Houston Democrats

©1977, 2001 Linda Griffith, from "Ghosts of the Second Wave" by permission of the artist

It took place right here in Houston, Texas in November of 1977.

©1977, 2001 Linda Griffith, from "Ghosts of the Second Wave" by permission of the artist

From November 18 to 21, 1977, over 20,000 people gathered in Houston, Texas to celebrate International Women's Year and identify goals for women for the next decade. This was the first and only national women's conference to be sponsored by the federal government. Delegates from every state in the nation came to Houston to caucus, vote and participate in the development of a national agenda for change. Read the Declaration that was made at the National Women’s Conference in Houston in November of 1977.

We are here to move history forward.

We do not seek special privileges, but we demand as a human right a full voice and role for women in determining the destiny of or world, our nation, our families and our individual lives.

We seek these rights for all women, whether or not they choose as individuals to use them.

We are part of a worldwide movement of women who believe that only by bringing women into full partnership with men and respecting our rights as half the human race can we hope to achieve a world in which the whole human race – men, women and children – can live in peace and security.

We pledge ourselves with all the strength of our dedication to this struggle “to form a more perfect Union.”

Actually, fellow bloggers and lurkers, yours truly remembers this event. I was a young wife and mother who had recently moved to Houston. I remember being glued to the TV screen during the proceedings for hours in-between meal preparation, laundry folding, and housecleaning. I, with many of my contemporaries, was truly inspired and feeling hopeful for the future and for my then-two year old daughter. Does anyone in the blogosphere remember this event? Do you remember where were you when it happened, and what you were doing?

Meanwhile, what has happened to our hopes and aspirations?

©1977, 2001 Linda Griffith, from "Ghosts of the Second Wave" by permission of the artist

In an upcoming book called Perfect Madness, by Judith Warner, the author describes her disillusioned sisters this way:

"Good daughters of the Reagan Revolution, we disdained social activism and cultivated our own gardens with a kind of muscle-bound, tightly wound, über-achieving, all-encompassing, never-failing self-control that passed, in the 1980s, for female empowerment."

Linda Valdez, opinion editor for the Arizona Republic Newspaper says, "As mothers, they were rudely awakened to the realities of life in a society that lacks even rudimentary supports for working parents.

Well, duh, ladies."

One of my favorite bloggers, "Blue Bunny" sums it up very well:

Anyone who has ever heard R_______ (refers to a famous neocon talk show host who will remain nameless).... knows that feminist ideals have been demonized for years....17 years later, and 3 lost elections, it's clear he has convinced the next generation that access to contraceptives, fair wages, respectable treatment in the workplace, and decent day care are wrong and sinful. And demanding those things makes you a 'femi-nazi.'

She goes on to say,

We have to get back in the fight and turn this tide. I won't go down without a fight.

Hooray for you, Blue Bunny, and all of the true blue Americans like you who are still out there believing in and working for the well-being of women!

What about you, gentle reader? What will you do in honor of Women's History Month to advance the empowerment of women?

©1977, 2001 Linda Griffith, from "Ghosts of the Second Wave" by
permission of the artist

Sincerely,

Blue Bayou Girl