In honor of today being Martin Luther King Day, we thought we would focus our attention this week on the important work of the civil rights movement. Specifically the women of the movement. As with many aspects of history, the women have all too often been left out of the narrative.
Civil rights is an important conversation for ALL human beings, and especially for women. As we look through the lens of the last several thousand years, right up to today, we can see many forms of
discrimination happening in virtually every culture and in every country. One thing they all have in common … women are regularly marginalized and subjugated.
The Goddess Living Community is committed to healing gender, age and cultural relations, bringing harmony to humanity One of the many ways we do this is by learning and bringing awareness to the often overlooked history of women.
Our Goddess Living assignment for the week is to spend some of your me-time learning more about the civil rights movement, and the role of women in it.
Learn About
The Women Who Helped Chart the Course
"There would be no King holiday, no civil rights movement, no opportunity to be reflective of how far we’ve come if it wasn’t for scores of women,"
~Marcia Chatelain
Associate Professor of History and African American Studies at Georgetown University.
This statement can be said about almost all major endeavors reflected upon in our history books. While much of the story regarding the civil rights movement is centered on MLK, there are scores of other people who have been the heart, voice and feet of the movement for equal rights … then and now.
Enjoy the following piece highlighting some of the great women who made it all possible. The article is written by Katie Kindelanvia for ABC’s Good Morning America.
Honoring Moms!
Alberta Williams King
The first woman every person gets to know is MOM! Our mothers shape who we become in every conceivable way.
When Author Anna Malaika Tubbs visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. birth place in Atlanta, she noticed someone was missing from the civil rights icon's story: his mother.
As part of the series “Ideas that Matter,” a partnership with TED, Tubbs speaks with “CBS Mornings” about the legacy of MLK's mother, Alberta Williams King, and the importance of honoring the stories of mothers everywhere.
Hard truth, did you know Alberta Williams King was also assassinated?
A Further Look
Letter from Birmingham Jail
While most people focus this week on the “I Have a Dream” speech, we invite you to jump into the bigger picture … why a civil rights movement was (and is) so important. In particular, a movement rooted in “non-violence”. The approach of non-violent civil disobedience was the same tactic used by women to gain the right to vote and Ghandi’s approach to end occupation of India by the British.
To understand more about the entirety of the movement and the need for it read Reverend King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail to his fellow clergymen. He also discusses in the letter why nonviolence and civil disobedience are important in the pursuit of one's rights.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Movie Recommendation
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
“In 1951, cancerous cells from Henrietta Lacks led to breakthroughs that changed the face of medicine forever. Aided by writer Rebecca Skloot, Deborah Lacks embarks on a quest to learn about the mother she never knew.”
Currently available on HBO Max or to rent on Amazon Prime
