to have some kind of influence to fight for what you believe is right.

This week’s reading designates the fact that people may or may not be part of the problem. When these topics, oppression, male privileges etc are talked about, most of the time from beginning to end are associated with an individual. The author, Allan G. Johnson also indicates that what we sometimes term as oppression, could in fact not be oppression at al. He states, “merely the sum of individual failings on the part of people of color, women, and people living in poverty, who lack the right stuff to compete successfully with whites, men and others who know how to make something of themselves” (Johnson 27). From my understanding of this statement, people of color, women sometimes mis concept poverty with oppression. The lack of opportunities and resources mislead people into thinking that their situations are because of oppression, patriarchy. 

Allan Johnson states, “if we see patriarchy as nothing more than men’s and women’s individual personalities, motivations and behavior, then it won’t occur to us to ask about larger contexts”. Patriarchy involves more than just individualism; it is much broader in context than what we presume. When a parent ignores his or her responsibilities or refuses to cater for their children, The possibilities to that outcome should not be limited to how careless the parent is, or just justify the situation at hand based on the person’s personalities. We should take into consideration bigger factors, like how much society, religion has contributed to this output. 

As stated by the author, our personalities and gender preference are sometimes initiated through socialization. Interacting and “participating” in social affairs constitutes to an individual finding his or her true self or identity. The author sights his thoughts on the fact that as individuals, we sometimes react or respond consciously or unconsciously to certain circumstances based on how society puts forth, in other words how society expects us to. “We are participating something bigger than ourselves”. In this reading, we are confronted about agonizing truth that “human beings are the ones who make social systems happen”. Socialization, societal norms, and beliefs, set theories are a part of the system that is made up by us. The system created can also be made different by us. It is up to us to amend the system that we created. I know this is not really related, but this passage somehow reminds me of the 504 incidents, where disabled people joined forces and fought for their rights, that certain actions and changes be made to make less complicated for them.

Audre Lorde, the author of the reading, “There is no hierarchy of oppression” tells us that oppression comes in many forms and not directed to just one race or gender. The author wants to “effect change” whiles being her true self, “As a Black, lesbian, feminist, socialist, poet, mother if two including one boy and a member of an interracial couple”. The author acknowledges her race and gender. She refuses to ignore the oppression she endures from either side. It is brought to our attention that we brainwash ourselves about the hardships we have gone through, however she is determined to show her kids better so don’t need to be like us.

            Just as men do not acknowledge that there are male privileges, seemingly, many white people do acknowledge or realize that there is white privilege. “White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, code books, visas, clothes, and bank checks”, as stated by Peggy McIntosh. The advantages or privileges males and/ or white people have at their expense, to some is unknown. They are oblivious to the fact that this is what is going on. Many educative platforms, schools especially rarely teach students these about these matters, and if they do, it is not discussed correctly, or monitored accurately. It takes a very matured and strong person to recognize and admit that they enjoy male or white privilege. This week’s readings enhance on sensitive topics. The author through her journey of acknowledging her white privilege lists several services that could be rendered to her but refused to other races. She states, she could rent or purchase housing in an area which she can afford and live in”. The author went ahead to point that, if she wanted, she could get a publisher for her piece on white privilege. All these ongoing acts contributes to why the United States is not so a free country as believed, or as fair. A particular race enjoys wealth and privilege whilst others don’t. 

            There are many different situations that help define oppression; “a bird in a cage (a woman forced to stay home, even when she though she prefers to go out and have fun with her friends)”, “a gender non-conforming person fearing for their safety when in public”. When the topic about women being oppressed is brought up, there is always an argument about men is also being oppressed. The oppression of men is mostly based on their masculinity, retrieving, or diverting what oppression truly means. People often mistake miserable for oppression. Oppression is known to restrict a person from going beyond a given capacity or limit. Females lose their jobs, friends, family, respect etc when they refuse to condone oppressed activities/ situations. Marilyn Frye gives a perfect example in her book “Oppression”. She states, “if she is heterosexually active, a woman is open to censure and punishment for being lose” …. “If she refrains from heterosexual activity, she is fairly constantly harassed by men who try to persuade her into it and pressure her to “relax” and “let her hair down” (Frye 11).  No matter the circumstance or action taken, women are never seen as victims but as instigators. We are always expected to do what we are being told. “You are caught in a bind, caught between systematically related pressures”. Oppression is a prolonged and unjust cruelty people continue to endure usually due to lack of authority. Individuals are unable to express themselves freely.