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© 2021 The Somerville Times. All rights reserved.
By Kristen Strezo and Stephanie Goodell
The Somerville Commission for Women (SCW) is taking steps as to create a gender-balanced world that is better for everyone. And on May 10, SCW will participate in a global movement designed to build community around gender equity through 50/50 Day. The event will take place at the Public Safety Building in Union Square, 220 Washington Street at 6:00 p.m. All members of the community are invited to attend.
We will be screening Emmy-nominated filmmaker Tiffany Shlain’s 50/50: Rethinking the Past, Present, and Future of Women + Power. The 20-minute film beautifully illustrates the current lack of parity and provides a much-needed historical context for conversation and action.
While 50/50 Day defines the problem, the Somerville Commission for Women is ready to engage our community to develop solutions. After the film, a conversation will be held based around the economy, politics, identity, culture and home in the context of gender parity.
SCW will be part of a global dialogue with over 8,000 events happening in 42 U.S. states and 36 countries. In addition to the film, there will be a global online livecast that unifies 50/50 events throughout the world and focuses on what it will take to get to a gender-balanced world.
If you are a Somerville resident (all genders and ages) who understands that achieving gender parity now is good for our community, it is hoped that you will join in on May 10. For more information, please contact Chris Hosman, Community Services Manager at 617-625-6600 ext. 2406 or chosman@somervillema.gov.
Kristen Strezo is Co-Chair on the City of Somerville’s Commission for Women, Stephanie Goodell is a SCW Commissioner; however, the views and opinions expressed in this article are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the City of Somerville.
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How many people know that August 26th is Women’s Equality Day in the United States? Very few. I say this because it’s my birthday too, and I’ve been asking people if they know about WED for over 30 years. It is Geraldine Ferraro’s birthday also, and she passed away at MGH in Boston on March 26th, 2011. And who remembers how wonderful Shirley Chisholm was, and as both an individual and a politician? That the State of MA is still passing gender equality laws as recently as last year shows that dinosaurs still walk the Earth. Not everyone from day 1 perceived that women were different and inferior, but what happened to their voices – both women and men – in the messed up story of human history? Or was it that a certain German person was correct, that man exploited nature, then exploited women, then exploited other men, and so alienated him-self. But we are long past the Reformation of religion and a male god; and long past the axiom that kings were male by some design of nature; yet how long will we still be accepting of both these lingering echoes and present-day frustrations before we really grow up as people and say enough is enough? That we still have to talk about this in 2017 is a very real disgrace of humanity, and is one reflection of how men lost women as meaningful partners throughout human history, but where there were many examples – in all countries – of how they didn’t lose each other. But as we still have Trump as President today, where is the majority position, where is the willingness of males and females to finally get gender equality into the modern World, and where is the intention to get past this so that all individuals are accepted as what they are, individual people with equal rights under all laws, and in all the varying aspects of society. I happen to think that Darwin caught a very real intention of our species: that we each have 1 life, that there isn’t any heaven or hell to move on to, nor is there any reincarnation, and that the energy of the species moves on through reproduction. And that doesn’t mean that all should reproduce – because there’s too many people now in relation to this planet – nor does it mean that an individual life is somehow sacred. Each person is one very small part of human history, and if any one of us wasn’t here, then the world goes on regardless. So make the most of this one life of yours – or not – because it’s a memory of you when you’re gone. And male and female? Both equals in the human story. So go to meetings like this on May 10th in Union Sq., and in the hope that one day we get to a better social understanding, and then we can go to other meetings and talk about something else. 1 person, 1 say, 1 vote, and there’s democracy as the real politic of the females and males of gender.