HomeHomeAugust 2000
Greetings from hot, sunny Minneapolis! Every year at this time, during these sweltering days, we're lulled into a kind of collective weather-related amnesia, forgetting that summer will be over all too soon, and winter will return with full force. Unfortunately, as Americans, we also suffer from another kind of collective amnesia. It seems we don't remember our history and political lessons very well. In our entertainment-driven, workaholic culture, we take so much for granted, including the political, social, and economic freedoms that our forefathers and foremothers fought so hard to attain.
We enjoyed our Independence Day festivities last month, but so many Americans don't know why we celebrate the holiday or whom we fought for our independence. For some, it's just another day off work. On July 4th, a local TV reporter quizzed a few Minnesotans about the significance of the day, and the ones who could answer his history questions correctly were mostly school children and new immigrants. The way we're headed, I'm afraid some Americans will believe that Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger (of "Patriot" movie fame) were solely responsible for turning the tide of the Revolutionary War!!
And given the amount of national attention he received last month, it seems the fictional Harry Potter has generated more buzz than any of the candidates for the U.S. Presidency. Voter apathy in this country is a concern, too, as turnout in Presidential elections is growing smaller with every four-year cycle. Perhaps part of the reason is that we've been worn down by too many scandals over the past three decades. The Monica Lewinsky chapter in American history was painful to witness, no matter where one stood on the issue of presidential vs. personal responsibility. We've grown to distrust our politicians, and we're not alone either. The ninemsn news from Australia reported that their lawmakers ranked dead last in the recent survey of the "most trusted institutions and professions"!
However, it's vital to our political survival that we pay attention to the elections, the issues, and the political process. We've been watching the Republican National Convention held in Philadelphia, July 31 to August 3, and are also planning to observe the Democratic National Convention, which will be held in Los Angeles from August 14 -17.
Are you confused about the issues and don't know where to begin? We recommend the August edition of George magazine. This issue is a Convention guide, and there are two covers to choose from: one has a photo of President John F. Kennedy, and the other features President Ronald Reagan. The magazine's cover plaintively asks "Who Will Make Us Proud Again?" There are many interesting articles, including Peter Keating's "Kennedy Led Us To The New Frontier" and Lou Cannon's "Reagan Radiated Happiness and Hope." And the folks at George magazine offer their Internet picks for convention-watching.Among them are:
Cable News Network
This is an excellent place to start.
The National Journal
This site is open to non-subscribers during the conventions.
Grassroots.com
This source has a terrific section on women's issues, complete with links to various women's organizations.Here are a couple of other information sources:
Democratic Party and women
National Federation of Republican WomenIt's a shame that there's so much apathy in this country, because our ancestors fought hard for their rights. Until the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, women in America didn't have the right to vote. Lynn Scherr's fascinating book, Failure is Impossible: Susan B. Anthony In Her Own Words (Random House, 1995), gives readers a glimpse of the difficult road women faced in the 19th century. Ms. Anthony, who didn't live long enough to see women get the right to vote, spoke poignantly about the fight for suffrage in 1894:
"We shall some day be heeded and when we shall have our amendment to the Constitution of the United States, everybody will think it was always so, just exactly as many young people believe that all the privileges, all the freedom, all the enjoyments which woman now possesses always were hers. They have no idea of how every single inch of ground that she stands upon today has been gained by the hard work of some little handful of women of the past."
The struggle for suffrage was not limited to women only. Until the passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870, which ensured that the right to vote "will not be denied on the basis of race, color or previous condition of servitude," African-American males were excluded from the system. In actual fact, many African-Americans were effectively kept from voting in this country until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The National Voting Rights Museum and Institute has a web site at http://www.voterights.org/links.html.
And during the turbulent decade of the 1960's, while thousands of young Americans were drafted to serve in Viet Nam, they couldn't legally vote until they were twenty-one. They, too, had no voice in the political process until the passage of the 26th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified by Congress in 1971.
What if you want to vote, but haven't registered and don't know where to begin? There are several on-line sources. Entertainer Queen Latifah is working with the Lane Bryant company to urge young women to register online to vote at election.com. Another good source is the League of Women Voters. This organization began in 1920 as a resource to help women carry out their responsibilities as new voters.
Remember that the candidates will court women this time as never before. Everyone's vote makes a difference, and we cannot afford to be apathetic about our leaders, our nation, or our collective future. We're all part of a rapidly changing global economy, and we deserve to make our voices heard. Remember, too, that women always have been part of the political, social, and economic fabric in this country, whether working to change the system or working despite the system.
Last month we mentioned Catherine Thimmish's new children's book, Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women (Houghton Mifflin, 2000). One of the women mentioned in her book is Madam C.J. Walker, the first African-American millionaire in the U.S. Coincidentally, a new book on Madam Walker called The Black Rose has just been published by the Ballantine Publishing Group. Author Tananarive Due, former Miami Herald columnist, creates a fictionalized account of Ms. Walker's life based on the research and writings of the late Alex Hailey. You can read more about this amazing woman at the web site created by her great-great granddaughter, A'Lelia Bundles. Ms. Bundles' new biography on Madam Walker will be coming out in February 2001. We're looking forward to learning more about this inspirational woman.
Have you heard of Frances Marion? She was one of the early pioneers of the American film industry. Author Cari Beauchamp wrote a wonderful book about her, Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and The Powerful Women of Early Hollywood (University of California Press, 1997). This month, cable station Turner Classic Movies is sponsoring films that honor the women of early Hollywood. They're also running an original documentary based on Ms. Beauchamp's work.
Many people are familiar with the work of 20th century anthropologist Margaret Meade. However, turn-of-the century American travelers Annie Smith Peck, Delia J. Akeley, Marguerite Harrison and Louise Arner Boyd paved the way for later generations of women explorers and scientists. Their stories are covered by Elizabeth Fagg Olds in Women of the Four Winds (Houghton Mifflin, 1985), and it's a worthwhile read.
Recently, Sebastian Junger's fascinating book, The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea has been made into a movie. Another interesting story is that of Linda Greenlaw, who was the captain of the Hannah Boden, the sister ship to the doomed Andrea Gale. She wrote about her life in The Hungry Ocean (Hyperion, 1999).
Here are a couple of interesting news stories we've found recently:
CNN reported that a bill is in Congress to establish a Rosie the Riveter"/World War II Home Front National Historic Park in Richmond, California to honor the millions of working women during the Second World War. You can read more at http://www.rosietheriveter.org. Jane Applegate of CNNfn also reported on an interesting gathering recently held in Athens, Greece. The Euro-American Women's Council international conference focused on creating a gender-free business climate via the Internet.
And here are some interesting events coming up in the fall:
The Black Career Women are hosting the Third National Issues Forum, "Can We Talk?" in Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 11th and 12th at the Hyatt. The theme is "Building Bridges between Black Women, White Women, and Women of Color." According to Linda Bates Parker, President and Founder of Black Career Women, the Can We Talk forum "boldly addresses the issues that divide women in the workforce and insists on finding solutions."Also, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, will be the site of the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing from September 14th through 16th.
Remember to check back with us in September, when we offer more interesting tidbits related to life and work in the new economy. Next month we'll recommend interesting Australian resources--just in time for the 2000 Olympics!
See you next month.
Teresa
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