From the Future

As I read the journal entries of sisters across the world, I reflect upon the opportunities from which I benefited as I grew up and began a career in the United States. After 90 years of activism, starting with the suffragist movement in the early 19th century, my country has learned to value and rely upon the contributions of its women. Today, female enrollment is the equal of male enrollment in university. Female enrollment exceeds male enrollment in post-graduate work!

I recently retired from a successful 36 year career in elementary education, first as a teacher and then as a principal. A generation of activist women paved the way for me to attend college, obtain teaching positions, then become a principal: a figure of authority in a previously male-dominated post. I encountered minimal prejudice and doubts about my job strengths, from unenlightened men.

The World Pulse Journal entries reflect a generation of women who do not live in a world of gender equity, let alone respect, as I have been privileged to do. But I am here to say that it is possible to dissolve the bonds of ignorance and discrimination. It requires strong women willing to work hard and stand up for their human rights.

I applaud the voices rising from this group, as these are the voices that will empower the next generation, as in my country.