On the day I started college in 1979, no woman had ever been on the United States Supreme Court or served as the Speaker of the House. None had been an astronaut or the solo anchor of a network evening news broadcast. Not one had been president of an Ivy League college or run a serious campaign for president.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the significant progress made in gender equality and representation in prominent roles in society since 1979.
Dee Dee Myers' quote highlights the glaring absence of women in influential positions in 1979, emphasizing how far society has come in promoting gender equality. It serves as both a reminder of the historical limitations women faced and a celebration of the milestones achieved since then, showcasing the gradual but vital changes in societal norms and opportunities for women.
In practice
During a women's empowerment seminar, this quote can be used to illustrate the strides made in women’s rights.
If we had done the work that we should have done in the 20th century to combat our history of racial inequality, no one could win national office after demonizing people because they're Mexican or Muslim. We would be in a place where we would find that unacceptable.
The point in history at which we stand is full of promise and danger. The world will either move forward toward unity and widely shared prosperity - or it will move apart.
I wonder whether any other generation has seen such astounding revolutions of data and values as those through which we have lived. Scarcely anything material or established which I was brought up to believe was permanent and vital, has lasted. Everything I was sure or taught to be sure was impossible, has happened.
Overcoming complacency is crucial at the start of any change process, and it often requires a little bit of surprise, something that grabs attention at more than an intellectual level. You need to surprise people with something that disturbs their view that everything is perfect.
This is the moment when something once more begins visibly to happen, something truly new and unique... something truly historical, in the sense that history again demands to be heard.
We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.
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