Women’s Congress for the U.S.

[HTML1]After the Civil War, women came together, devastated at the carnage and the loss of husbands, fathers, and sons. In their behalf, Julia Ward Howe, a Christian Unitarian, wrote a proclamation:

Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts,
whether our baptism be that of water or of fears!

I did not grow up in a culture that promoted Julia Ward Howe’s view of women. In fact, in my community, it was men who were made in the image of and spoke for god. But, girls and women were so valuable that they were kept silent and “cared for”. Now that was probably critical for safety in ancient village times. But, the impact within my mother’s circle of friends was that many did not learn to drive, to write a check, to question ideas. They were not encouraged to participate in matters of importance, to be in councils as decisions makers. They spoke of babies, diapers, recipes, and their husband’s dreams.

It wasn’t until I was well past 40 and a widow raising 9 children, 7 of those children daughters, that I realized that there may be more to the world than I had accepted. When I looked back at my childhood, my mother was invisible although she was the major physical presence in our home.

Thanks to Kari Hillery for her marvelous music! One World Kari’s website

And thanks to your for being in the audience. Without you, Weaving the World would not exist!

• Suggestion: Click one of the social network share buttons and share this interview

• Invitation: Join women from across the country in Women’s Grassroots Congress to declare a new agenda for our lives, our families, our communities and our country. March 24-25 in Seattle, WA with virtual venues across the country. Begin to identify what values you would add to the agenda.
• Invitation: Click my comment link and let’s initiate some great conversations