**The following work is my final piece of creative writing for my BA in Creative Writing and English and is broken into two parts: A creative non-fiction and two poems inspired by the creative non-fiction.**

Feminism

& How we got here

Introduction

June 24, 2022 will be a day that will always stick out in my mind. I will never be able to forget the flood of emotions that washed over me when reading the headline, Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade, or the rush of adrenaline I felt when I arrived outside my local courthouse to join the protests. Standing in that crowd, the energy of the women who fought in the past was in the air all around us. I could hear the emotions leaving our bodies in our screams. Most importantly, I witnessed a long-standing movement pull their boots out of the closet and strap them up for another battle without skipping a beat.

After processing that women were losing hard fought for rights and reflecting on my experience at the protests, I realized not everyone grew up with strong willed women who made it their life’s mission to make sure they fully understood the sacrifices made to give them the freedom they enjoy today. This realization showed me how important it is for modern day Feminists to have a solid understanding of how we got here and what is at stake in our current political environment.

With some extensive research in my corner and the wise advice/examples set for me by the feminists in my life, I would like to present to you my findings and lived experiences in hopes to give you necessary information on why the subject is so important to our daily lives:

The Beginning of Feminism

Life for women in the 21^st century of America looks much different from the lives of the women who came before them. Before our ancestors fought for the rights of women, they were considered to be second class citizens whose place in society was in the home. As a woman in the eyes of the law you were not considered your own person with your own free will. You were instead considered “property” of your father until married, where you then were “property” of your husband.

The daily life for these women would consist of household chores and childcare. However, this way of life would not last in the land of the free. This can be attributed to strong willed and educated women who knew and understood that if we were to be a country of freedom, then all citizens must be considered free.

The earliest signs of American women realizing their worth as human beings and acting can be traced back to the wife of founding father John Adams, Abigail Adams. As an educated middle-class woman, Abigail was able to understand the moment of history she was living in. She knew that she must use her education and marital status to speak on behalf of women around the country. It was in her now infamous letter written and sent in March of 1776 to John Adams that she historically wrote:

“—I long to hear that you have declared an independancy—and by the way in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If perticuliar care and attention is not paid to the Laidies we are determined to foment a Rebelion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.”

While John Adams in fact did not remember the ladies, it was this passage that set the tone for women in America who followed Abigail Adams. It did not happen overnight, but 72 years after Abigail’s letter, the rebellion she spoke of sparked and spread like wildfire. On July 19, 1848, women and men held the Seneca Falls Convention. It was this convention that was held in New York during the summer of 1848 that is considered to be the first official act of the Women’s Suffrage Movement in America and was organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott.

It is at this convention that the Declaration of Sentiments was presented and signed by 100 attendees (68 women and 32 men). This document famously states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal” and was supported by the famous abolitionist Frederick Douglas.

With the civil war looming, the Women’s Suffrage Movement was soon swept to the side. It is theorized by many that Women’s Organizations joined the abolitionist in their cause, with the hopes that their efforts and capabilities would be recognized at the end of the war. They were blindsided when the 15^th amendment of 1869 did not include women. It was then that the real work began.

The outrage was felt country wide, and women began to organize in a way they never had before. It was in this time period that women like Susan B. Anthony, Ida B. Wells, and Alice Paul were becoming spear head figures of the movement and making changes across America. After years of protesting in the street and votes in congress, the fate of a woman’s right to vote came down to a House Representative vote in Tennessee on August 18, 1920.

In the days prior to the vote, the Woman’s Suffrage group and the oppositional group The National Association Opposed to Women Suffrage were actively speaking with House Representatives to influence their vote. The tension between the two groups could be felt on the Tennessee House floor as they watched the proceedings from the viewing gallery.

Both sides of this issue sat full of emotions as they watched their last battle play out as the votes were called out for all to hear. It was during this vote that a surprise tie breaking vote from Representative Harry Burn gave women the right, they had fought long and hard for. When asked in an interview after the historic vote “Why did you change your mind?” He promptly answered, “I always take my mother’s advice.” It is to the credit of a letter that was delivered to Harry Burn just before the vote from his mother, Febb King Ensminger Burn, that the 19^th amendment was then signed into law eight days later on August 26, 1920.

The Transitional Period

The 19^th amendment victory was a cause for celebration, but women soon learned that their work was nowhere near complete. The 1920-1960 period of America’s history was when the idea of the Civil Rights Movement was systemized and gradually grew into the movement it was in the 1960-70’s. This period of feminism saw women making note of their inequalities and making plans to face them head on.

Feminists of this transitional period were becoming widely aware of the gender discriminations throughout American society and began building momentum to bring equality. Women were able to vote, but they still were not treated as equals. Limitations were put in place to control what jobs could be done by women. If they were working, and were married, they were not in control of their incomes. They were not able to have a bank account or own property without a man’s permission. They knew that if they were to be truly equals this needed to change.

The period between the first wave and second wave was more than just a transitional period in terms of my own personal story, because it was during this period that the lead feminists in my life were born. It was their lived experiences growing up in this period that built the feminist foundation in which I was raised. What they learned was then persistently passed down to me and shaped the feminist that I am today.

The Second Wave

The Civil Rights period of America’s history saw fast paced radical changes sweep throughout the country on all equality fronts. It was also at this moment in history that the Women’s Suffrage Movement transformed into the Women’s Liberation Movement. This transformation is viewed as “the second wave” and brought women true freedom of choice in America. Seeing the successes of the African American’s Civil Rights movement inspired Feminist organizations to follow their example and they organized sit-ins, walk-outs, protests, and strikes. All of these tactics were used to bring light to the discrimination of women in their daily lives and helped Feminists make changes to policies that were holding women back.

*Disclaimer*

Before discussing the successes of the second wave, it is important to note that prior to the Civil Rights Movement in America much of the women’s movement had been a segregated battle. There were only a few times in which the races worked together towards the same goal, but all were actively working towards it.

An example of this inner struggle of the movement was displayed in the 1913 National Suffrage Parade in Washington DC. At this event, that had more than 5,000 participants, there were organizations of white women who refused to walk in the march with the black women’s organizations. So those organizations were in turn asked to walk in the back of the march.

However, longstanding feminist and equal rights activist Ida B. Wells was not having it, and openly defied that request by walking the entire march with a white women’s organization. Sending a strong message that white women were not the sole backbone of the movement, ALL women were fighting for this. Ultimately, the desegregation of America helped to unite ALL women, in turn making them an even stronger force. A force that would push down barriers that had long held women back from their full potentials.

*Now back to the important second wave facts*

Prominent figures in the second wave who set out to breakdown those barriers that were holding women back include Betty Friedan, Margaret Sanger, and Gloria Steinem. However, not all pioneers of this movement were in the streets organizing and protesting. Many were in the work force and opening closed doors for other women to follow. Well known examples of this are Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Hilary Clinton, and Toni Morrison.

Not all are famously remembered names, so it is vital that we remember in local communities’ country wide women flooded the work force and began building reputations for themselves in the work field of their choice. With out the dedication of these women pursuing their dreams and setting an example for others, it’s possible that the movement could have faltered instead of making the changes that it did.

I am proud to say that my great grandmother and both of my grandmas were part of this group of women who made local efforts to involve women in the work force. However, it was my Great Grandmother Mable who fought the hardest within her community. Having been born only a little over a decade after the right to vote was earned, she grew up being told the importance of women in politics. She took this knowledge and actively participated in her local politics.

In her lifetime she was able to make positive changes for her community and continued her involvement in politics until she physically could not do so anymore. I always considered myself lucky as a child to see her in action. Her example of what a strong local political figure looks like has stayed with me and is embedded in every feminist action I take. It is also reflected in my choice of adding a Political Science Minor to my degree. To ensure I am able to understand politics on a deeper level so I can help make positive systematic changes.

The first win in the Women’s Liberation Movement was the creation and legalization of birth control in 1960. The creation of birth control gave women, for the first time, the right to choose when she was ready to start a family and how large of a family she was willing to have. This crucial win set the tone for what was to follow.

During this second wave women won the right to own property, have a bank account, their own credit line, the right to safely seek an abortion, the right to equal pay, and the right to an equal education. With these wins, women were finally able to explore who they were and what they wanted to do with their lives outside of the home; and they did just that!

Feminists also made it their goal to ensure that every woman who followed the second wave took full advantage of these wins. It was in my teenage years that the significance of these wins were then passed on to me. My grandmother’s made it a point to explain the gravity of my ability to obtain birth control and its benefits for my reproductive health. They repeatedly reminded me of how important it was that I sought a career of my own, as well as the seriousness of ensuring I always have my own bank account.

They told me their stories along with the stories of women they met throughout their lives to give me real world examples as to why these actions were essential to my success as a woman in America. While I was your typical teenager when given all this information, I can admit that their advice on these subjects helped me to make wise decisions and have ownership over the life I wanted to live. It may have seemed like I was not listening at the time, but I took those words to heart and have utilized them many times throughout life.

The Third Wave

Since the wins of the second wave, women had been working diligently to pursue the life and career they wanted, defend the rights women had already won, and pushed to receive the full equality they deserve. By the late 1990’s the third wave was in place and making ripples in society. The third-wave feminists sought to publicly question, reclaim, and redefine the overall ideas of what womanhood should be.

While we had been in the workforce and proving that we were worthy of our equal status, there was still a lot of societal push back over the changes taking place. Women were actively breaking designed gender roles that many had a hard time letting go of. So, third wave feminist strategically took their movement to the one place most Americans spend their time, the entertainment industry. By utilizing media as a tool, they were in turn able to reach a larger audience.

With TV and radio being popular among society, the Feminism Movement had become hard to escape. A major milestone from the third-wave movement was the Anita Hill hearings. It was in these hearings that attorney Anita Hill testified for all of America to see that US Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas repeatedly harassed her within the workplace using inappropriate language and would frequently pressure her to go on dates with him.

Despite her testimony, Congress voted to confirm Justice Clarence Thomas three days later. This public defeat set a spark that is still burning today within the feminist movement. Women saw that a lack of representation was a danger to their daily lives and set out to change it. The years following the Anita Hill hearings saw an increase in women in US Congress and local politics country wide.

Other notable figures from the third wave movement made their marks through music. The 90’s and early 2000’s saw an increase in the Riot Grrrl Movement. Punk rock girl bands dominated the radio stations spreading their message on inequality and the struggles of being a woman in America. A frontrunner in girl bands setting out to make change was Kathleen Hanna from the band Bikini Kill. She and her band left their mark on the movement by publishing their Riot Grrrl Manifesto that laid out the reasoning behind the feminist music movement. Some singers like, Gwen Stefani and Pink, who played a large role in the movement are still active in the industry and movement today. Music is a form of expression that has a large reach and has helped to increase the chances of gaining positive traction for the movement. (I know for me personally every time I need to express my frustrations with the world my go to song is No Doubt’s Just A Girl.) This fact alone is why many theorize that this approach to bringing attention to the movement has proved itself successful.

This particular wave of feminism is the wave in which my mother is a part of. While she did not participate in the same way as my grandmothers, she still made her own feminist mark on me through her life decisions. Thanks to the women who came before her, she had the right to leave failed relationships and work jobs to support her children. Growing up I watched my mom stand up for herself and leave abusive relationships, work full-time jobs, go to school, and start a career as a CNA all while raising two children. I saw her do everything in her power to rise above and set a strong example for me to follow in this harsh world we live in.

Seeing my mother’s strength throughout my childhood instilled in me my ability to stand up for myself, taught me the definition of work ethic, and showed me that a mother’s love can overcome any obstacle. These are lessons that I now take very seriously as a mother myself, and all are lessons that I am aware were only made available to me because of the dedication of past feminists who fought for me to have them.

Modern-Day Feminism

This brings us to our current wave of feminism in America. With doors of opportunity being opened by the third wave, women were entering every work field available. This brought with it new challenges that needed to be addressed such as, workplace discrimination and sexual harassment. These have been the highlighted issues the fourth wave of feminism have been facing since 2012.

The seed that was planted in the third wave movement during the Anita Hill hearings had taken root and sprouted into a brave and bold tree that could no longer be ignored by society. Women rallied together to start the #MeToo movement on social media. It was a movement where women openly shared their traumas of sexual harassment and even abuse in the workplace.

During the height of the Me-Too movement many from Hollywood began to also openly speak about their personal experiences working with males in the entertainment industry. It was their bravery to speak out about these issues that rightfully ended the careers of many large names in Hollywood. The biggest win so far for the Me-Too movement was the arrest and eventual conviction of high-profile producer Harvey Weinstein on February 24, 2020.

With this recent win under our belts the current fourth wave of feminism was quickly put in full out defense mode when the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in June of 2022. This created a domino effect of trigger laws in states banning all abortions and putting many lives in danger.

Per usual, feminists were quick to organize and have been actively fighting to overturn these laws in their home states. Their efforts as a movement can be reflected in their results of their “Vote No” campaign. With bills being introduced daily that threaten the work of first and second wave feminists, today’s feminists are taking the lead to ensure that future generations of women do not grow up with less rights than they had.

As a modern day feminist who lives in one of the first states to try to ban abortions I knew I had to do everything within my power to help the women in my home state of Kentucky whose lives were now in danger. After participating in the protest at my local courthouse in June of 2022 I began organizing and working with the organizations who organized the Bans Off Our Body protests in Kentucky.

It was through this networking that I was able to join the Facebook group Kentucky for Reproductive Freedom. As an active member I, along with a wide variety of other women organized daily with each other to get the trigger law in our state ruled as unconstitutional in the state of Kentucky.

With the mid-term elections quickly approaching, members of this group also put a large amount of their focus on getting pro-choice candidates on the Kentucky ballot and spreading the “Vote No” message far and wide. While we did not win the Senate seat that was up for re-election, we did make a lot of ground with many of our local candidates easily securing their election wins. However, our biggest win of the election was the majority voted “no” on their ballot, ensuring that abortions were protected as a constitutional right.

While we had many wins, our challenging work in Kentucky is no where near over. Despite the majority vote there are still active politicians working diligently to still ban abortions. A prominent figure who has made his stance clear is Attorney General, and hopeful candidate for the Republican Governor in the 2024 election, Daniel Cameron. His actions to actively defy the population of Kentucky’s vote has made him an opposition figure in our current fight. As I am typing this, feminists in the state of Kentucky are networking and planning how to ensure Daniel Cameron never makes it to the Governor’s desk.

Feminism has no gender

A notable fact that must be acknowledged about the fourth wave of feminism is the increasing number of males involved in the movement compared to previous waves in history. While there have always been some men on the side of feminism the numbers were much lower than one would hope. (Remember, only 32 men signed the Declaration of Sentiments at the Seneca Falls Convention.) However, in recent years the number of males who identify with and support the feminism movement has prominently increased, making it clear that we do have allies across gender lines. This is significant because it shows the world that feminism has no gender.

If you believe in the core message of feminism whole heartedly then you are more than welcome to wear the title of Feminist. This is an added benefit that past feminists did not have on their side. This added rise in supporters is actively helping fourth wave feminists make progress in ways they were never able to do before. As the number of feminists grow, we are quickly becoming a message that is hard to ignore.

Conclusion

Every wave of feminism is an important puzzle piece to the bigger picture of what feminism is. While it has evolved with the times, the goals have stayed the same; bring positive and equal change to women’s daily lives in society. Moving forward with our current battles it is important to recognize and give thanks to the feminists of the past that won themselves the right to vote, freed themselves from their status of second-class citizens, gave themselves the right to a career and personal finances, and made it accessible for themselves to control their own reproductive health. If it were not for their challenging work and dedication, we would not be able to openly defend our rights like we are doing today.

As for myself going forward into the political environment that we are facing, I will continue to carry the wisdom passed down to me from my grandmas and the examples set for me by my mother. I will remind myself daily of their sacrifices, and I will give thanks for their guidance. Most importantly going forward I will continue my dedication to the feminist movement of Kentucky and do everything in my power to reinstate a woman’s full right to their reproductive health and life choices.

As for you, the reader, I hope you were able to learn something valuable from this read. I hope something here ignited a passion within you and that in turn you set out to find your own feminist identity and defend it at all costs. I hope that you were kindly reminded of the sacrifices the women in your family made for you; If you do not have a feminist figure to be reminded of then I hope more than anything that you find one. And lastly, I hope you get out there and give the patriarchy hell!

Poems

Poem 1:

The Modern-Day Feminist

I was born with this fight inside me

passed down by the women before me

It is embedded in my DNA code

A vital part of my soul

So, I carry it with me wherever I go

It is in every decision I make

down every road I take

I even wear it all over my face

It is this part of me that keeps me going

Because of it I will never give up

The generations that come after me

will know this as a fact

Because it will be my feminist movement that

brings their rights back

Poem 2:

A Letter to the Past

If I could write a letter

to the feminist of the past

I’d be sure to write Abigail first

And thank her for standing up

to her husband like that

I would then write to

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott

To show them my gratitude for their bravery

and make sure they know it inspires the movement daily

I would take a second to tell Febb Burn

How much I appreciate her parenting style

Because without it, Harry would have never voted yes

I would be sure to write and show my most regarded respects

to Ida B. Wells

Her strength to stand up to all her oppressors

has served everyone that has followed in her footsteps well

I would tell Betty Friedan

How glad I am

that she grew sick of being a housewife

I would tell Ruth her time has a Justice

Is still lingering within the feminist movement

And we will persistently dissent inequality

for her with everything in us

Lastly, I would write my great grandmother

And thank her from the bottom of my heart

Without her I would have never known where to even start

But most importantly,

I would ensure that they ALL knew

we are still fighting and are stronger because of, You