For this week’s writing it is free from all and as I read this announcement I immediately begin to smile. I am extremely tired. I started my new job this past Friday and I have to juggle both school and work. I just wanted a safe space to get that off my chest. Nevertheless, I do want to discuss my thoughts on women’s suffrage. The reading “one hundred years toward suffrage overview” made me realize, women have been fighting for their rights in America for a very long time. They were denied so much and for what? Because they are women? These women both white and black put together numerous organizations, strikes, associations, and even wrote books. As I read the timeline, women kept pushing and pressing the matter. Even during the First World War, they used all what they had learned in the workforce to build a stronger case after the war. Susan B. Athony was arrested for attempting to vote for Ulysses S. Grant in 1872. It takes courage to walk into a ballot room and try to vote for a president as a woman in the 1800’s. Doing something like that was forbidden. The fact that she did that is badass in my opinion. Near the end of the reading timeline women are granted a lot that they were denied many times before. To my understanding this shows if you want something in life, keep on fighting the good fight regardless of who is trying to keep you small.
In the video, it focuses on black women suffrage. They talk about Ida B. Wells who played a huge part in women rights. A speaker in the video says there was a women’s suffrage march. (I did not like that black women were only allowed in the march if they marched in the back. But we are focused on women rights at the moment.) However, during March Ida B. Wells ran to the first of the march and continued on the march. This is very significant because Black women’s oppression was probably the worst kind. Due to the simple fact that they were black and a woman. There was a lot of activism going on in these years. A lot of things were not right and women tried to change it. I thank the women of yesterday for making the women of today empowered.
I’m glad this prompt made you smile. I’ve been sensing people (including me) need a break. Also, re: your note that you didn’t like that black women were forced to march in the back – that is very much a part of the women’s rights movement that we should remember, even as we remember the positive gains women made.
hi, I too smiled when I was this week’s assignment I was so tired and overworked that I wasn’t sure what to write yet here I am I do want to say I love how raw your response is, I feel like we all currently need a break. nonetheless, I agree that why do we gotta suffer so much and the main reason that comes to mind is like is it because we are women? also women of all races have come together to fight this battle that’s been going on for years to come, great discussion post.
Hi Shanice ,
Yes its very infuriating that a lot of things back then that women couldn’t do had nothing to do with skill or intellect but just plainly because they are a women. It’s sad that women weren’t even really seen as people because they couldn’t voice their opinions to the governments that are supposed to represent them. And honestly it’s so disheartening reading that black women who were also marching for the same things as other women were only allowed to march if they were in the back. How as a society are we ever going to improve if we just tear other women down because they are different than us? This reminded me of my reading of how there is transphobia inside feminism.
I was also pretty excited to talk about anything. I do not why but watching films and reading books and just overall being reminded of the oppression women have and still do suffer leaves me unsettled. I was talking to a friend about how much hardship women have to go through and it’s insane because I always grew up thinking that other than our genders there is not much that should separate women from me. We are too live beings walking this earth formulating opinions, learning, and creating.