Passing the torch or sharing the torch?
Recently I have increasingly seen comments in the news and around the web from some millennial women that the 'older' women of the boomer generation need to let go and pass the torch to the younger generations. Their premise is that they are well prepared to fight the fight for us in their own way and know what they are doing. Many want Bernie Sanders for President. Others, perhaps not of this mindset want Hillary Clinton for President.
Aside from the fact that this sort of hurts my feelings to dismiss me as if I am in my rocking chair already at the ripe old age of 55, I couldn't disagree with the thought more.
It's not about passing the torch, but it is about sharing the torch. One generation need not get out of the way while another generation 'get's it done'. It should be about women of all generations lifting ourselves up. We need to stand side by side and we need to help each other climb to the top and shatter those glass ceilings. As one friend of mine put it, the younger women need to stand on the shoulders of those that went before them. We certainly don't need to pit older against younger. As women, we need to work together and we don't need to dismiss the accomplishments of each other to advance our cause.
We older women were there for the millennials their entire lives. We fought long and hard for women's rights and issues and we will continue that fight until the day we die. Women of my generation and the generations before me have fought for centuries to get where we are today. Our fight isn't over and we learn from each other and those that went before us. We never forget what we have done to get here.
100 years ago, women in America didn't even have the vote. We still only have 20 women Senators and only 84 Congresswomen. In the 240 years of Presidents in America we have never had a woman President. Some of these millennial women want us to elect Bernie Sanders because they believe he has better credentials regarding women's rights and issues than Hillary. While I don't doubt that Sanders has supported women's issues and rights in the past, with all due respect, he has not walked in our shoes and I believe that Hillary not only has walked in our shoes, she has fought long and hard for us and it's not just another issue for her, it's who she is.
During this election we women have had to walk a hard road. Many of us have been criticized and had the charge that we are voting with 'our vagina's' leveled at us because we support a woman. The fact that Hillary is the most qualified candidate for President to come along in a generation is dismissed under a barrage of half truths, outright lies, smears and anything else that can be thrown at her. And now...we are being told we are too old to count anymore.
I am telling you here and now.....it's not about old vs young. It's about working together and not tearing each other down. If you don't support Hillary then that's ok, because she supports you. She always has and she always will.
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... and an excellent closing line! Well done!
The torch is there for anyone who wants to run with it. As a 33 years old, I've been holding it and caring it for most of my adult life, and acknowledge that the generations before helped paved the way and that they are still paving it. Hats off to them!
And I appreciate and respect them
I couldn't agree more. I've been seeing the same narrative playing out with respect to Peoples of Color ... with the narrative being, "the old guard needs to pass the torch to younger activists ... (sub-text: "you are/have become the 'establishment' that we are fighting"
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A couple thoughts:
First, the only place I am hearing that is on the internet! And, generally, from a non-Black person the writings of a Black blogger (I wonder how much time they spend search the digital high and low-lands to find their daily installment of, "See ... this Black guy/woman agrees with me! Why don't you get it?"
I spend, considerable time in the real world, working along side Millennials (and younger). I have never heard this.
Next, strangely absent from the discussion is the "divisive" narrative. Black and white can't talk about Race because it is the divisive tool of the oligarchs ... but, it is NOT divisive to talk about the "age divide" among women and people of color.
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