Powerful Speeches
Women from all over the world marched
in Washington, D.C. last week ~ along with women in 30 sister marches across our country, and each of the 7 continents (yes, even Antarctica)! There is a rich history of women that have “used the streets, legislatures, bus tours, protest marches, memorial services, conferences, and farewell events to lodge their opposition, and to rally audiences to their points of view” (1).
Watch all of the speeches (6 hours worth!)
Take some time to review history and check out historical and moving speeches from these incredible women
Dolores Huerta at the Delano Grape strike march
An amazing documentary was recently created about her life and shown at Sundance: check it out.
She stood alongside others as they lead the struggle (people like César Chávez and Larry Itliong). They brought together Latinos and Filipinos organizing in the San Joaquin Valley. She helped kick off a boycott and 300-mile march to Sacramento, California in protest of working conditions for people working for the state’s grape growers.
“You cannot close your eyes and ears to our needs any longer, you cannot pretend that we do not exist, you cannot plead ignorance to our problem because we are here and we embody our needs for you.”
Coretta Scott King — “10 Commandments on Vietnam”
She read the notes of a speech found in Martin Luther King Jr.’s pocket after his assassination.
“The woman power of this nation can be the power which makes us whole and heals the rotten community, now so shattered by war and poverty and racism.”
Emmeline Pankurst — “Freedom or Death”
This particular speech was part of her U.S. fundraising tour to support the British suffrage movement. It is just as powerful as her famous street speeches, which I do suggest you take a read through. If you find her rhetoric extreme, consider the hunger strikes many women faced whilst fighting for equal rights in the UK and US, both.
“You cannot make omelettes without breaking eggs; you cannot have civil war without damage to something.”
Sister Simone Campbell and the “Nuns on the Bus”
This incredible tour and movement brought their protest to many U.S. cities. It shed light on the far reaching impact of federal budget cuts on poverty, health, and educational public services. Not so long ago, their work sought to support the Affordable Care Act and other initiatives that are now in peril.
“Our solidarity is what will keep us from slipping into isolation, loneliness and depression. Because the only time we are fully human is when we are connected to each other.”
