As I sit down to write my first blog post, a song comes to mind: "I'm Black and I'm Proud" by James Brown. Though the slaves were emancipated about 100 years before this song debuted, this song celebrated another great leap of freedom for our African American brothers and sisters: liberation from black shame. They finally realized that they didn't need to bleach their skin and straighten their hair to be equal to Whites. True equality was not to be gained by making themselves more like Whites, but by insisting that they were equal in and of themselves.
And today, about 90 years after the signing of the 19th Amendment that guaranteed women's right to vote, I await another great leap for all my sisters: the moment when we can be freed from feminine shame. I await the moment when all women will insist that although we are different from men, we, as women, have equal validity and worth. I cannot wait for the day when women everywhere will take off their high heels, throw away their birth control and shout, "I am fine just the way I am!", women who refuse to wear uncomfortable apparel that is damaging to their feet and bad for their posture, and women who refuse to take a pill that increases their risk of heart attack, stroke, and later miscarriage and infertility! I am so eager for the day when true feminists will stand up, not to lament the fact that they are women who are "imprisoned by their wombs", but who embrace and celebrate their femininity as the awesome and amazing gift that it is.
It is my sincerest wish that in my life, I may make some contribution to that moment.
