Standing On Their Shoulders
Barbara Jack reads her poem, Standing on Their Shoulders
Fearless women have always led our way
So it's only fitting we celebrate today...
90 years ago, the vote, earned by sweat and tears...
Of fearless wise women struggling through the years
Our great grandmas also fought this war
Standing on strong shoulders evermore
Tubman, Anthony, Truth & Stanton, to name a few
Worked so long to see their dream come true
Fearless doesn't mean...they felt no tinge of fear
It means they "CHOSE" to still proceed...focused, wise and clear
Challenges were many, our feminine power strong
Each time we conquer fear, we join their mighty throng
So, how do we remember...the lessons from them all
By making time for quiet, their lessons come to call
Let's tap their invisible power...to use for good each day
Since we're not done...without equal rights and also equal pay
We have the vote...let's use it
For wisdom we search...Let's choose it
Never has our vote counted for more
Let's honor our sisters from shore to shore
And as we raise our children or rock a grandchild small
Let's tell them of their value to themselves and to us all
Help them find their passion...help them find their way
Because they'll stand on shoulders...strong and mighty everyday
-Barbara Jack- 2010
Written and presented on August 26, 2010 at the request of the program committee for the program FEARLESS WOMEN FEARLESS WISDOM in honor of the 90th anniversary of women finally getting the right to vote.
Standing on Their Shoulders Back Story
When I was contacted about writing and presenting this poem, I was honored. My mother and I had spoken of what she had felt as a high school senior and that women in her home town or anywhere in the country were not considered important enough to vote.
It did not end there. Her family worked hard to see that she attended college and become a teacher. She taught in a rural area of South Dakota, where she walked through the snow to get to the one room school. She brought in wood, built the fire, cleaned the building, helped care for horses that some students rode to school and then taught all 12 classes in that one room.
As soon as she married my dad, her teaching certificate was taken away, because a man might want that job. They did not think a married woman should have a job.
The right to vote had finally passed but women were still considered second class citizens. According to our constitution, all people are created equal, and it is time all people are treated that way. Sex, race or religion should make no difference. That is my prayer for America!
Barbara Jack recalls her mother and the vote.