Why “Women Are the Superheroes of Democracy”

I believe women are the superheroes of our democracy. Women are able to do so many things in complex ways.

We’re able to be wives, mothers, friends, daughters, and sisters, we have to be the boss. We have to manage so many things in our lives, whether it is our households or personal finances. We still have to go to work and expect that we’re going to be able to put dinner on the table. The pandemic put even more strain on women, who were homeschooling their kids between meetings, while also caring for their elders. It’s exhausting.

There’s a reason America Ferrera’s Barbie monologue struck a chord with so many people:

“It is literally impossible to be a woman… Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong…. Always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful. You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line.”

Despite facing impossible expectations, women keep finding ways to show up for one another and stand in our power. Women have propelled this country forward since it was founded, and women are on the frontlines of our most pressing fights today.

We’re standing on the shoulders of so many women who have come before us. And when I think of women who defied expectations, I think of women like:

• Ida B. Wells, the journalist, and early civil rights leader who dedicated her life to combating prejudice and violence;
  
  
• Dolores Huerta, who stood up for migrant workers; and
• Marsha P. Johnson, who pushed for LGBTQ+ liberation.

None of our work today would be possible without these women, and countless other women whose names we’ll never know. 

Common Cause’s history has also been shaped by remarkable women:

• Ann McBride Norton, the first woman to lead Common Cause as president, and who championed campaign-finance laws;
  

  (Photo by Douglas Graham/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images)

   

• Dr. Dorothy Height, a founding board member of Common Cause who was instrumental in organizing the March on Washington; and 

  

• Kathay Feng, our VP of Programs, who is legendary for  winning an independent redistricting commission in her home state of California in 2005. 
  

  (Sharon Farmer/sfphotoworks)

Now it’s our turn.

We owe it to future generations to build a strong, inclusive, and transparent democracy where each of us gets an equal say. I believe we’ve been chosen to stand in this challenging moment. Corporations and special interests can try to take our rights, but we are going to work together and make it right by speaking truth to power.

It’s an honor to be doing this work with you.

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