Ladies, it’s time we hold the door of opportunity open for others

Sep 26, 2013 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Women have long been struggling for equality. In fact, the first feminist treatise “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” was written by Mary Wollstonecraft of Britain in 1792. In the US, the first definitive position on women’s rights was taken in 1848 under the leadership of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott at the Women’s Rights Convention in New York. Right here in Guyana, former President and First Lady, Janet Jagan, and former Vice President and First Lady, Viola Burnham, have contributed significantly to the rights of women in this country.
Now fast forward 221 years later after that first publication; how far have we come as a gender? Now, we face a new struggle and it is no longer a battle of the sexes. Today, we fight amongst ourselves. We are like crabs in a barrel, fighting for supremacy, fighting to be ‘Queen Bee’, not giving a second thought to who we trample to reach that superficial throne.
I see and hear women bashing each other far too frequently. This albatross has nestled itself in relationships, in social groups and even in the work environment.
There is a term that we have so poignantly coined “haters”! We’ve become “haters”; we hate on fellow women for their youth; we hate on fellow women for their perceived beauty; we hate on fellow women for their educational achievements; we hate on fellow women for their relationship status; we even hate on fellow women for their potential. How ridiculous and saddening is that? Are we no longer our sisters’ keeper? And how often do we hear women say “it’s her fault” in instances of domestic violence?
The most important memory I have of United States First Lady, Michelle Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2012 was two simple yet profound sentences:
“When you’ve worked hard, and walked through that door of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you. No, you reach back and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.”
Ladies, this is what is required of us. We have to hold that door of opportunity open for each other. We owe it to ourselves and the women who have fought for our rights to hold that door open.
It is time we stop seeing other women as a threat. It is time for us to learn from each other and help each other.
Shonnet Moore

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Ladies, it’s time we hold the door of opportunity open for others

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