The performance supposes a conversation between Sojourner Truth, Eleanor Roosevelt and Shirley Chisholm from the afterlife as they look at the first female Vice President. They can’t help but ask questions that get to the heart of “why has it taken so long to get this far?” The answers lie in issues of narrative, representation and power.
One of the fundamental truths of an underserved group is the lack of visibility and knowledge of their story. This leads society to fill in the massive narrative gaps with oversimplified and sometimes inaccurate information. That kind of cultural shorthand always leads to misperceptions, stereotyping, and all the behaviors that flow from there.
The stories of women’s contributions to the evolution of the American experiment are significant, yet most Americans can name only a few of them. As Eleanor Roosevelt comments in the show, “I imagine most people couldn’t name five women in U.S. political history.”
Even if you can name five or more off the top of your head, an alarming number cannot. The National Women’s History Museum surveyed more than 1,000 men and women nationwide and found that less than one in four Americans can name the accomplishments of three notable women as opposed to three notable men.
Thousands of women have contributed to the social and political advancements that we all have benefited from regardless of time or party affiliation.
From Abigail Adams, who chronicled what much of life was like on the Homefront during the revolutionary war. Or how the “Lowell Mill Girls” transformed the labor movement. Before she was an associate justice on the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg argued before the court for gender protections that benefited men as well as women. Yet we put very little focus on those and other iconic women and the roles they played.
"How many women in U.S politics did you learn about in school?"
This August we will celebrate the 105th year of women earning the right to vote. Yet across every level of elected office, women are still underrepresented. If the percentages of women reflected electoral representation, would we have ratified the Equal Rights Amendment? Thinking on a less grand scale, would women still experience pay inequality, domestic violence or poverty at their current levels?
The U.S. census reports that women make up 50.5% of the population, yet their status as the majority of the country does not reflect this. Regardless of your point of view of why this is the case, one thing is painfully true: when it comes to representation, women live in a paradox.
The Pew Center for Research study, “The Data on Women Leaders,” notes that women are barely scratching the 30% mark when it comes to state and federal elected offices. In state legislatures, women have reached a whopping 32.7%. It took until 2021 to crack the 30% barrier in that case as well.
There has been significant growth when it comes to women’s representation. the vast majority of it since the 1990s. In spite of a generation of increased visibility, most of the core issues that women fight for are still unresolved. The rescinding of Roe v. Wade may have been the biggest hit female bodily autonomy has taken but is far from the only one. Equality Now reports that child marriage is still legal in 37 states. “Over 300,000 minors – some as young as ten years old – were married in the U.S. between 2010 to 2018. Girls account for 86% of these minors, with most wed to adult men.”
In our democracy, we laud the power of the vote as the single best way to exercise “the will of the people.” Like every other segment of America, women are not a monolith. Expecting them to reflect a single vision on any topic is unrealistic, but there are clearly some glaring contradictions between majority representation and its female expression.
Not telling the stories of women’s struggles and sacrifices in building this "more perfect union" is a slap against every mother, daughter and sister who continue to struggle. If representation is the cornerstone of our democracy, then there is a huge misalignment between what women represent and their actual place in the seats of power.
As the old saying goes, “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
There are those who believe that is exactly where we are when it comes to the rights of marginalized groups. As traditional forces assert themselves politically, the roll back on all manner of cultural blowback is happening. As the DEI initiatives come under assault nationwide, there is a justified focus on its impact on marginalized communities. What should not be overlooked is that historically women, and specifically women of color, feel the consequences first.
Shirley Chisholm articulates this point to Eleanor Roosevelt. “Anything you do “to” women of color in this country, you are doing to White women as well. At the very least, you open the door to justifying it. That’s because there are more of you. Just like anything you do “for” White women, is easier to not do for women of color, because we're harder to see! So, if “women” aren’t unified we all lose. We just lose first.”
Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, having a better sense of the significance of the players who moved the needle in reference to things like keeping the country running through wars. Medical protection. Infant care and services, among other social issues. This 40-minute show is a great introduction to a world that touches us all. Yet is so overlooked.
“They Came Before Kamala” wants to spark a more honest conversation about what women’s equality really looks like. Do you see women as a specific interest group? If so, how would you articulate that reality?
“Thousands of women have contributed to the social and political advancements that we all have benefited from regardless of time or party affiliation."
"If representation is the cornerstone of our democracy, then there is a huge misalignment between what women represent and their actual place in the seats of power. "
This content was sponsored by Dialogues on Diversity