An open letter to my granddaughters (and to all young women),
“A pearl is a thing of great rarity or worth.” (Oxford Dictionary)
Since the U.S. Congress convened on March 4, 1789, 12,414 individuals have served as Representatives, Senators, or in both capacities. (www.history.house.gov) A total of 366 women have ever been elected or appointed to Congress, including 247 Democrats and 119 Republicans. (https://crsreports.congress.gov/)
History will be made on January 20, 2021 when the Vice President of the United States will be Kamala Harris (Democrat). Notably, she will be the first woman to serve in the second highest position in our government. For me, this is not about politics… it’s about the glass ceiling shattering. She will be the pioneer into the upper ranks of government service… paving the way for YOU!
This is a moment we should all savor. Women have been fighting too long to have the same rights and privileges as men… but that is changing. Men, especially your fathers and grandfathers, should be celebrating this day with you, too. Why? Because it will show that they support YOU in whatever dreams you have for your future. So, dream BIG! There is nothing you cannot accomplish… nothing! And, I pray that during your life time you will see the first woman… maybe even someone you grew up with… be elected as the President of the US! It will happen! And you will be so proud when it does!
Brave women have been fighting for your rights for centuries. Did you know that women in the US have only been allow to vote for barely 100 years? That’s right. The first white women were allowed to vote in 1920. In 1924, Native American women were given voting rights. Chinese immigrant women were allowed to vote in 1943. But it wasn’t until 1965 that African American women could vote! It was a long and hard fought battle, but women won!
Women serving our country in the government started a little earlier.
Jeannette Pickering Rankin (June 11, 1880 – May 18, 1973), a Republican from Montana, was the first woman elected to Congress in 1916 – to the House of Representatives. And the glass ceiling began to crack.
In 1981, (the year your dad/uncle Brian was born) Sandra Day O’Connor (born March 26, 1930), a Republican nominated by President Ronald Reagan, became the first woman to serve as associate justice of the United States Supreme Court. It was a happy day… the glass ceiling was cracking a bit more.
Women are steadily gaining the right to have their voices heard. Pew Research reports: “Counting both the House of Representatives and the Senate, 144 of 539 seats – or 27% – are held by women, though it remains far below the female share of the population: 50.8%. A record 120 women are serving in the newly elected House, accounting for 27% of the total. In the Senate, women hold 24 of 100 seats, one fewer than the record number of seats they held in the last Congress.
When I started seminary, a few people asked me if being a pastor had been my life-long dream. My answer was, “no,” because when I was growing up, all pastors were male. The first woman was ordained in the church body that would become the ELCA in 1970… the year I graduated from high school. Now, 50+ years later, 32% of the ELCA pastors are women and more are in seminary. Interesting, also, is the fact that 47% of the 65 ELCA synod bishops are women, including the Presiding Bishop of the ELCA, Elizabeth Eaton. Do you hear the glass shattering?
You are living in an amazing time for young women. Your foremothers have fought and died for your right to be whomever you want to be… to do whatever you want to do. So dream BIG!
You, as a young woman, are a pearl… “a person of great worth.” On inauguration day, January 20, 2021, women across the US, including me, will be wearing pearls as a way to honor all women, and our first female Vice President.
If you have pearls… a ring, earrings, necklace or bracelet… I encourage you to wear them. But if you don’t, that’s ok. Just remember, every time you see pearls, that you are precious… you are valuable… and you have a lot to contribute to the greatness of our country and world. And, let pearls remind you of the thousands of women who have fought for you… so that you now have the opportunity to be whatever you want to be. Love, Nana
Grace Notes 