usweekly.com
On Tuesday, November 8th, 2016, Americans got an opportunity they had never had before. After 44 consecutive male presidencies, we had the chance to elect the first women ever nominated by a major party to the Oval Office. Instead, we chose to elect Donald J. Trump, a man who has called women, among many other things, disgusting, obnoxious, slobs, and “beautiful pieces of ass”. That’s not to mention the sexual assault charges.
As America continues to reel from the explosion results of this election, many of us fear what the next four years will bring us. But in our grief and confusion, we should not forget the person who took American women to unprecedented heights. Hillary Rodham Clinton has spent 30 years fighting for women’s and minorities’ rights in this country. She has made a million fractures in the glass ceiling, and never gave in when it appeared she was defeated. It is simply shameful that she should lose to a man who stood against everything she stood so proudly for. And while many will claim “it’s not because she’s a woman, I just don’t like her,” the truth is that this has a lot do with sex. What better way for America to expose its misogynistic interior than electing a man with no political experience over a woman who has served as a lawyer, First Lady of Arkansas, First Lady of the United States, a US Senator from New York, and Secretary of State? How else can you explain being demonized by half the country for using the wrong email server when Trump can get away with calling Mexicans rapists, evading his taxes, essentially stealing money through the bogus “Trump University,” being accused of denying housing to black applicants, saying it’s ok to grab women by the p**sy, claiming he could get away with shooting someone on 5th avenue and people would still support him… the list could fill a book.
While we try to imagine a way to move forward from this heartbreaking loss, let us remember the woman who got us this far. It could potentially be decades until another figure like her rises to finally shatter that glass ceiling, so in the meantime let us reflect back on ten moments that demonstrate why we should be proud of Hillary Clinton.
1) 1969 Commencement Speech at Wellesley College bostonglobe.com
In 1969, Hillary Clinton was asked to give a commencement speech for her graduating class at Wellesley College. Instead of going down the stereotypical inspirational and positive path of such speeches, Hillary spoke fearlessly about the themes of protest and questioning in her generation. Her comments were widely published, and can be considered her break onto the national stage. An excerpt from the speech is as follows:
“We are, all of us, exploring a world that none of us even understands and attempting to create within that uncertainty. But there are some things we feel, feelings that our prevailing, acquisitive, and competitive corporate life, including tragically the universities, is not the way of life for us. We’re searching for more immediate, ecstatic, and penetrating modes of living. And so our questions, our questions about our institutions, about our colleges, about our churches, about our government continue.”
2) Undercover operation in Alabama to reveal discriminatory private schools allday.com
In 1972, the 24-year-old Hillary Clinton went undercover in the small town of Dothan, Alabama. Her mission was to prove that private schools in the South were discriminating based on race despite the 1969 Supreme Court decision that outlawed segregation. Pretending to be a young mother searching for a school for her child, she discussed the makeup of the student body with an administrator until she was ensured that “no black students would be enrolled.” This type of summer work was not only incredibly unusual for a law student of her background, it was also considered dangerous, but through her work, several of these “segregation academies” were able to face repercussions
3) Work on Health Care as First Lady uspresidentialhistory.com
Being a lifelong feminist, Hillary rejected the traditional role of First Lady as being the White House decorator, and instead launched deep into issues facing the United States. She headed the task force for the Health Security Act in 1993, which aimed to provide universal health care for all Americans. While the Act would fail to pass through Congress, it paved the way for later health care plans, including Obamacare.
4) “Human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights once and for all.” MSNBC.com
In one of her most famous speeches, given at the U.N. 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, First Lady Hillary Clinton passionately called for worldwide changes in how women’s rights are treated. Included among her statements is the following excerpt:
“Tragically, women are most often the ones whose human rights are violated. Even now, in the late 20th century, the rape of women continues to be used as an instrument of armed conflict. Women and children make up a large majority of the world’s refugees. And when women are excluded from the political process, they become even more vulnerable to abuse. I believe that now, on the eve of a new millennium, it is time to break the silence. It is time for us to say here in Beijing, and for the world to hear, that it is no longer acceptable to discuss women’s rights as separate from human rights.”
5) Work after 9/11 theguardian.com
Hillary Clinton was a New York state senator during 9/11. Not only is she known for personally checking in on victims for months after the attacks, but she pursued justice and treatment for the responders who contracted diseases from breathing in the toxic air. The Bush Administration had informed the responders that the air was safe to breathe. It wasn’t. “I am outraged,” Clinton said. “In the immediate aftermath, the first couple of days, nobody could know. But a week later? Two weeks later? Two months later? Six months later? Give me a break!” Over years of work, she was able to secure millions of dollars for the continued treatment of all victims in the attacks.
6) 2008 Concession Speech to Obama Zimbio.com
In 2008, after an exhausting and often bitter campaign, Hillary conceded to Illinois Senator Barack Obama in the race for the presidency. Her campaign began with her as the clear frontrunner against the young and relatively unknown Obama, but after 17-months, on June 3rd Clinton gave her concession speech. Later that summer she would speak on Obama’s behalf at the DNC. Among her statements while conceding are:
“That has always been the history of progress in America. Think of the suffragists who gathered at Seneca Falls in 1848 and those who kept fighting until women could cast their votes.Think of the abolitionists who struggled and died to see the end of slavery. Think of the civil rights heroes and foot soldiers who marched, protested and risked their lives to bring about the end of segregation and Jim Crow. Because of them, I grew up taking for granted that women could vote and, because of them, my daughter grew up taking for granted that children of all colors could go to school together. Because of them, Barack Obama and I could wage a hard-fought campaign for the Democratic nomination. Because of them and because of you, children today will grow up taking for granted that an African American or a woman can, yes, become the president of the United States. And so, when that day arrives, and a woman takes the oath of office as our president, we will all stand taller, proud of the values of our nation, proud that every little girl can dream big and that her dreams can come true in America.”
7) Osama Bin Laden Situation Room businessinsider.com
Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State during the famous raid that left Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden dead in 2011. She played an instrumental role in the moment lauded as one of the most memorable of the Obama presidency. One can see in the above picture her emotion as she watches the raid unfold from the White House Situation Room; the only woman seated among the top men in the country.
8) 2015 Benghazi Hearing nbcnew.com
Hillary Clinton’s time as Secretary of State under Obama is often solely remembered for the Benghazi incident. This is due to the fact that under her guidance, the US was able to largely avoid conflict during this period. For eleven hours in October 2015, Hillary was grilled on her role in the 2012 attacks which killed four Americans. For the duration of the hearing, despite having the Republican prosecutors attempt to blame her for the entirety of the sitution, Hillary remained calm, collected, and was able to explain rationally why the US chose to interfere in Libya and what actions exactly led to the attacks.
9) Accepting the Democratic Nomination for President abcnew.com
After decades of work and coming heartbreakingly close in 2008, Hillary Clinton became the first women ever nominated by a major US political party for president. She spent the majority of her speech at the DNC discussing what she was going to do for the United States, and why her opponent was utterly unqualified. However, she took a moment in the middle of her speech to rejoice in her accomplishment:
“Tonight we’ve reached a milestone in our nation’s march toward a more perfect union. The first time that a major party has nominated a woman for president! Standing here as my mother’s daughter and my daughter’s mother, I’m so happy this day has come. I’m happy for grandmothers and little girls and everyone in between. I’m happy for boys and men. Because when any barrier falls in America, it clears the way for everyone. After all, when there are no ceilings, the sky’s the limit!”
10) Concession Speech to Donald Trump abcnew.com
It’s impossible to imagine how painful it must have been for Hillary to see her dream taken away by someone who represents the opposite of everything she believes in. However, with grace and respect for the democracy we live in, she gave her concession speech on November 9th, 2016. The entirety of this speech reminds us of how it was she got further than any woman before her. The following are her closing statements:
“And to the young people in particular, I hope you will hear this. I have, as Tim said, spent my entire adult life fighting for what I believe in. I’ve had successes and I’ve had setbacks. Sometimes, really painful ones. Many of you are at the beginning of your professional public and political careers. You will have successes and setbacks, too. This loss hurts, but please never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it…We need you to keep up these fights now and for the rest of your lives.
And to all the women, and especially the young women, who put their faith in this campaign and in me, I want you to know that nothing has made me prouder than to be your champion. Now, I — I know — I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but some day someone will and hopefully sooner than we might think right now. And — and to all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.
..Finally, I am so grateful for our country and for all it has given to me. I count my blessings every single day that I am an American. And I still believe as deeply as I ever have that if we stand together and work together with respect for our differences, strength in our convictions and love for this nation, our best days are still ahead of us.Because, you know — you know, I believe we are stronger together and we will go forward together. And you should never, ever regret fighting for that. You know, scripture tells us, “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season, we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” So my friends, let us have faith in each other, let us not grow weary, let us not lose heart, for there are more seasons to come. And there is more work to do.
I am incredibly honored and grateful to have had this chance to represent all of you in this consequential election.
May God bless you and may God bless the United States of America.”
So let us not simply remember Hillary Clinton as “better than Trump.” Let us remember her for the decades of hard work and dedication she put into making this country better. Let her be remembered for breaking boundaries no woman had ever before been able to break. Let her be remembered for the above speech; the perfect example of going high when they go low.
I’m sorry that we couldn’t have given Clinton the respect she deserves; not only through the results of this election, but over the past decade as unwarranted hate has collected against her from both halves of the political spectrum. But because of her, a generation of young women has been inspired. The barriers are broken. Someday, hopefully in the near future, a woman will give a speech of victory rather than concession in November–we will know who she has to thank.