You've probably recognized they are (l-r): Lucy Stone, Sojourner Truth, Indira Gandhi, Billie Holliday, and Queen Nanny of the Maroons
Lucy Stone was born on August 13, 1818 and although she lived nearly 200 years ago, she would certainly be called a pioneer in her own time.
Women were mere shadows of the men in their lives and yet Stone spoke up for women’s rights and spoke out against slavery when women were chastised for speaking publicly. (Remember, women had not yet earned the right to vote.) In 1839 she funded her own education and became the first woman in Massachusetts to earn a college degree, and even became the first person in New England to be cremated. She's remembered most for being the first woman in the United States to keep her own name after marriage. (Heresy?? OMG!!) A force with whom to be reckoned, I’d say!! Yet, she's hardly the first or the only pioneer.
When I first read about Ms. Stone, I thought about other women who knew their worth and fought for the worth of other women. Women like Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Nanny of the Maroons, and others on whose shoulders we stand.
When I think about the workplace of tomorrow, I compare it to the workplace I think exists today and I wonder what will the children find? How will your daughters and nieces have to behave? Will you be able to fit in… those of you who choose to return? And then my mind starts its rapid stroll down the corridors of centuries past and I think about women who were giants of their time. How did they dare to be so? How did Lucy dare to defy her father and get an education when women were expected to be unschooled wives? or as one man put it... "glorified maids". Where did Sojourner Truth get the chutzpah to demand of her unwitting audience, “Aren’t I a woman?”
Women in the workplace encounter obstacles and make sacrifices just like their predecessors did… sacrifices that are different and some that are the same. One that got my attention was the idea of playing down their success… their achievements… so others around them might feel comfortable. What do I mean? Well consider this…
You’ve had close friends since elementary school and somehow (really through hardwork, preparation, and focus) you’ve achieved stellar success while their achievements could be described as tepid. Imagine being with your friends and forcing yourself to not always pay for dinner, although you can, if by repeatedly doing so you cause your friends to question their value. Imagine recognizing that you can’t always share all your accomplishments, if news of your steady success will somehow cause others to feel less worthy. Imagine realizing that you cannot always be the one with the answers if by doing so it will make others feel less accomplished. It is in these instances that some women have learned to play down their achievements and mute some of the roar of their success.
Is this lack of confidence? Or is this an example of brilliant women demonstrating a keen understanding of their environment, high sensitivity, and a lot of savvy?
Can't wait to read your comments.
Interesting piece Sis! Many women of substance have gone before us who are strong, successful and confident. The unfortunate thing is that everybody will not like you, irrespective of the good that you do.
ReplyDeleteA woman's suc...cess can motivate others to strive harder or be more confident in what they are doing. A woman's success can also demotivate others and cause some to look at her success as a threat, instead of seeing the accomplishments and using them as a motivator.
Because of this, some women may choose to downplay their achievements because it may demotivate or "stifle" the creativity of others, while some may chose to stand proud in their achievements in the hope it motivate others.
Either way, some will like you for it and some wont- such is the way of the world. The important thing to being for me is to know I made a positive difference in life. When one is long gone- the answer to the question, "What Difference In Life Did She Make?" will be the legacy
I feel that success is a personal affair: people set their own goals and timelines (some of which they might share with their friends while others they might keep to themselves); upon achieving these goals they’ll experience a certain sense of satisfaction and a great sense of pride. Friends can provide support along the way, but in the end, it is the goal-setter who has challenged themselves and emerged victorious. Shouldn’t that be enough? Why worry about communicating success and the consequences of doing so? When Stone challenged the norms and received an education, did she worry about her friends’ possible feelings of inadequacy? I doubt it. She knew she was fighting the good fight and that was all that mattered. This may seem idealistic, but when achievements make friends uneasy instead of inspiring them, then perhaps it is time to hang with a different crowd,one with mutual drive.
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