This past Wed was International Women’s Day, did you know?  I didn’t until I had the great fortune of attending Gloria Steinem’s talk presented by the University of Washington at Town Hall.  As Gloria said “well, at least we get one day.”

I cannot describe adequately what an inspiration it was to experience Gloria Steinem’s talk in person.  I consider myself a non-academic feminist: I’ve not taken women’s studies coursework nor read much feminist lit, but I believe in equality of the sexes and that women have been systematically denied autonomy and opportunity.  But even so, I was well aware of Gloria Steinem’s work and the impact she’s made on the women’s movement.

Without going on for pages, I want to report back that I am hopeful.  Despite our current presidential administration, despite the arcane anti-abortion law in South Dakota, despite the repressive abstinance-only educational policies that deny accurate sex education in our schools, I’m not discouraged.  A former church packed with like-minded individuals shared Ms. Steinem’s call to vote, call to activism and call to change.  There are more of us then them - they just happen to be in power and dominate the media.  Let’s change that this November.