Told to be quiet, three women find their voices.
“She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.”
After Elizabeth Warren was silenced on the senate floor, the Internet lit up with folks tweeting and posting their support, not necessarily for her political positions, but for her persistence. It was the moment that launched 1,000 memes featuring women, like Rosa Parks and Princess Leia, who’ve demonstrated the beauty and strength inherent in not giving up.
Those who’ve been unfairly silenced know how painful it is, even dangerous. But without conflict, we couldn’t demonstrate our power in persistence. Being warned and given an explanation forces us to stand and speak up for our own rights and for the rights of those who can’t stand and speak for themselves. In these moments, we can be thankful for the opportunity to demonstrate our dogged tenacity…and the chance to show others how it’s done.
Make the Right Calls
Maggie Mackay, an independent film industry pro in Los Angeles and mom of two, has been persisting since the day she could pass out a pamphlet. At age nine, you could find her in a Manhattan subway station handing out brochures for Walter Mondale.
Maggie went on to dip her toe into the political pool, interning for Joe Biden’s office in the 90s where she fielded phone calls for the senator — the same kinds of phone calls she’s committed to making every day for the past month.
“I think a lot of us, even those of us who are relatively dialed in, got complacent because we felt safe,” she said.