We Need a New Social Movement

Daily writing prompt

What major historical events do you remember?

View all responses

For someone black and female during the era of social movements, such as the Civil Rights Movement, the Gay and Lesbian Movement, and the Women’s Movement, my life was appreciably better than my mother’s generation. I graduated from high school in 1969, and not having a college degree meant menial labor for me. Most utilities, like the gas and telephone companies, did not hire many blacks. But the successes of the Civil Rights Movement led to the creation of Affirmative Action, which opened up opportunities for women and Black people in jobs traditionally held by white males.

I worked and earned a solid middle-class life for my family. I was accosted more than once regarding taking a job from men. But, with five children to support as a single parent, I was ecstatic that I had the chance to live the kind of life my mother could not dream of having. She worked as a cook and a cleaner in restaurants and hospitals to support my sister and me. She was smart, but during her early life, segregation was the norm. She lived to see a different world for her daughter and grandchildren. The Pill allowed women to enjoy sex without fear of childbirth, meaning fewer women lost jobs or promotions.

The backlash of today scares me. I fear for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as the Supreme Court decides whether to honor the Voting Rights Act that allowed blacks freedom from harm for voting. Gerrymandering is diluting the black vote, which may mean going backward, not forward. There is a fear of even married couples being denied contraception if the Supreme Court rules against it. In a nation where history is being whitewashed and black history altered or destroyed, how will future generations realize what is possible by looking back and seeing what once was? It was good!

Copyright ©
All posts on my blog, Help From Heaven, are my intellectual property protected by copyright. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express written permission from the author and/or owner of this blog is strictly prohibited.