Montplaisir 1 Emily Montplaisir Powerful Words from Powerful Women

Activism is this practice of an action or involvement in issues to achieve political or personal goals, may but not always involving protest or extreme efforts. Living in a country that is based on the peoples choice, activism and civic engagement is important, and a common factor of achieving those goals. Looking through history, you are be exposed to a large number of powerful individuals; many of these individuals being women, that used their voice to achieve goals to improve this world we live in, speaking up for those who cannot. This is a collection of powerful women throughout history who spoke up and fought for a cause. These women used their voice to create attention, speaking to large groups of individuals to reach their goals. These women include, Granny D; a 90 year old woman who walked across the United States in hope to bring attention to campaign finance reform, Elizabeth Cady; the organizer of the Womens Right Convention and the founder of the Womens Suffrage Association, Jo Ann Gibson Robinson; after being humiliated on a public bus during the civil rights movement she organized a public bus boycott and fought for equal rights and equal protection, Domitila Barrios de Chungara; a spokeswoman for miners in her community, she used the power of her voice and education to create equal treatment to all mine employees, and Sandra Fluke; a law school student who is using her voice in hope to maintain womens reproductive rights. Below are the stories of these women and the legacies they will and have left behind. As shown in italics, these women leave behind their strong inspirational words and voices.

You live in an age when people would package standardize your life for you- steal it from you and sell it back to you at a price- Granny D

Montplaisir 2 Granny D; an 90 year old woman, was tired of watching our government spending money on unnecessary expenses, decided to take charge and fight for something she did not believe in. She would walk across the country to bring awareness to this controversial issue. In the year of 1999 Granny D began her walk across the country starting in Los Angeles and ending on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. Granny D believed that everyone should have the right to fight for what they believed in. Granny D went on to speak at many different special occasions including Franklin Pierces 2001 Graduation, West Virginias YWCA in 2000, and a New England high school graduation. During these appearances she would press the issue of being able to be any ordinary citizen and taking action for something that you are not happy with within our country. Our age is such an important factor of testing our freedom; Refine and hold your own values, and pay the high price necessary to live those values. Decide what is important to you, and hold your ground against all temptations and tortures, or you will soon be among those dead of eye who stand next to you in elevators but who are not alive. Dont let them steal your life. This is the only warning you will receive.-Granny D Granny D, like many other female activists were strong women who one day grew tired of having to live through a society that they didnt agree with. Sue Hay, who worked closely with Granny D within the PACE Organization knew Granny D very well and admired how she was an ordinary woman fighting for and issue. She (Granny D) would talk about being a grandmother whos coming back from off her porch because nobody else is working on these issues that are very important in the country.

If the object of government is to protect the weak against the strong, how unwise to place the power wholly in the hands of the strong- Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Montplaisir 3 Throughout history there have been many powerful activists, and some of the most influential have been women. We have seen a large change within history due to these women, and one of the first feminist was Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and she work she created within the womens rights movement. Elizabeth Cady Stanton always believed in making her voice heard and fighting for equality for everyone. Stanton began her activism work with her husband in tackling slavery laws in the Anti-Slavery Society. Though she was an active within the activism world, it wasnt until she was refused permission to speak at the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London because she was a woman, than she found her passion. Stanton went on to organizing the Womens Rights Convention and the National Woman Suffrage Association with close friend Susan B Anthony. This organization advocated to end discrimination within employment and pay for women, and also made it easier for women to file for divorce. Stantons hard work has shown in more places than just creating equal pay but it is also seen in her work of property rights for married women, and equal guardianship over children. Stanton died in 1902, twenty years before women were granted the right to vote. A woman being able to vote was a visible example of the legacy Stanton had created in her time in activism. The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls- Elizabeth Cady Stanton

An oppressed but brave people, whose pride and dignity rose to the occasion, conquered fear, and faced whatever perils had to be confronted- Jo Ann Gibson Robinson Like many activist, they take the body of ordinary people standing up for what they believe in. during the Civil Rights movement was a time that many individuals came forward to take a stance. Jo Ann Gibson Robinson was a professor of English during the protest against public transportation. While already being a present part in the Civil Rights movement by becoming the President of the Womens Political Council (WPC), she didnt

Montplaisir 4 see an opportunity to take a political stance on issues facing transportation until she was humiliated abusively and racially by the Montgomery City Line bus driver for sitting in the wrong row. Robinson took advantage of this incident, and with her position in WPC by taking action. Disgusted with the way she was treated by government owned employees, Robinson wrote a letter expressing her outrage to the Mayor of Montgomery. Robinson informed the mayor that if inequality and inappropriate behavior continued she would organize a black boycott of all public transportation. There has been talk from twenty-five or more local organizations of planning a city-wide boycott of buses-Jo Ann Gibson Robinson When Robinson heard word of Rosa Parks arrest, she organized a small group and handed out over 52,000 leaflets calling out for everyone to participate in a boycott against the buses. Robinson was a strong believer for standing up for what she believed in. through the years she withstood numerous hate crimes due to her ambitions and dream to create equality between every race and every gender.

The hope we always have that one day things will change- Domitila Barrios de Chungara Being an activist means more than just the actions you take, it is about the legacy you leave and the journey you hope to open up to others. Domitila Barrios de Chungara, a Bolivian activist had gone through many hardships within her life. Chungara became a spokeswoman for miners within her community and participated in many hunger strikes to bring awareness of the hardships the miners were being exposed to. With these protests, she was tortured and imprisoned numerous times. Chungara believed that these were not acts of protest but that of education. Education and political action are the basis for social change- Domitila Barrios de Chungara

Montplaisir 5 Chungara stood up for not only women, but for all the families that had to live through the mistreatment of these miners. She believed that these men shouldnt have to die to save their economy; it was up to the government to protect them, to improve these circumstances. Chungara understood her right to express her concerns for these families. Like many powerful activists, she didnt agree with what her society was doing and took it upon herself to make changes that would best benefit her peers. Chungara used her voice by writing articles, speaking to large groups of citizens, and making her words known to the powerful government she was held up against. When will we ever have a healthy society? And if we go on treating people only as human machines that have to produce, produce and then die; and when they die theyre exchanged for another force, that is, another person, who is also to be wiped out.well, this way human capital is just being thrown away, and thats the most important thing a society has, dont you agree? - Domitila Barrios de Chungara

I am here today to share their voices, and I want to thank you for allowing them- not me to be heard Sandra Fluke Like Granny D, Sandra Fluke; a third year student at Georgetown Law School, took a stand for women, but this time on the topic of reproductive rights and their availability to receive contraception. In February 2012, Sandra Fluke was criticized for expressing her concerns on the topic of womens health by radio personality Rush Limbaugh. Sandra took this opportunity to shine light on other womens health issues instead of firing back to Limbaugh. Much like Granny Ds, Fluke saw that it was her right as a citizen to speak up for women on an issue that she did not believe in. Fluke believes in building coalitions and getting involved, using the technique of Civic Engagement and utilizing her skills to bring awareness to specific topics. Much like Campaign Reform with Granny D, Sandra Fluke

Montplaisir 6 didnt believe that the government had the right to regulate a personal decision that women should have the right to create. One told us about how embarrassed and just powerless she felt when she was standing at the pharmacy counter and learned for the first time that contraception was not covered on her insurance and she had to turn and walk away because she couldnt afford that prescription. Women like her have no choice but to go without contraception Sandra Fluke We have been exposed to many activists through history, and all of these women were active members of their own communities. Working hard to make a difference by using their personal knowledge and skills they have acquired to make a difference. Like many of these women, Granny D had a hard time being taken seriously, not only because of her gender but because of her age. These women were faced with many obstacles throughout their activism careers; hate crimes, discrimination, imprisonment, and ridicule. They used their voice and courage to speak for others who were held back by societys standards. The power of their voices carried their names and legacies throughout history, paving the way for young women to take a stand. The secret is to take the world as your own and to take full responsibility for it. Once a person steps into the circle of those who take responsibility for the happy operation of the community, once someone decided that they are not a customer of government, but government itself, the magic of community begins. Granny D. January 3rd, 2000 Work Cited

Cammeron, Brenna. Sandra Fluke Speaks On Rush Limbaugh, Womens Issues and Her Next Step. Huffington Post. April 3rd, 2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/03/sandra-fluke-rush-limbaughattacks_n_1399138.html

Cashin, Joan E. American Nineteenth Century History. Jun2012, Vol. 11, Issue 2, p258-260, 3p. Ebsco Host. http://0ehis.ebscohost.com.ksclib.keene.edu/ehost/detail?vid=10&hid=101&sid=69fc354a-3df64d95-97e0768bfdaef814%40sessionmgr111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h& AN=51743759

Hine, Darlene Clark. The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Women Who Started It The Memoir of Jo Ann Gibson Robinson/ Prisons That Could Not Hold, Prison Notes 1964-Seneca 1984 (Book). NWSA Journal; Autum88, Vol. 1, Issue 1, p123, 4p. Ebsco Host. http://0-

Montplaisir 7 ehis.ebscohost.com.ksclib.keene.edu/ehost/detail?vid=8&hid=101&sid=69fc354a-3df64d95-97e0768bfdaef814%40sessionmgr111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h& AN=8651752

Hupp, Stephan L. Granny D Goes to Washington. Library Journal; 10/1/2007, Vol. 132 Issue 16, p101-101, 1/6p. Ebsco Host. http://0ehis.ebscohost.com.ksclib.keene.edu/ehost/detail?vid=5&hid=101&sid=69fc354a-3df64d95-97e0768bfdaef814%40sessionmgr111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h& AN=27075773

Lewis, Jone Johnson. Womens History. Elizabeth Cady Stanton Quotes (1815- 1902). About.com. 2012. http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/quotes/a/ec_stanton.htm

Roth, Wolff-Michael. Activism: A Category for Theorizing Learning. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics & Technology Education; Jul-Sep2010, Vol. 10 Issue 3, p278-291, 14p. Ebsco Host. http://0ehis.ebscohost.com.ksclib.keene.edu/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=101&sid=69fc354a-3df64d95-97e0768bfdaef814%40sessionmgr111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h& AN=53300138

No Author. Domitila Barrios de Chungara. Peace Women Across the Globe. http://www.1000peacewomen.org/eng/friedensfrauen_biographien_gefunden.php?Wome nID=2166

No Author. Domitila Barrios de Chungara- Bolivien. Worlds Peoples Blog. January 27th, 2006. http://word.world-citizenship.org/wp-archive/333

No Author. Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Spartacus Education. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAWstanton.htm. April 16th, 2012

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No Author. Jo Ann Gibson Robinson Was an Unsung Activist! African American Registry: A Non-Profit Education Organization. http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/joann-gibson-robinson-was-unsung-activist

No Author. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Global Freedom Struggle. Jo Ann Gibson Robinson (1912- 1992). http://mlkkpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_robinson_jo_ann_1912_19 92/

No Author. Transcript: Sandra Fluke testifies on why women should be allowed access to contraception and reproductive health care. What the Folly. http://www.whatthefolly.com/2012/02/23/transcript-sandra-fluke-testifies-on-whywomen-should-be-allowed-access-to-contraception-and-reproductive-health-care/. February 23, 2012. Sue Hay, Group Interview. February 28th, 2012.

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