More on Woman Power

In Dancing on Mars I wrote about Native American women not being allowed to participate in  traditional Sweat Lodge ceremonies during their menses.  I assumed this was some nonsense about women being considered inferior, “unclean” or some equally patronizing reason.  I was raving about that until I learned my assumptions were wrong.  Women don't take part because their energy is so powerful during that time that it throws off the energies in Lodge.   So, rather than an insult, a woman’s exclusion from this prayer ritual is acknowledgement of her power.

 

American women have been steadily moving into more powerful positions since approximately the 1960's.  And in the current political climate it's obvious that woman power has made a lot of men—and even some women— mighty uncomfortable.   Uncomfortable enough to pass laws that take away hard-won  rights—even though some of these laws are unconstitutional.  There's an air of desperation about it,  don't you think?  A desperate attempt to "put women in their place."  They'd be happier if we could take women's rights back to the 1860's.  Republicans in Congress, state legislatures, and governor around the country are attempting to take away women's power, or at least contain it, with laws that restrict reproductive rights.  They're crafting the laws so that women's clinics that perform perfectly legal abortion procedures won’t be able to remain open.  The laws set unnecessary, often irrelevant, standards that are impossible for most clinics to meet. 

 

We must be doing something right, we women, that all these lawmakers have ramped up efforts to get us down.  I have this to say about that:  Good luck, fellas!   Some of us left our power in a dusty corner of our busy lives at some point and then forgot we ever had it.  So, thanks for reminding us.  We are reclaiming it!  Did you see all the protesters at the Texas capitol?  How about the Moral Mondays demonstrations in Raleigh?  And just wait for the next elections.

 

North Carolina's Republican-majority legislature and its Governor are passing laws so archaic, they're about to make South Carolina look better.   But we South Carolinians can't claim "better" —not yet.  For a number of reasons.   The one I’m thinking about today is the way our lawmakers still insist on perpetuating  the “good ole boy” methodology in electing members of state boards and commissions.  As you might imagine, there aren’t a whole lot of women on these boards.  A sad thing because you know all institutions could stand some improvement, and women are good at making things better. 

 

I’m going to tell you, or remind you, about a significant addition to the non-profit world in South Carolina:  ProjectXXSouthCarolina.  The mission is to get more progressive-thinking women elected to South Carolina’s boards and commissions.  At this time women are outrageously underrepresented, so this initiative was badly needed.  The founders are Ginny Deerin and Nikki Hardin, women I’d love to have as my mentors.  They’ve done the research and gotten ProjectXX off to an excellent start.  You’ll want to know more about it; maybe you will consider becoming a candidate yourself.   Visit their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ProjectXXSouthCarolina?ref=br_tf ) and learn more.  Should you decide to seek one of the available positions, you’ll get guidance and support from ProjectXX.  I’ll leave you with that link and urge you to check them out.  Even if you’re not contemplating board service now, you might have an interest down the road—or you might know the perfect candidate for one of the boards.  So, learn more and say  “thanks” to Nikki and Ginny for all they’re doing to bring more women into positions where we can make a positive difference.  And you know we will.