Tonight I had the privilege of attending a movie with my friend. I dressed up, because whenever I know I'm going to see a bunch of women, I want to look my best. I used to reserve this for my boyfriend, but then he became my husband and saw me in sweatpants and sick with the flu, and it didn't seem so important to pretend like I always look that amazing. (for the record, I do still dress up for my husband, especially if we are going out or doing something special, but I do it mostly out of guilt for the fact that I do it more genuinely for a bunch of ladies) We went to see a documentary called "Girl-Rising", a look at 8 young women in developing countries and their struggle to receive an education. I was so moved by the obstacles each faced just to learn. It made me appreciate so much the FREE quality education each of us is entitled to in this country. That going to school and learning is so ingrained in our culture that we sometimes think of it as a burden, instead of fighting tooth and nail to get there. I know that for me personally, school gave me the life I have now. Teachers and books enabled me to know where each of the countries represented in the film is located. I didn't even need the subtitles for the girl in Haiti, because in school I learned French, and so I understood Wadley's repeated requests to go to "ecole". Parents who helped me with my homework, encouraged my interests, and met my needs so I could focus each day enabled me to be the best student I could. Some might look at my life and say that I have squandered all this knowledge as a stay-at-home mom. But I know the reality: that I was able to CHOOSE for myself this life, that learning is far from over for me, as I continue to read and watch, to take lessons from life, and ultimately that being an educated mother ensures that my children will learn from me. I know that knowledge is indeed power, and I wield that power everyday. I am free. I am strong.
What a powerful image to see women band together in Nepal, converging on the home where a young girl is enslaved, and saying, "We will not leave until you set her free." Because a woman did that for each of them. I want to be one of those woman, canvassing the neighborhood to set young girls free. But God blessed me with three sons instead, and so I think of the young man in Ethiopia who stood against his widowed mother to make sure his 13 year old sister would not be given away in marriage, and could instead continue going to school, and live in safety. I want to teach my sons to be that kind of man; to see injustice and inequality and stand in its way. To be the kind of men who teach others, who lead others, who make this world better and safer for EVERYONE, because they know that a woman is more than a commodity. I know these boys will be strong when they are men, they will be tall and physically dominant. But I hope to teach them how that strength can be used to protect and defend people who are smaller, weaker, powerless, not to manipulate, force, demand subservience. Because it was men who freed the slaves. It was men who gave women the right to vote. It is men who recognize that power and knowledge can be shared without diminishing who they are that change the world.
Despite the statistics, I feel hope about our world. I believe that it is getting better, that love is overpowering hate and light is shining in the dark. I believe that girls are rising, and I can't wait to see what heights they reach.
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