Growing up, I used to watch The Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, and I Dream of Jeannie. I loved watching these women; they were smart, beautiful, and always edgy. My favorite still remains Lindsay Wagner, as Jaime Sommers. Who doesn’t remember playing in the yard and jumping over obstacles while making those famous sounds of bionics or practicing the Wonder Woman twirl? As much as I loved Jeannie’s ability to grant wishes, there was an unnerving nature that never settled right with me every time she said, “Master.” Even though she was a genie, as a child, I knew there was something wrong with her position in the household. So I never played Jeannie. Instead, I was an undercover agent as either Jaime or Diana. Always to my mother’s dismay, I would return home with my hair horribly tousled. She could never quite understand that when you fought crime alongside the boys in the orange groves or playground, your hair would get messy and bones were broken because your bionic system was down.
After all this time, we still get messy. I could never have imagined that after a half century, women would still be grappling for the equality.
The rights to our body, again are up to a male majority to decide whether we are entitled to safe and legal abortions. Only since 1972 have all women be allowed to use effective birth control. Finally, 5 years ago, we were guaranteed universal access to methods of contraception, fertility control, sexual education, and maternal care. FIVE YEARS AGO.
Racial justice is a battle that has been going on since 1966, which is the struggle for equal opportunities for women of color in all areas including employment, education & health care.
In 2012, the Republican’s opposed the Violence Against Women Act of 1994’s reauthorization because it was to include same-sex couples and battered illegal immigrants. Domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, violence at abortion clinics, hate crimes across lines of gender, victimization of survivors of violence, and the violence of poverty should never be tolerated.
If violence and birth control are debatable, when will we ever reach equality in pay, job opportunities, social security, education, or political representation? These will remain elusive without a guarantee of equality in the U.S. Constitution.
“Well Mom, things are messy. I still have to get messy. But, this time the battleground is against the opposition’s views. Thank you for teaching me that women have no need for ‘Masters’ and making me strong even when my hair tousled.”
