Women’s rights have traditionally been determined and regulated by the white man. But this just doesn’t make sense; if these are rights that will be applied to and directly affect the life of every woman, then why isn’t the decision-making process not in their hands? As more sex-based inequalities are brought to the national spotlight, more women are taking to the streets to advocate for the ability to exist on the same level as a man. However, many women, especially those who are underrepresented (such as poverty, young mothers, LGBTQ, disabilities, racial or religious discrimination) find it difficult to have their voices heard on a platform full of louder figures.
As a young girl of mixed race who grew up in a household with parents who encouraged me to believe that I could achieve anything I set my mind to, I was always wondering why the rules for boys and girls seemed to be different in so many subtle ways. As an adult, I question it even more. We seem to be living in a generation cloaked in a facade of progress despite many policies and social standards indicating the opposite.
About a year ago I discovered an organization founded by one of my ancestors, Charles Crittenton. He started a foundation that is known today as the National Crittenton Foundation, a non-profit that aims to support minority young women and gender nonconforming people and to make them to equals to the more privileged members of our society. Some of their programs include education of young girls in strategic communication and advocacy, providing resources to victims of violence, putting out research publications, and providing scholarships for women to finish their GEDs and pursue higher education.
I have gotten the opportunity to speak first-hand with the president and the team. They are a small group of passionate and intersectional women who work non-stop. Witnessing their passion as well as the impact the foundation has had on so many women makes me believe that the National Crittenton Foundation is more than worthy of our donation. This organization is without a doubt imperative in creating equality and progress in America.
Sara,
ReplyDeleteI find it very intriguing that you are actually a relative of the founder of the Crittenton Foundation. That must have been an exciting fact to learn and I am sure has made you that much more passionate about the non-profit world as a whole. That being said, I completely agree that women and in particular women of color have been handed "the short end of the stick" in many societies and in particular American society. Through providing scholarships and advocacy for women of color it creates small steps to bring more diverse representation in both higher education and the professional world. On top of that after doing more research into this organization it turns out they also look to attack the root of the problem by lobbying for policies and legislation to balance to playing field for women of color.
Their website is very professionally well made and the organization as a whole is nationally recognized. This day in age, considering the abundance of both minority and female legislators that have got voted into office this recent election like AOC and Ilhan Omar shows that trends are moving in a positive direction. Hopefully the lobbying of this organization can continue this pattern and further improve both the wage gap and discrimination women of color experience in society. I look forward to your presentation to learning more about this organization and your own personal connection to this nonprofit.
Hi Sara,
ReplyDeleteAs Connor said, it is very cool that you are related to Charles Crittenton. I’m glad you could use that connection to speak to the team that works on fighting for justice for those who are underrepresented in our societies. I love how this organization works to provide change by changing and creating laws. Most of the non-profit organizations that were pitched worked in the downstream and midstream areas which is obviously important as those being currently affected should not be ignored. However, it is also important to not only deal with the consequences but fight the source.
Growing up with mostly female friends, it has become very clear how different a male’s life is to a female’s. Looking for jobs, the way people view you, stereotypes are all very different in each gender and they tend to be much more negative for females than males. For example, you hear about how rare it is to have females work in a computer science office. Or you hear about how unsafe girls feel walking at night due to guys having little to no respect for them. These changes obviously can only be implemented over time and come from how parents raise their children. However, if the government passed legislation that places less of an emphasis on the differences between males and females, these changes will surely come faster.
In addition, I love that the Crittenton Foundation also fights for members of the LGBTQ foundation. Recently, more and more people are coming out identifying as LGBTQ and as a result, legislation needs to be updated to help this community of people who have currently little representation in government.