American Women - Coursework Example

Many of us- women- had worked endlessly and risked our lives during the Civil Rights Movement (CRM) in the 1960’s and 1970’s and the various other movements like the Chicano movement and American Indian movement that followed but unfortunately our hard work went unsung. However, it led to the empowerment of women and gave voice to the discrimination by men and gave rise to feminism. The struggle which was born out of the atrocities men did with women still continues today. Bring part of the civil rights movement I would like to bring forward some of the examples women had set during this period and the various consequences which had a positive impact on the future of women.

I would like some of experiences during the civil rights movement and the effect it had on me and the society as a whole. I shall never forget the day when King Arthur martin made the first protests against the discrimination of African American people on the basis of race and culture. During the protests our male counterparts had took the task of heading all the mission and we female s were left in the background to do all small jobs like cooking for all the protestants, cleaning after the rallies got over and making preparations for the next one.

Our hard work was never praised and our rights to equality were not even spoken of (“Associated Press”, 2005). However one cold winter day in the year 1955 brought a revolution in our lives and the women who started the revolution was Rosa Parks. The news had spread everywhere that Rosa Parks, a female activist had refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alaska. It led to a mass boycott by thousands of women especially by domestic black workers in order to gain the right to disintegrate the busses.

Many women arranged different modes of transport by selling cakes and pies but refused to board the busses. Their fight ended after one year when the Supreme Court ruling in favor of four black women who had refused to give their seats to white men. Although Rosa Parks was not given a chance to protest further she went on to become a legend for women and came to be known as the ‘mother of the Civil Rights Movement’ (“Associated Press”, 2005). Another movement that followed later on was the Chicano movement led by Mexican Americans to gain land rights, education reforms and remove discrimination based on class, color and gender.

Most of the women who were working for the Chicano movement felt that the male activists were only concerned with the social issues that affected the community but paid no heed to women’s problems over there. They got together and formed a commission named the Comision Femenil Mexicana Nacional. One of the cases they fought for was the Madrigal v/s Quilligan in which obtained suspension on the compulsory sterilization of women and adoption of bilingual consent forms. They had fought for this right since many Hispanic women did not understand English and were forced to get sterilized without proper approval.

The women’s commission achieved success in this case and went on to fight for various other rights like the right to adoption, child education among many others. During this movement women realized their worth and the need to fight for themselves (“Chicano Movement”, n.d) The American Indian movement (AIM) was also gaining prominence around that period. It is believed that women were the main pioneers of the movement and the issue of sexism and criticism of male domination started during this period.

One of the most important cases was the Wounded Knee Occupation in Pine Ridge of South Dakota and was the brainchild of a few elderly women who had lost their children to the atrocities of Dick Wilson, the leader of Pine Ridge. He had banned all the activities of the AIM and his army was called goons who created an atmosphere of beating, arson and murder. Women performed various tasks during this period- carried guns, dug bunkers, ran medical clinics and one of the primary negotiators with the government.

They were the ones who led to the empowerment of women in the future (Langston, 2006). Later on, Rosa parks along with the women activists of AIM formed the WARN who went on to struggle for various women’s rights like adoption, infant mortality and sterilization. Many of the Indian women had also organized around energy, land and other resources struggles. There are various women’s movements that still continue today and fight for various women’s rights and help in the empowerment of women (Langston, 2006).

As a woman it was very important for me to participate in the CRM so as to make an equal place for us in the society to live in. the liberation of women from the atrocities of men and male chauvinism happened only because of women’s protests despite the risks involved. The participation of women in the revolutionary movements gave development of feminist consciousness. Women had to face a lot of tension, barriers and struggles during this period which gave rise to the feminist and sexist movements during this period.

Our struggle was to gain equal treatment as men and obtain positions of leadership in organizations they were working. There were various other reasons behind our struggle- ban adoption, halt compulsory sterilization, reduce infant mortality rates and above all equal rights of black women as those of white women. Many of us wrote letters to the president, delivered speeches so as to make the people understand the various reasons behind our oppression. There was an urgent need to end male superiority and other discrimination based on race, class and gender.

One of the most important things that I have learnt from these movements is to think radically about one’s own personal worth and ability. A woman should break out of all her inner fears, needs, and self perception and become aware that they are as capable as men. My struggle and experience of the period have taught me to be a strong person and the spirit to fight for our rights whenever the need arises. Although women gained success to a great extent like suspension of sterilization and reducing male atrocities but till today they have not been given a position equal to men.

We are still struggling to remove male domination in workplaces and are still considered inferior to men. I hope our fight against discrimination will definitely bring a fruitful result in the near future. References Associated Press (2005, October 29). Women had key roles in CRM. Msnbc.com. Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9862643/ns/us_news-life/t/women-had-key-roles- civil-rights-movement/ “Chicano Movement:Origins” (n.d). Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicano_Movement Langston Hightower Donna (2006, March 21).

American Indian Women's Activism in the 1960s and 1970s. The Liberator magazine. Retrieved from http://liberatormagazine.com/community/showthread.php?tid=126