I choked back tears this past Tuesday night while I watched Jerry Emmett, a 102-year-old woman and Democratic delegate, cast her vote to nominate Hillary Clinton as the 45th and first female President of the United States. In order to feel the real significance here, you need to remember that Jerry was born before women even had the right to vote.
Watching Jerry practically bounce with excitement as she gleefully called out Hillary's name made me think of my 96-year-old grandmother who was also born before women could vote. A woman getting the nomination is such an incredible moment that none of these women believed would ever happen in their lifetimes. They are from a generation when most women were not educated beyond high school, not to mention those who never made it to high school- or had no formal education at all. A woman's main purpose was to support her family. She didn't have any choice but that.
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These women came from mothers who led even more restrictive lives than them. Many of whom were new immigrants to the United States. I laugh when I think of my great grandmother, a German immigrant who moved to the United States alone in 1900 at the age of 16, who scoffed at the thought of women getting the right to vote. I can't even imagine what she would say about Hillary, but it's fun to think about.
Then these women went on to raise their progressive Baby Boomer children, who had unprecedented access to education. And those Boomers gave birth to the anti-war, pro-peace generation, who brought up the well-educated majestic butterflies who are taking over the world today. Butterflies who are starting to no longer bat an eye when a woman shatters a glass ceiling in the political or business world.
The perceived lack of caring about these progressive milestones is amazing and sad at the same time. It is amazing because we live in a world where women making great progress is becoming the norm. And that's how things should be. It is sad because there are still many obstacles women have to overcome in order to get true equality. And complacency with progress can slow down the whirlwind that needs to keep propelling women forward. Plus, how can you truly appreciate the accomplishments of the present without recognizing the history of what it took to get there.
This is why July 26, 2016 needs to matter to you. You don't have to like Hillary to appreciate why this day is significant. If there is a beautiful majestic butterfly of a woman in your life--family, friend, self, or otherwise--you need to celebrate this day for what it means for her life and for the lives of women everywhere.
