Her Daily News

Today is Columbus Day here in the US. I can’t help but wonder, though, why we continue to celebrate it. Columbus did not discover the North American continent. In fact, he never even set foot on it. The closest he came to it was the islands of the Bahamas. At most, he managed to land on islands that were already “discovered” and inhabited, and proceeded with his own agenda of genocide in the name of his king and queen. Are we Americans so entrenched in our own delusion of superiority that we will continue to celebrate a mass murderer, rapist, and child abuser who never even set foot on our own soil? We may as well celebrate Jim Jones for leading 900 people to commit suicide. At least the adults in his cult had a choice.

On Columbus’ first two voyages, there were no women on board the ships. It does not take much imagination to guess what happened when these hardened men landed. Women were enslaved and used for sex. Columbus rewarded his officers for good deeds by giving them local women to rape. On his third trip, Columbus did recruit one woman for every ten men. But you can bet the other nine men were not celibate.

On each of his voyages, Christopher Columbus rounded up hundreds of men, women and children from the islands and shipped them back to Spain for the slave markets. It is estimated that by the end of his travels, he had enslaved 1,400 indigenous people and shipped them to Spain. Many of those died on the way.

There are at least 19 places in the Western Hemisphere named for Christopher Columbus. Perhaps instead of celebrating Columbus Day, you could visit Columbus, Ohio, and hold a seance with the weeping Lady in Gray.

Image from Transform Columbus Day Alliance.

Women in military service have long struggled to be recognized not only for the contributions they have made in the past, but the contributions they could make if so allowed. The debate still rages in America, from the family kitchen table to the Pentagon itself. Whatever the final outcome of this debate, the sacrifices made by females in serving their country cannot be denied. Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught, USAF (Ret.) is president of the Women’s Memorial Fund and has made it her mission to bring equal attention to her counterparts, both historical and current. The Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation faced a long and difficult battle in our own country to bring attention and a lasting tribute to America’s military women. The commitment of the Foundation and of Brigadier General Vaught paid off with the dedication of the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetary on October 18, 1997.

Basic Facts About the Women’s Memorial

WHAT: The only major national memorial honoring all servicewomen—past, present and future. The Women In Military Service For America Memorial honors the more than two million women who have served or are serving in or with the US Armed Forces starting with the American Revolution.

WHERE: The 4.2 acre Ceremonial Entrance to Arlington National Cemetery in our nation’s capital.

WHEN: Open to the public every day except Christmas. Dedicated October 18, 1997. Groundbreaking held June 22, 1995.

WHO: Spearheaded by the Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation, Inc. The Foundation, founded in 1985, is an IRS designated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

THOSE HONORED: All US servicewomen, past, present and future, including living or deceased women veterans; Active Duty, Reserve, Guard and US Public Health Service uniformed women; and women in the Coast Guard auxiliary and Civil Air Patrol. The Memorial also honors women who served overseas during conflicts, in direct support of the armed forces, in organizations such as the Red Cross, USO and Special Services; and members of the US Public Health Service Cadet Nurse Corps. The Foundation is seeking names, addresses, photos and memorable experiences of women who have served to be included in the Memorial’s Register, an interactive computer database available at the Memorial. Deceased servicewomen from any era or those civilian women who served with other civilian organizations can be registered by family members, friends and organizations.

HISTORY: Congressional resolutions to honor military women were introduced by Senator Frank Murkowski (R-AK) and Congresswoman Mary Rose Oakar (D-OH). Signed into law by President Reagan in November 1986.

DESIGN: By Marion Gail Weiss and Michael Manfredi of Weiss/Manfredi Architects, New York City, winners of a national competition. The Memorial features an upper terrace with views of Arlington National Cemetery and the monuments of Washington, DC. On the terrace, there is an arc of large glass panels on which quotations from and about servicewomen are etched. This arc of glass introduces natural light into the Memorial’s Education Center. At the lower terrace, in front of the Hemicycle wall, are the reflecting pool and Court of Valor. The Education Center, located behind the Hemicycle, houses a Hall of Honor, exhibit gallery, theater, and the computer database of servicewomen called the Register. Through the Register, visitors may access photos, military histories and the individual stories of registered women.

FUNDING: The total cost of building the Memorial was $22 million. In building the Memorial, support came from federal grants; proceeds from the sale of commemorative silver dollars; and corporate, organization, and individual donations. The Memorial Foundation maintains and operates the Memorial Education Center; manages an archive and research collection relating to women in the military; conducts an aggressive education program; builds exhibits showcasing the different eras in which women have served using text, images, memorabilia and artifacts; and continues to register servicewomen past and present.

DONATIONS AND REGISTRATIONS: Donations and registrations of servicewomen can be sent to: Women In Military Service For America Memorial, Dept. 560, Washington, DC, 20042-0560. Telephone: 800-222-2294 or 703-533-1155. FAX: 703-931-4208. E-mail: hq@womensmemorial.org. Web site www.womensmemorial.org. Commemorative coins can be ordered by calling 800-222-2294. The Foundation is a registered participant in the Combined Federal Campaign, the annual workplace fund raising drive conducted by the US government for all military, civilian agency and postal workers worldwide and the National Capital Area United Way Campaign. In state and corporate campaigns, donors may designate “Women In Military Service Memorial Foundation” on their pledge cards.

SOURCE: womensmemorial.org

WOMEN IN THE IRAQ WAR

In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, women have continued to serve in America’s military, and have gained rights not allowed in previous conflicts. When remembering the victims of that 9/11 attack, we must also remember the sacrifices these women have made. Pro- or anti-war opinions do not matter. The fact is that these ladies deserve our respect and our gratitude as they continue to struggle not only to serve their President, but their gender. I urge you to visit icasualties.org and read through the list of the female fatalities to date in the Iraq War. Their legacy for equality can only be carried on if we carry it for them in our memories.

Female Fatalities

War Casualty List

9/11, Iraq War, women in the military, Women’s Memorial Fund, female casualties, Wilma Vaught, war casualties

This week’s great woman in history is:

Phillis Wheatley
Born: c. 1753-5 in Gambia, Africa
Death: December, 1784 in Boston, MA

Her biography from Women in History is below:

During her life, while it was not common for American women to be published, it was especially uncommon for children of slaves to be educated at all. Her gift of writing poetry was encouraged by her owners and their daughter, Mary; they taught Phillis to read and write, with her first poem being published at the age of twelve, “On Messrs. Hussey and Coffin.” The countess of Huntingdon, Selina Hastings, was a friend of the Wheatley’s who greatly encouraged and financed the publication of her book of poetry, Poems. Obour Tanner, a former slave who made the journey through the middle passage with Phillis also was one of the chief influences and supporters of Phillis’ craft.

She was especially fond of writing in the elegiac poetry style, perhaps mirroring the genre of oration taught to her through the women in her African American tribal group. Her elegy on a popular evangelical Methodist minister, George Whitefield, brought her instant success upon his death. She also was well versed in Latin which allowed her to write in the epyllion (short epic) style with the publication of “Niobe in Distress.”

Phillis’ popularity as a poet both in the United States and England ultimately brought her freedom from slavery on October 18, 1773. She even appeared before General Washington in March, 1776 for her poetry and was a strong supporter of independence during the Revolutionary War. She felt slavery to be the issue which separated whites from true heroism: whites can not “hope to find/Deivine acceptance with th’ Almighty mind” when “they disgrace/And hold in bondage Afric’s blameless race.”

Phyllis is remembered for many first time accomplishments from a woman of her day:

First African American to publish a book
An accomplished African American woman of letters
First African American woman to earn a living from her writing
First woman writer encouraged and financed by a group of women (Mrs. Wheatley, Mary Wheatly, and Selina Hastings.)

women, history, slavery, writers, poets, Phillis Wheatley

This week’s great woman in history is:

Stephanie Kwolek - born July 31, 1923

She is the inventor of the revolutionary fiber we know today as Kevlar. USA Today recently did a story celebrating the inventor’s remarkable discovery:

Kwolek is the scientist behind the discovery of the strong, lightweight fiber known as Kevlar. More than 3,000 law enforcement officers have survived potentially fatal or disabling injuries because of the golden-colored fiber that is spun into sheets used in bulletproof vests, helmets and shields, said Stephanie Jacobson, spokeswoman for DuPont Co. in Wilmington.

In the mid-1960s, Kwolek was a researcher at DuPont, where her work led her to a discovery that became the foundation for Kevlar.

“She’s physically a small woman, which is kind of funny considering the impact she’s had,” said Ed Rodley, exhibit developer of the Museum of Science, Boston, which is mounting a fall exhibit on innovative people in engineering, which will include Kwolek.

Pound for pound, Kevlar fiber is five times stronger than steel, Jacobson said. In addition to law enforcement officers, Kwolek’s work has spared the lives of countless soldiers, too. Nearly every U.S. combat servicemember has worn a helmet made with Kevlar since the 1991 Gulf War, Jacobson said.

Kwolek was a 42-year-old scientist in search of a super-strong fiber to reinforce radial tires at the company’s Experimental Station when she invented a thin, milky solution of rigid-chain polymers that flowed like water from her lab spatula.

“It wasn’t exactly a ‘eureka moment,’ ” she said, but she sensed she might be onto something. Most polymers have the viscosity of molasses. The physical test results were off the charts in terms of strength and stiffness, she recalled. Initially, Kwolek said, she was afraid to “tell management.” She tested and retested to make sure no mistakes had been made.

“I didn’t want to be embarrassed. When I did tell management, they didn’t fool around. They immediately assigned a whole group to work on different aspects,” she said.

Kwolek had little formal education by comparison with most of the scientists DuPont hires today. With a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Institute of Technology — now known as Carnegie Mellon University — she went to work for DuPont as a chemist in 1946.

There were few female scientists at DuPont when Kwolek joined the company.

“I was determined,” she said.

Kwolek is scrupulous about taking credit only for the initial discovery of the technology used in the development of Kevlar. She credits the team of scientists who worked on its development, particularly DuPont scientist Herbert Blades, who still lives in Hockessin, Del.

She has received numerous honors, including being inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio.

The Hall of Fame includes such names in American scientific history as Thomas Edison and the Wright brothers. The exhibit at the Boston Museum of Science will showcase seven engineering leaders through videotaped interviews, historical footage and displays of related artifacts.

Kwolek’s advice for young women interested in a science career is that they get a doctorate and have at least two majors — for example, chemistry and math. If she had it to do all over again, Kwolek said, she would get into biochemistry.

I love her advice and encouragement to young women about going into the science field. We can never have too many women in that field, or any field for that matter but she is a great example of why we need women in science and technology careers.

women, careers, science, Kevlar, police, military, bullet-proof, technology

This week’s great woman in history is….

Jeannette Rankin - (June 11, 1880 - May 18, 1973)

Here are some highlights in Rankin’s life:

• She was the first American woman elected to Congress on November 6, 1916.
• She was the oldest of eleven children.
• Rankin attended Montana State University at Missoula and graduated in 1902 with a bachelor of science degree in biology.
• She was a social worker in Spokane, Washington, in a children’s home.
• She became involved in the woman suffrage movement in 1910.
• Rankin became the first woman to speak before the Montana legislature.
• She organized and spoke for the Equal Franchise Society.
• She went to work for the New York Woman Suffrage Party and in 1912 she became the field secretary of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.
• Rankin was among the thousands of suffragists at the 1913 suffrage march in Washington, D.C., before the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson.
• Only four days after taking office, Jeannette Rankin made history in yet another way: she voted against U.S. entry into World War I.
• She was active in the antiwar movement, often invited to speak or honored by the young antiwar activists and feminists.

For more information: Women’s History, About.com

women, history, politics, Jeannette Rankin, legislature, congress

This week’s great woman in history is….

Amelia Earhart
Born: July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansa
Disappeared: July 2, 1937

At age 20, Amelia Earhart, on a trip to Toronto, Canada, volunteered as a nurse’s aide at a military hospital, part of the World War I war effort. She made several tries at studying medicine and she worked at other jobs including social work, but after she discovered flying, that became her passion.

Amelia Earhart’s first flight was at an airshow with her father, which motivated her first to learn to fly — her teacher was Neta Snook, the first woman instructor to graduate from the Curtiss School of Aviation.

Amelia Earhart then bought her own plane and began to set records, but sold the plane to drive East with her newly-divorced mother.

In 1926, magazine publisher George Putnam tapped Amelia Earhart to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic — as a passenger. The pilot and navigator were both men. Amelia Earhart became an instant celebrity as a woman aviator, and began to give lectures and fly in shows, again setting records. In one notable incident, she flew First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt over Washington, DC.

In 1931, George Putnam, now divorced, married Amelia Earhart. She flew solo across the Atlantic in 1932, and in 1935 became the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to the mainland. In 1935 she also set speed records traveling from Los Angeles to Mexico City, and from Mexico City to New York.

Purdue University hired Amelia Earhart as a faculty member to counsel female students on opportunities, and in 1937 Purdue gave Amelia Earhart a plane.

Amelia Earhart was determined to fly around the world. Replacing her first navigator with Fred Noonan, and after several false starts, Amelia Earhart began her round-the-world flight on June 1, 1937.

Near the end of the trip, Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan missed their expected landing on Howland Island in the Pacific, and their fate is still uncertain. Theories include crashing over the ocean, crashing on Howland Island or a nearby island without the ability to contact help, being shot down by the Japanese, or being captured or killed by the Japanese.

Why did Amelia Earhart capture the imagination of the public? As a woman daring to do what few women — or men — had done, at a time when the organized women’s movement had virtually disappeared, she represented a woman willing to break out of traditional roles.

Source: Women’s History Guide, About.com

women, flight, aviation, history, Amelia Earhart

Today is the first installment of many installments called “Great Women in History.” Granted, all women are special in their own way, history has shown that some women stand out from the pack by their accomplishments. I want to take one day per week to spotlight one of these wonderful ladies as a role model for the rest of us.

Now granted this is a bit of a stretch but I want you all to bear with me because I am using the term woman loosely…this weeks great “woman” in history is:

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