Pro Gay Marriage

In general, I think that it takes a great person to be the face of a huge social movement. If someone is told to name a male and female that were associated with the Civil Rights Movement, chances are Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks are going to be the names coming out of individuals mouths. They were the landmarks of what that movement stood for. However, even though sometimes there are people associated with a particular movement, they sometimes are replaced by a mere image of what people looked like who were a part of the movement. For instance, I relate the beginning of the women’s rights movement to Susan B. Anthony. However, it seems that when you mention the words “women’s rights” of “feminists”, people tend to say names such as “lesbians” or even more derogatory names. An image of an angry women protesting pops into their head. I think it does benefit a movement to have an iconic person that is worthy of being the figurehead for the movement. A lot of times I would think it would be better to have someone that is well-respected as the leader. Imagine if the Black Panther Party members had outshined Martin Luther King, Jr. The movement might have a different light cast on it, if Martin Luther King, Jr. was not so highly associated with the Civil Rights Movement.

In reading the article, “The Ladies Before Rosa: Let Us Now Praise Unfamous Women” by Paul Hendrickson, he tells the stories of women who had similar experiences to that of the famous Rosa Parks. However, these women’s situations and stories never made quite the stir that Rosa Parks story did. At the beginning of the article there is the story of Claudette Colvin. Colvin made the same choice as Rosa Parks. On March 2, 1955 she sat on a bus and refused to get off. However, she was simply carried off and arrested. There are other women who stood up for what they believed in as well. However, it was Rosa Parks that is remembered as the only one that said no. In the article, Colvin says that she believes it was her status that kept her from being the one that was remembered. She was not a part of the “middle class”. She was fifteen years old. Whereas Rosa Parks was a middle-aged, well-respected youth leader before she ever sat on the bus and refused to get off. Claudette Colvin was probably looked at as a rebellious teenager. So I do think that the movement would have veered into an entirely other direction had Claudette Colvin been the face of the movement instead of Rosa Parks.

I really enjoyed the article, “Ain’t I a Woman” by Sojourner Truth. The way that she spoke during her speech is how I relate what ladies of the women’s right movement must have been like. I cannot pin point an exact person that I would choose to be the face of a women’s rights movement, if another movement took place today. I do believe that the leader would be a woman that could appeal to all women. It is safe to say that I do not agree with the women’s views in the ERA article by Young. I do not think that women have to play a certain role in the marriage. Women should not have to cater to their husband and take on the role of a housewife. I grew up in a home where my mother ended up being more successful in her field than my father. So I have always believed that women can have the best of both worlds, a good career and a family. I was brought up knowing that as a women or man, you should always be able to support yourself. So I think the ideal woman is someone that can balance it all.