We Have a Voice, But How Are We Using It?

 In Remembrance of Women's History Month

Sunday, I had the privilege of taking part in a reenactment of the 1913 Women’s Suffrage March in Washington, DC.  The blerd in me reveled in the authentic dress, the plethora of historic references and the almost awkward awareness that I was taking part in another moment in history.  Needless to say I was “geeked.” Camera’s flashed, women live tweeted and the world looked gorgeous as pictures of the speakers and the participants were artfully posted on Instagram.

In a sea of thousands of women, we marched together from the United States Capitol past the White House to the Washington Monument. I jokingly remarked that the march was less than historic based on the present layout of the city. Clearly the buildings and security measures prohibited our journey from being historically accurate but in a momentary (slightly surreal) harmony,  women from around the world came together to memorialize a time when we ALL fought for our right to be independent.

On March 3, 1913, over 5,000 suffragists paraded in Washington, D.C. In a world with no television, no cellphones, no emails, no tweets and no Instagram. Women from around the country organized and albeit chaperoned arrived in Washington, D.C. fired up and ready to go.  On March 3, 1913, suffragists were pushed,shoved, tripped, spat upon and at least a hundred were injured.  Reports show that the police did not hold the "mobs" back. These women; mothers, daughters and wives risked everything to have their voices heard.

Fast forward 100 years, when the world is separated by nothing more than a computer screen. Most Americans have cellular phones, mobile internet, computers, tablets or some other electronic device that allows then constant and affordable access to streaming communication.  Within seconds you can communicate with people around the world without setting a foot outside your home let alone your bedroom.

Fast forward 100 years, when mayoral candidates are still being dragged to their death due to racial bias, voter identification threatens the rights of 5 Million Americans and legislatures around the country are curtailing children’s education, unemployment insurance and health care benefits. Fast forward and ask yourself where do we stand in comparison to our predecessors?  What would Alice Paul, IdaB. Wells or Vashti Turley Murphy say if they saw the injustice we fail to speak against every single day because we are too busy fitting life within 140 characters?  

As blerds, BGNs and most importantly as educated women we have an obligation to use the voice we have at our fingertips to create movements, to celebrate victories but most importantly, to speak out against the injustices that still remain to be fought. Have we, in our over-commercialized intelligence become saturated with so much communication that we have forgotten the power of speech and the necessity of “speaking out?”

How are you using your voice?