A tribute to Soujourner Truth

Sojourner Truth:
"Ain't I a Woman?", December 1851

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Sojourner Truth (1797-1883): Ain't I A Woman?
Delivered 1851
Women's Convention, Akron, Ohio 

Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about?

That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?

Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or negroes' rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't got nothing more to say. 

A random rant

Men

Ya I think about it.

Why does it always seem that women wait endlessly on a cliff by the sea waiting for their men. Clearly the imagery is very suiting for those of us who have a 'romantic' idea of fishermen's wives.
Endlessly we wait. We wait for our men when they go to war. We wait for our men when they go into the field to harvest the grains and we wait for them to come back from the sea.

Is it possible that in some deep part of ourselves it is part of the tragedy of portuguese women? that at some point we will be waiting for our man?

I don't think we are that ignorant. In fact we have never been ignorante even when imposed upon by a male dominated society. Perhaps at some point we conformed to the idea that we had to be wives and mothers. That we were responsible for the cooking and the cleaning and the child rearing. If we did that for our men we did not do it out of ignorance but out of an awareness of what is necessity.

Why did women stay years on end with ungrateful souls who at times trampled on their spirit for years on end? Necessity. In a male dominated society which was ours that was necessity.
We have never really needed a man. They have only served as a fassade and at times our men are really only the psydonym to our work.

To need a man is to put too much  power in his hands. Women have strived to break free from male opression and the fight is still unending I am sad to say. We may like him. We may love him but we do not in fact need him for anything.
This is not to say that the companionship and friendship shared between a man and a woman are wrong. Their is no wrong in the universal values. People tend to be social creatures even though we may not always be very social.

Maybe one of the mysteries of natural world is how women put up with men.

We should put up with people regardless of their gender. We are people deserving of respect. No longer should we accept when a man whistles at us.
No longer should we accept that he can look at our legs because of our choice of clothing.
No longer should we take it when they shout at us 'hey honey.'

Abuse is abuse and no man should have the right to abuse a women because he is a man.
Would it be right for us to starve a cat just because he is a cat?

http://www.cmjornal.xl.pt/detalhe/noticias/opiniao/rui-pereira/piropos-e-violacoes

http://www.cmjornal.xl.pt/detalhe/noticias/nacional/sociedade/piropo-e-assedio-sexual