So listen. I am someone who likes to do my research and look into those who are being championed during times of our political climate. We have had certain politicians whom I’ve felt received more credit than they were worth and some politicians whom I’ve believed didn’t receive the recognition that they deserved.
Just recently we’ve had our midterm elections. Celebrities to teachers were chanting “Vote, Vote, Vote!” and that’s all we heard in the last month. Voting is a right that was considered a privilege not even 100 years ago for women and those of color. We had to fight for the acknowledgement that we are people and that we had the right to vote, just as the white man that believed they owned us. We had strong women running this revolution, we had women fighting for our right to vote. But just recently I came upon a post on Instagram. This post referenced a quote from Susan. B Anthony. It stated, “She [Susan] would sooner cut off her right arm before she would ever work for or demand the ballot for the black man and not the woman.” Now considering this was on Instagram, I wanted to investigate the truth behind this statement. I mean, how could the face of feminism and rights be racist? I say that with a little bit of sarcasm, it’s nothing new to find out those who are the faces of “righteous” movements have a dash of ignorance under their nails. When I looked at the articles about how Susan B. Anthony was only fighting for the white woman’s rights and only fought for the black woman’s right when the movement needed more validation, it wasn’t a surprise, but I did feel a betrayal.
I’m not trying to tarnish what she did for us, or what the movement she was a part of has done for us women, all women. But I do want to bring to light that now we should look for leaders who are inclusive of all. Leaders that don’t use a certain disadvantaged community only when it benefits them. Another suffragette that should be looked at it Mary Church Terrell, a woman that has been lost in history.