"This morning I sat down to breakfast at Betty's with my youngest daughter, Daisy. We had a copy of the Chronicle to share between us, and I opened to the page with the story highlighting the “Historic Men” of Shepherdstown calendar fundraiser. I looked at the list of names, and agreed that those featured were all noteworthy individuals. With that said, I am appalled that any group would create a list without any women in this day and age. Maybe we’re saving “Historic Women” for another year… swimsuit calendar anyone?
"Such gaffes, intentional or not, reflect a deep-seated history of discrimination and misogyny in our country. While I hope that Historic Shepherdstown has no conscious desire to slight women’s contributions, its actions are sustaining a culture that inevitably teaches our girls that men are the leaders. Women, at best, can only hope to photograph the achievements of their male counterparts.
"I ask the members of Historic Shepherdstown to rethink their approach. Create a "Historic Citizens" calendar. (After all, just because you are a historical group you needn't remain mired in 1950s thinking.) Our future leaders, like Daisy, need to be given examples of the people that make this town a wonderful place to live."
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Right on. Calling out discrimination where it appears in the everyday is crucial to enacting lasting change. Thanks for this!
ReplyDeletei agree with rachel. you hit the nail on the head, in a poignant and smart way. after all, you are a shepherdstown townie, so you have that whole local thing on your side. where i am going with this is, well, you're gonna be the one who has to see this ridiculous calender, and hell, if it doesn't make you happy, who says any of the other locals aren't feeling the same way? overall, well said. i ramble. sorry.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that they are discriminating women by of course not making any note of any historic ones. But, at the same time I wonder how many where there back in those days in this area which was more of a war zone?
ReplyDeleteAlicia: The "Historic Men" in the calendar are still alive and kicking. No war zones here (unless you count the street scape construction.) If we were talking about history from 100 years ago, one would expect fewer women featured simply because their contributions were not recorded. I'm just trying to make sure our current women are included for the future.
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