Farewell to an Unparalleled Woman

An amazing woman died this morning.  Dr Maya Angelou overcame tremendous adversity to become one of the most highly regarded poets and authors of our time.  She used her words to fight injustice and was active leader of the Civil Rights Movement, acquainted with both Dr King and Malcolm X.

But her works continue to ring true today.  They are still a rallying cry for anyone fighting grave social evils, whether it is the GLBT community, or women straining to be heard over the din of male entitlement.  If you have been at all active on social media platforms within the past month, you will undoubtedly have seen the hashtags #grabbed and #yesallwomen.  And if you read them, you would have been shocked by the stories of daily abuse that women, modern American women, still face.  Even more appalling was the response by men, who shouted down the stories as "attention-seeking" or "whiny", and then turned around to proclaim their own tales of woe and rejection at the hands of women, further proving that chauvinism is alive and well in this country.

Maya Angelou did not allow naysayers to defeat her.  Her voice was not dimmed by those who disagreed with her.  She triumphed over bigots and misogynists by never bowing to their demands, by refusing to sit quietly.  As women, we must follow her strong example.  We will never effect change by merely stating what has happened to us.  We have to use our stories to educate others, and to enact real change.  We are not crying for sympathy -- we are calling for the men of the world to look at what is happening to their wives, sisters, mothers, daughters, friends, and do something to help.  They don't have to be monumental actions, but simple, personal things, like treating women in their lives with respect, as people, not as sexual objects to be owned, used, and discarded.

Women also are not above reproach.  We too have a responsibility to be respectful of each other, to end slut-shaming.  We cannot expect men to treat us with respect when we do not even afford each other or ourselves the same.  We also cannot ask for men to listen to us if we are unwilling to open a dialogue with them.  We have to be willing to respectfully listen to their views as well, no matter how much we disagree.  Despite seeming convenience, we must avoid using sex as a weapon and any other manipulative tactics.  These will only weaken our position, and make us no better than men who do the same.

I am proposing a revolution, but not a violent one; rather, a revolution based on respect and tolerance.  Dr Angelou proposed the same.  It was not easy, nor was it quick, and it continues to evolve today.  However it will be effective and long-lasting, as long as there are people willing to work for it.

Thank you, Dr Angelou, for teaching us to overcome adversity, bigotry, and misogyny to find peace.  Your voice, your words, will live on, as we fight injustice the world over.  May you rest in peace.

A Plan for Fighting Writer's Block

I've been avoiding my blog for awhile for a very lame reason.  I can't figure out what I want to say, much less how to say it.  I feel like I should write more often, but every time I make time to try, my screen and I strike up a blank staring contest instead.  (It wins.)  Occasionally, I'll have a flash of inspiration --a funny anecdote, an important topic-- but then nothing gets transmitted from my brain to my fingers.

Perhaps I mentally set the bar too high for myself.  Let's not kid around, I'm a mommy-blogger, not a Pulitzer-worthy journalist.  But I prefer to actually want to read what I write.  How can I ask other people to read something I consider dense, dull, and directionless?

A friend advised me to try writing through my writer's block, saving it, and editing out what I don't like.  Problem is, even after filling a page, I'd read it a few days later and then delete everything I'd written while simultaneously bashing my head against the monitor.  So my new approach is to write about my writing struggles.

This bit has flowed surprisingly well, primarily because I felt no pressure to write this.  I just wanted to test an idea and had nothing to lose...except my writer's block.