Susan B. and Me

As I was reading the history of Susan B. Anthony, I was thinking about what we might have in common. That could be for two reasons: (1) I'm pretty self-centered and I tend to relate all data to how it might be impacting me (not a very humble perspective and one I'm working on changing) and (2) it leads to building relationships (much like when people with very different backgrounds come to a support group to address an issue they have in common or when a conflict arises and the opposing perspectives are discussed that then reveal some overlapping feelings or positions).

While some of Susan B.'s attributes I can claim right away (she was white, she was a woman, she built bridges, she had a visions of "what could and should be" and acted on them), some are traits I admire and to which I aspire (she was dogged in her pursuit for justice, she was focused, she was clear on her mission).

Another thing that made me giggle a little was that her birthday, which was a day after Frederick Douglass' birthday, is a day before mine. It made me feel "connected" in a way that others might find dismissible but I like to think of as perhaps "prophetic" and "connecting."

It's all really very interesting as I look back over my life with my husband, Dennis. He has always had a feminist energy about him. He frequently identifies situations where women are being mistreated or unequally/unfairly represented. It always seems to be an "out of the blue" thing and I end up cocking my head quizzically and wondering, "Where the heck did THAT come from?" Contrast that with a wife who walked around in shit-kickers, cursing a lot, and a real "I''ll do it myself" attitude. We have always sensed that we both carry a strong energy of the opposite sex within us. Maybe that's why we work so well together. A good Yin/Yang balance.

I like the sense that everything happens at the right time. Knowing Pepsy through his extensive artwork in SouthWest Rochester, knowing Delores through her dedicated push for arts in the inner city, becoming involved in the Empowered Girl Alliance , going on an historical SouthWest Riverfront tour with John Curran that culminated at the "Let's Have Tea" sculpture, watching the "Let's Have Tea" video, and then learning about the "Let's Have Tea" Teacher's Resource Guide and seeing how clearly it ties together issues of conflict resolution, race relations, empowerment, the power of artistic expression, and building relationships that is in its own way unique to SouthWest Rochester. And I live here!!! That rocks.