A Voice

Cultural and ethnic prejudice is an enormous concern in our society, as is gender bias. Being a female, I know all too well the challenges women face in this day and age. Even though women have made tremendous strides in equality, we are far from being treated fairly. Women still earn fewer wages per hour than their male counterparts. Women face violence and abuse at the hands of the men who say they love them. Women are labeled as bossy and controlling for displaying leadership characteristics, yet men are often praised for the same behaviors. Why is it that our statistics paint a picture that 1 in 3 women in our society will be victims of abuse or sexually assaulted, often from the men they know? How is this okay? Men and women need to address this together to make changes. My family was affected profoundly by gender bias. My mother had become pregnant with my older sister while still in high school. My parents decided to marry since the family pressured them to legitimize their relationship. My father was allowed to finish high school, but my mother was not. The rules in the school system in rural Indiana at the time, strictly prohibited pregnant women from attending high school. There were no programs at the time to educate pregnant teens. Being uneducated put my mom at a severe disadvantage that has always plagued her. Without a high school education and a young mother, her job prospects were limited. When my father left her several years later, when she was pregnant with me, she was left no other choice except to turn to the welfare system. She eventually went to work as a bookkeeper, but the wages she earned were never enough to support three children. Knowing how this affected my mom, created a profound awareness of the value of an education. Becoming college educated became an important goal for me, even though I had no female role models to lead me in that direction. I pushed myself and found role models in teachers, friends, Girl Scout leaders and from counselors. My experiences have shown me that we can all make a difference to help someone reach their goals.  
       Barriers come in all forms, which is why ethnic, culture, gender and poverty are important issues that I address when creating programs for teenagers and children in my community. How does this affect you? We are all affected by the experiences in our lives. Every one of us has a choice: to use our pain to motivate us to create change for ourselves and others; or to allow the pain to turn into bitterness and blame. I'm not saying everyone has to help others, but in helping yourself, you inspire others that change is possible. Coming from a childhood of neglect and poverty, led me to become passionate to help others aspire to break barriers of bias and fear. I have pursued an education, against all odds. Growing up female, poor, and without a father, set the odds against me. Being sexually assaulted during my freshman year in college, made things even harder for me. In addition, I often had to work many hours at three jobs as an undergraduate to pay tuition and expenses. There were quarters that I had to drop out, due to stress and financial hardship. Through insight, awareness, and education, my self esteem slowly but steadily improved. Eventually, I pushed further to attain two graduate degrees. Were there times that I felt hopeless, depressed and overwhelmed? Absolutely! I had many hardships, but they never held me back, they just slowed me down a bit. I made some terrible choices when I was in pain, but I learned from those experiences. Also, some of the barriers I faced, only pushed me harder to succeed. My mission is to inspire others to push through barriers that others have placed in front of them. Through empowerment brings a voice and with a voice brings the desire to create change.