Opinion Assignment 2
The reading material for this week pointed out that there is a huge inequality in how white women are viewed versus women of color. The discussion having to do with women of color had mainly to do with black women. One incident where this disparity is highlighted is with the Central Park jogger that was raped by a black man. This particular case got enormous publicity where the accused was characterized basically as a savage animal for the rape of a white woman. It was mentioned by Crenshaw that during the time of the trial more than 20 other rape cases were also tried in New York City courts. In one case in particular, a black woman was gang raped, sodomized, and thrown down a four story air shaft. On top of the crime done to her she ended up with serious injuries which included a broken pelvis and other broken bones. This particular case did not get any publicity at all. Because of this huge disparity in how women of different race are viewed it seems that it would be a good idea that in 2008 and going forward, two women, one white and one black, be figureheads in representing the women’s rights movement. The purpose would be to share the load and present a united front to help close the gap where women, regardless of race, can be viewed as one.
These two women must have some of those qualities that Rosa Parks had plus a whole lot more in order to drive the movement forward. In today’s movement, unlike Rosa Parks, these women do not have to be victims. What they must be are strong representatives of the cause. Like Mrs. Parks, these women must at least be of middle age in order to come across as having lived long enough to know about life. The other aspect that Rosa Parks had was that of flawless ethics. These women are going to have a lot of stones thrown at them just because of their position. Let it be that the criticism be based on their position on issues and not on their past personal wrongdoings. The experiences of Cindy Sheehan point out the types of harsh criticism that will have to be endured. In many cases the criticism was from other women and it ranged from the idea that she should go back to the kitchen where she belonged, to her son turning in his grave as a result of what she was doing.
These women must be well educated, have a passion for the issues that are going to be addressed and be great motivators. The readings point out that the issues that affect women are complicated. Take for example the situation of women enduring domestic violence, because the laws in place to help them end up being a threat to them from a deportation or the loss of their children, points of view. These iconic women must have the ability to speak out intelligently against such issues and be able to influence legislation for the better. It was pointed out the many reasons why people not only join movements but also why they choose to drop out. It is very difficult to keep a volunteer army motivated and working hard. There is no better motivator than to be making progress. These icons must be able to work together to unit the movement and keep it motivated through their common voice.
The question of religion, especially as it relates to a political stance on such important subjects as abortion is a very important one. In my opinion, it would be a good idea for one of the women to represent the pro choice position while the other one represent pro life. The idea here is not that one ultimately convinces the other to change there stance, but rather to work toward a common ground on how to strengthen society values to eliminate abortions. From the readings, it seems that at center of the issue is the right to have or not to have an abortion. I do not recall it being said from either side that abortions were a good thing.
It was a very smart move by the black leadership at the time of the Civil Rights movement to wait for the right person to represent that cause. Rosa Parks was a smart choice – an experienced, law abiding, middle aged, hard working and well regarded member of her community. Claudette Colvin was quite the opposite – a young inexperienced women whose upbringing and behavior were suspect. She would have provided plenty of ammunition for the anti-civil rights crowd to discredit the good work that was being done. The Colvin incident occurred when she was 15 years of age and it was reported that she was pregnant within one year of the incident. Just this situation alone coupled with the poor neighborhood where she was from would have caused many issues. Looking at this from one of the stereotypical views presented in the intersectionality article to the effect that a young black woman from a poor black neighborhood by default must be a whore from a young age. Colvin played right into this view by having become pregnant. She was unreliable, too young and of the wrong background.
At different times in history, different methods have been employed by movements such as high-jacking and rioting. In 2008 such actions are not what are called for by the women’s movement. What is needed is to attack the issues with intelligence and plenty of energy. The effort by the Mormon Church used to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment is a great example of the energy required to move a movement forward. These icons of the movement, one white and one black woman will greatly help the cause.
