Thursday, May 2, 2013


Please enjoy the additional information from Jacqueline’s article in the Straight Arrow News
  
ROOM TO GROW

The concept of International Women's month got my juices flowing so I wanted to see how things fare here in the United States. Where do women stand from an equality standpoint in our government? 

According to 
CAWP - Center for American Women & Politics Fact Sheet, the following are some interesting stats:

Congress - Of the 97 women serving in the 113th Congress, 29 are women of color.  An African-American woman and a Caribbean-American woman serve as delegates to the House. Women of color make up 4.5% of the total 535 members of Congress.

  • African-American - 13
  • Asian Pacific Islanders - 7
  • Latina - 9
Senate - The only woman of color to have served in the US Senate to date is Carol Moseley-Braun, elected in 1992 and served from 1993-1999.

State Legislators - Of the 1,779 women, 365 are women of color. 

US House of Representatives - There is a total of 42 women in the House of Representatives and of the 42:
  • African-American - 16
  • Latina - 1
  • Asian Pacific Islander - 3
I've only highlighted some of the positions women hold in government. There are now 20 women CEOs leading America's largest companies. IBM broke its 100 year record and appointed a woman, Ginni Rometty, to lead the company. Wal-Mart appointed Rosalind Brewer as its first woman and first African-American to head up its subsidiary company, Sam's Club. Still women make up only 4% of this population.

On the other side of the equation poverty continues to be a women's issue right here at home. In 2011, more than 5 million more women than men lived in poverty. Single family households headed by women are at greater risk so you can see why there is room for improvement. March 8, 2013, was International Women's Day and March is International Women's month here in the US. The women and children living without adequate food, shelter, clothing, medical care, etc, are not celebrating.

Here's my thought. As women we are more powerful than we realize. What if we collectively focused on our similarities as opposed to our differences? What if we united on the issues that affect all of us regardless of education, race, and social/economic status? What if we suspended our jealousies and envies, redirecting that energy toward helping and supporting each other? What if we all declared unanimously that we've had enough and really exercised our power? We all have influence even if that influence is just with ourselves and/or our families. We all have the power to make a difference.

Jacqueline Nash






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