Your poem is a powerful homage to all women. By invoking the names of so many incredible women, you have created a blanket that draws all women in.
I am particularly filled with thoughts and gratitude for my own mother, who rose above so many challenges in her own life. Even in death, she inspires & guides me daily, to be my best self and to do what I can to help keep our beloved country on the right path. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful words.
Gloria Horton-Young -- She who stirs the Storm! -- Gwen Ifill, along with Charlayne Hunter-Gault -- those two inspire my heart in the deep beauty of a woman's strength, intellect and spirit.
How I miss Gwen Ifill. With Gwen Ifill as anchor, there was objectivity and substance in news coverage. But her smile and her inner spirit that filled a room made me feel a dear and close relative was speaking.
What a loss, through Gwen Ifill's early death. Nancy (my wife) and I loved to watch Gwen Ifill with her cheer and dignity. Gwen Ifill told stories about indignities she had suffered, and she told them with such a broad smile and humility that her inner strength and worth shone through, and the listener would shake her head at the ignorance of her detractors. Gwen Ifill was an absolutely compelling, womanly force.
And the spirit of Charlayne Hunter-Gault who could with such dignity and patience explain the injustices being imposed on minorities. Charlayne Hunter-Gault spoke with a conviction borne of careful, studied thought. Ms. Hunter-Gault would reach the heart of a matter with a warm, voice that sounded neighborly and friendly and she reasoned carefully. Her broadcasts on National Public Radio explained principles of justice in compelling, individual stories. God, I listened to countless broadcasts with her stories.
Two of my leading lights on National Public Radio and TV (NPB).
Thank you. Is it obvious that I’ve written prolifically about the power of women and how we continue to IGNORE our strength?!?
Imagine if all 131 million women eligible voters in America voted as a block. What if our brothers, our fathers, our husbands, our sons - all 124 million of them - walk right alongside their sisters and mothers. Imagine the power of over 255 million voters standing united for equality, making that walk together!
Women are really the stronger sex. We have more endurance. We know pain from childbirth, carrying water to the house and having to deal with “Male Supremacy”. We chopped wood, buried children, worked outside the home and did most of the work at home. We’ve had to be teachers and nurses when almost no other job was open to us. We’ve had to sell our bodies just to feed our children. We’ve been beaten and eyes blacked by someone who supposedly loved us. We aren’t believed. As a rape victim, the court and male attorneys have violated us again when we reported it. Hundreds of young women were abused by a “well loved” sports coach for years because we were afraid to tell and then when we did it took years to convict the man. We are over 50% of the population but we lack the same representation across all government institutions. When running for president, the news focused on what we wore or how our hair looked instead of what we said. We are talked down to and physically demeaned no matter what we do. We are not your sex object unless we consent. We aren’t your brood mare. We aren’t your mother (unless of course, we are your mother). We still have doors locked on us when we are searching for a better paying job. We come in all sizes, shapes and colors but thin blond white girls are considered the look we should strive for.
We’ve been down this road before. Women have had to redefine ourselves, fight to vote, fight for equal pay and still aren’t in the Constitution (we need the ERA NOW). We’ve been arrested, jailed and force fed by a tube shoved down our throats because we demanded the vote.
YOUNG WOMEN: Join us older feminists and let us show you the ropes. Soon you’ll be the ones doing all the leading. Women’s Rights are human rights.
It would seem once again this experiment in democracy is going to require the strength , wisdom and fortitude of women to right this ship of state for the benefit of the many. All the while knowing full well that ultimately they will not be given their due credit.
I can see this being a poem that will be published as a serial, with stanzas added as other women go about their daily lives and coincidentally move democracy, society and culture forward.
"The young women of today, free to study, to speak, to write, to choose their occupation, should remember that every inch of this freedom was bought for them at a great price. It is for them to show their gratitude by helping onward the reforms of their own times, by spreading the light of freedom and of truth still wider. The debt that each generation owes to the past it must pay to the future."
Pull up the bootstraps, cross your heart bras, dip deeply on stage, dance the stiletto heels stomp and strut like an ostrich hum like a bee, make honey and sweeten the deal. Vote like your heart beats. Listen to the rhythm. No pace maker needed. Women have their drum sticks and snares trap the clouds of dissent, squeeze the rain the next four plus years feed your children the ones you want to teach lessons to carry on the torch. Women can rule but men must listen if they know which side their butter is on their toast. I drink to success.
Lace up the combat boots, zip up the kevlar, take aim at the stage, march to the war drums' beat and roar like a lion, sting like a wasp, brew courage and fortify the ranks. Vote like your life depends. March to the cadence. No fear in sight. Women have their weapons and armor shield the storms of resistance, harness the winds the next four plus years teach your daughters the ones you need to impart wisdom to carry on the fight. Women can lead but men must support if they know what's good for their own cause. I salute to victory.
We are all the Women’s March! Following Kamala Harris with our pink hats on! Yes we can!
We must.
Great poem, Gloria!
Thank you, Six Winds. (That is such a cool handle).
Injustice for some means injustice for all.
Yes. So true, Stanley.
We will never give up. This is an inspiring piece, Gloria. THANK YOU!
No. We will not. I have upmost faith in us.
Lovely - thoughtful and inspiring. I especially loved how you incorporated such a diverse range of women into this poem!
Thank you. So many women, so little time.
Yes, I was thinking the same thing…
So many women…
Your poem is a powerful homage to all women. By invoking the names of so many incredible women, you have created a blanket that draws all women in.
I am particularly filled with thoughts and gratitude for my own mother, who rose above so many challenges in her own life. Even in death, she inspires & guides me daily, to be my best self and to do what I can to help keep our beloved country on the right path. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful words.
I am deeply moved…💙🇺🇸💙
Julie. *sigh* My mother, Minnie Elberta, was and remains a force of nature in my life.
💛💛💛
Whoa…powerful truth is spoken here.
Powerful words will help us regain our strength & resolve. Do not bother with petty men, promising petty lies.
We are women. WE CREATED MEN & we can also hurt some men. We are not afraid, because there are many women who join us. This is OUR fight & OUR RIGHT!
AGREE!!!
So true!
My sentiments, exactly!
Gloria Horton-Young -- She who stirs the Storm! -- Gwen Ifill, along with Charlayne Hunter-Gault -- those two inspire my heart in the deep beauty of a woman's strength, intellect and spirit.
How I miss Gwen Ifill. With Gwen Ifill as anchor, there was objectivity and substance in news coverage. But her smile and her inner spirit that filled a room made me feel a dear and close relative was speaking.
What a loss, through Gwen Ifill's early death. Nancy (my wife) and I loved to watch Gwen Ifill with her cheer and dignity. Gwen Ifill told stories about indignities she had suffered, and she told them with such a broad smile and humility that her inner strength and worth shone through, and the listener would shake her head at the ignorance of her detractors. Gwen Ifill was an absolutely compelling, womanly force.
And the spirit of Charlayne Hunter-Gault who could with such dignity and patience explain the injustices being imposed on minorities. Charlayne Hunter-Gault spoke with a conviction borne of careful, studied thought. Ms. Hunter-Gault would reach the heart of a matter with a warm, voice that sounded neighborly and friendly and she reasoned carefully. Her broadcasts on National Public Radio explained principles of justice in compelling, individual stories. God, I listened to countless broadcasts with her stories.
Two of my leading lights on National Public Radio and TV (NPB).
Both were class acts.
Gloria Horton-Young: I have nurtured a real LOVE for both Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Gwen Ifill.
Exquisite, Gloria!!
And....Thank you!
Thank you. Is it obvious that I’ve written prolifically about the power of women and how we continue to IGNORE our strength?!?
Imagine if all 131 million women eligible voters in America voted as a block. What if our brothers, our fathers, our husbands, our sons - all 124 million of them - walk right alongside their sisters and mothers. Imagine the power of over 255 million voters standing united for equality, making that walk together!
Imagine!
Women are really the stronger sex. We have more endurance. We know pain from childbirth, carrying water to the house and having to deal with “Male Supremacy”. We chopped wood, buried children, worked outside the home and did most of the work at home. We’ve had to be teachers and nurses when almost no other job was open to us. We’ve had to sell our bodies just to feed our children. We’ve been beaten and eyes blacked by someone who supposedly loved us. We aren’t believed. As a rape victim, the court and male attorneys have violated us again when we reported it. Hundreds of young women were abused by a “well loved” sports coach for years because we were afraid to tell and then when we did it took years to convict the man. We are over 50% of the population but we lack the same representation across all government institutions. When running for president, the news focused on what we wore or how our hair looked instead of what we said. We are talked down to and physically demeaned no matter what we do. We are not your sex object unless we consent. We aren’t your brood mare. We aren’t your mother (unless of course, we are your mother). We still have doors locked on us when we are searching for a better paying job. We come in all sizes, shapes and colors but thin blond white girls are considered the look we should strive for.
We’ve been down this road before. Women have had to redefine ourselves, fight to vote, fight for equal pay and still aren’t in the Constitution (we need the ERA NOW). We’ve been arrested, jailed and force fed by a tube shoved down our throats because we demanded the vote.
YOUNG WOMEN: Join us older feminists and let us show you the ropes. Soon you’ll be the ones doing all the leading. Women’s Rights are human rights.
So beautifully written. Thank you.
It would seem once again this experiment in democracy is going to require the strength , wisdom and fortitude of women to right this ship of state for the benefit of the many. All the while knowing full well that ultimately they will not be given their due credit.
That’s the godawful truth of it.
Equal Rights for all!
AMEN, brother.
I can see this being a poem that will be published as a serial, with stanzas added as other women go about their daily lives and coincidentally move democracy, society and culture forward.
Thank you. 🙏 Lovely idea!
Rita, I haven’t finished this but I wanted to share this with you. It’s my companion piece to this poem.
The last quote is the most important for your granddaughter to understand. Women who had no rights fought and suffered for us.
“We are Battleborn”
https://open.substack.com/pub/gloriahortonyoung/p/we-are-battleborn?r=a4vn&utm_medium=ios
led me to
The Debt We Owe
_______
Imagine, if you will,
the pulse of 131 million women
their hearts
a drumbeat
relentless
marching toward the polls
their eyes
a storm of purpose
beside them
the men they love—
fathers, brothers, husbands, sons—
124 million strong
standing
like sentinels in the dawn
their hands
clasped
in solidarity
together
these 255 million souls
a tidal wave
a reckoning
crashing
against the cliffs of inequality
dismantling
the fragile towers of the old guard
in this moment
of upheaval
the world holds its breath
the air thick
with the scent of change
as this legion of voices
becomes
a symphony of renewal
unity
their banner
flutters in the winds of revolution
proclaiming that change is not
a whisper
in the dark
but a shout
into the void
an unyielding force
reshaping the horizon
.
"The young women of today, free to study, to speak, to write, to choose their occupation, should remember that every inch of this freedom was bought for them at a great price. It is for them to show their gratitude by helping onward the reforms of their own times, by spreading the light of freedom and of truth still wider. The debt that each generation owes to the past it must pay to the future."
- Abigail Scott Duniway, suffragist 1834-1915
Amazing how everything you write just sums up all the things we need to focus on and remember Thanks Gloria
Thank you, Mrs. Young from your FAVORITE (〜￣▽￣)〜 daughter-in-law, Mrs. Horton-Young.
Pull up the bootstraps, cross your heart bras, dip deeply on stage, dance the stiletto heels stomp and strut like an ostrich hum like a bee, make honey and sweeten the deal. Vote like your heart beats. Listen to the rhythm. No pace maker needed. Women have their drum sticks and snares trap the clouds of dissent, squeeze the rain the next four plus years feed your children the ones you want to teach lessons to carry on the torch. Women can rule but men must listen if they know which side their butter is on their toast. I drink to success.
Lace up the combat boots, zip up the kevlar, take aim at the stage, march to the war drums' beat and roar like a lion, sting like a wasp, brew courage and fortify the ranks. Vote like your life depends. March to the cadence. No fear in sight. Women have their weapons and armor shield the storms of resistance, harness the winds the next four plus years teach your daughters the ones you need to impart wisdom to carry on the fight. Women can lead but men must support if they know what's good for their own cause. I salute to victory.
A familiar costume, clad with stormtroopers boots below belt dance to a drone beating the tanks. In other words. Charge.
Strong of spirit. Clear of vision and voice, agile of pen, beacon of light. Gloria, you da best.
Also I think you personify this lyric:
I am Not an Island
I'm not an island
I'm a woman
I'm a lover, I am a giver
I have sisters
I'm a woman
I'm not an island
I am not a piece of property
That you can or can't afford
I am not your trader's favorite stock
But I'm not to be ignored
I am strong within my boundaries
I am not your fair absurd
I'm the fount of our salvation
And I will have the final word.
I'm not an island
I'm a woman
I'm a lover, I am a giver
I have sisters
I'm a woman
I'm not an island.
I am the mighty hurricane
That will beat upon your shores
I am a resurrection
I am knocking on your doors
Do you think that I am kidding
Do you even think at all
While you play your favorite pastimes
And throw your favorite balls
I'm not an island
I'm a woman
I'm a lover, I am a giver
I have sisters
I'm a woman
I'm not an island.
I am thriving in the sunlight
I am living my ballet
I will harken to that music
As I hear my sisters play
With one step for the future
And one for all mankind
We shall weave this dance together
And advance in pace and kind.
I'm not an island
I'm a woman
I'm a lover, I am a giver
I have sisters
I'm a woman
I'm not an island.
Malcolm J McKinney 2023
Ditto, Malcolm.
If there were not difficult women there would be no one for difficult men to marry.
I am stealing that line, Stirling Newberry. 🩷
Be my guest.
(￣▽￣)
\(-_-)/
Gloria, I love this and have thinking that women such as these will save us from maga-nuts.
We must come together as one voice.