Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.
~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg
It’s hard to believe that just 50 years ago, a woman couldn’t get a credit card without having her husband co-sign the application, could be fired from a job for getting pregnant, couldn’t attend a military academy, had no legal recourse for sexual harassment at work, couldn’t serve on a jury, couldn’t own a bank, and more.
It’s only been in my lifetime we’ve witnessed the first woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company — Washington Post publisher Katherine Graham in 1972; the first American female astronaut, Sally Ride, in 1978; and the first Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’Connor, in 1981. The ad slogan for Virginia Slims cigarettes, “You’ve come a long way, baby,” rings true.
Whether you agree with her politics or not, the Supreme Court — and the nation — lost a powerful voice for equality this week with the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman ever to serve on the Supreme Court. As women, we should remember that many of the freedoms we now enjoy and often take for granted, have only been won in the last 50 years. We’ve come a long way, but we’ve still got a long way to go.
By Niki Turner | [email protected]
