LISTEN UP, SISTERS. SLAMONE IS TALKING SUFFRAGE!
And you may want to hear what she has to say.
Salut, mes amies!
Wasn’t the last slam about freedom and fear extraordinaire??? The show had such a worldly flair with voices and stories from around the globe. What a treat to experience so many smart, funny, and heartfelt points of view from such formidable people.
August is all about putting the rage back in suffrage. The 19th Amendment was ratified in August of 1920. After first being introduced to Congress in 1878, the suffrage amendment was finally successful in both chambers in 1919, requiring 36 states to ratify it to become law. A young legislator out of Tennessee took his mama’s advice and gave it a thumbs up and history was made. So, a mere four plus decades after it was introduced, women could, in theory, cast their ballots.
The amendment read: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
Sounds good, right? But only if you were white. Women of color were still shut out. And the women who could vote then had to deal with intimidation, threats of violence, poll taxes, and literacy tests. Butthurt boys being bullies, can you imagine?
France didn’t come around until the end of World War II, with women voting for the first time in history in 1945. Mon Dieu, quelle honte! (en Anglaise: My God, what a shame!) We are still not so progressive about such things; thus my work is never done.
Can someone be a dear and dump my ashtray?
So many years of struggle to get an “equal” say in government in a system where women were contributing in significant ways but rarely given the same respect as men who did far less.
The Donald vs. Hilary? The Donald vs. Kamala? Impossible! The fix was in.
And now the SAVE Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) is targeting women’s ability to vote by proposing one must have the same name as one’s birth certificate on their voter’s registration. Almost 70 million married women have taken their husband’s last name, thus disqualifying themselves as far as paperwork. Doesn’t the Orange Menace want us to marry and become baby machines? Not a lot of incentive. I’m glad I always kept it casual with JP, no Slamone Sartre, merci beaucoup! Simone and I would mess with JP. He never knew which one of us he was with.
Not to mention the negative effects on folks with lower incomes, younger people, transgender individuals, people of color, and rural voters who may not be able to provide the “correct” documentation. The SAVE act ain’t saving shit except the stranglehold old white dudes have on the system.
You know what they say…the struggle for equality is one step forward and forty-nine steps back. And a foot to the neck. One of RBG’s favorite quotes was:
“I ask no favor for my sex…All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.” – Sarah Moore Grimké
The origin of this quote is attributed to the mother of the suffrage movement Sarah Grimké, a woman who paired up with her sister Angelina to not only speak publicly about slavery but also about women’s rights. Born to a plantation owner with hundreds of slaves, Sarah tried to run away at a young age after she experienced the horror of seeing a slave be whipped. She devoted herself to teaching her father’s slaves how to read until he caught her.
After her father’s death, Sarah returned to her native Charleston after being influenced by Quaker philosophies, particularly those on equality. Over time the Grimké sisters were shunned by the Quaker community as their views became too radical; their insistence on continuing to discuss abolition and gender equality in public forums were outside the realm of what was expected from “respectable women.” The sisters noticed there were segregated meetings for Black and Brown Quakers. Quakers are otherwise known as Members of the Religious Society of Friends and call each other “Friends” based on the biblical teaching in John 15:14, where Jesus tells his followers, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.”
How very friendly, JC! I once wanted to be a nun, then I decided God did not exist. It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind, n’est-ce pas?
The Grimké sisters kept speaking and writing about racial and gender equality until they died, lighting the fire for the next generation of women determined to pass legislation ensuring everyone had representation in their country’s future.
If they were still around, they would no doubt be in all the socials shaking their fists and showing the world the power of sisterhood. They’d be telling stories on the Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam! stage.
