In his second inaugural address a few weeks ago, President Barack Obama professed a few words that sent shivers down my spine.
“…the most evident of truths—that all of us are created equal—is the star that guides us still, just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall…”
This statement was a nod to some of the most notable civil rights movements in our nation’s history; movements that still move and shake us into action to this very day. I’d like a take a few moments to reflect on the amazing happenings of Seneca Falls, Selma and Stonewall. I reflect because some of my very own feminist forebears instilled in me the value and virtue of having a written history of our work.
Seneca Falls, considered by many to be the birthplace of women’s movements within the United States, is a serene countryside setting in New York State. You may relive it, or experience it for the first time, through the photo album from a 2012 CFW bus trip. It was here that notable activists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton conducted conversations and drafted the Declaration of Sentiments. This document expressed the belief that women and men should have equal access to Seneca Falls Visitor Centerrights and privileges in society. Selma references the march from Selma to Montgomery Alabama in pursuit of voting rights for Black Americans. Finally, Stonewall represents a gay bar in New York City, where riots broke out in response to police brutality in the summer of 1969.
What all of these historic events have in common is that they transpired in response to oppressive systems that marginalized and stigmatized specific members of our society. The source of these varying oppressions—sexism, racism, heterosexism—are all related. It is impossible to squash just one form of hate, because hate breeds more hate. We have to understand how all forms of social oppression are related and connected in order to address any of them in a sustainable way. I take this nod from the President as an indication that even the political system in our country is beginning to understand this. I take it as a nod towards change. I take it as a nod to the future.