Women Who Ran for US President

I'm not a big fan of Hillary Clinton. In fact, I'm not even a small fan. I think she's a conniving opportunist who may or may not even be human. True, this could describe most politicians, but HC has her own classification entirely.

But maybe that's that's just my opinion.

Despite her baby kissing, handshaking, hot sauce carrying political campaign, Hillary's running for president though historic, is not the first of it's kind.  There were other brave estrogenated souls who made the attempt at becoming leader of the free world. The first of those being,

Victoria Woodhull

The first valiant undertaking by a woman to run for US presidency was in 1872. 34 year old Victoria

Woodhull ran under the Equal Rights Party. Her platform was universal suffrage, political reform, civil rights and social welfare. The irony of her bid for office was that in 1872, the Nineteenth Amendment hadn't yet been passed. Though a woman was running for president, women couldn't vote in presidential elections. Her running mate was none other than abolitionist Frederick Douglas, whom also made history as the first Black person ever nominated for Vice President. 

A fierce believer in free love, Victoria hated how society condemned liberated women. Her campaign suffered a fatal blow when she was arrested on obscenity charges for writing an article about an adulterous love affair between a powerful minister, and a parishioner just days before the election. With no votes for her recorded, historians can’t agree on whether her name actually appeared on nationwide ballots or whether she simply received no votes. Yays or nays aside, it was still incredibly daring of her to run. 

Gracie Allen

In 1940 Gracie Allen ran under the Surprise Party. Her platform was “Redwood, trimmed with nutty pine.” Her presidential run started as a stunt to generate publicity for her faltering radio show, the The Hinds Honey & Almond Cream Program Starring George Burns & Gracie Allen. During her satirical campaign, Allen used her ditzy persona to poke fun at the political system. The campaign included a mock party convention, a national whistle stop tour, an endorsement from Harvard University and an invitation from Eleanor Roosevelt to speak to the National Women’s Press Club.

“My opponents say they’re going to fight me ’til the cows come home,” she said in a campaign speech. “So, they admit the cows aren’t home. Why aren’t the cows home? Because they don’t like the conditions on the farm. The cows are smart. They’re not coming home ’til there’s a woman in the White House.” Though Allen did receive write-in votes, historians can’t agree on the number.

Shirley Chisholm

In 1972, Brooklyn native Shirley Chisholm ran under the Democratic Party. Her platform was equal rights and economic justice. She had already made history as the first Black woman elected to Congress in 1968, though she admitted that “sometimes I have trouble, myself, believing that I made it this far against the odds.

Chisholm called herself “the candidate of the people,” but struggled for acceptance as a viable candidate. Her motto was "Unbossed and Unbought" as Shirley was staunchly against corruption in politics. Though energetically motivated and promising, her disorganized and underfunded campaign didn’t help her efforts. She was fourth place for the nomination at the Democratic National Convention (she received 152 delegate votes in the Democratic primary) but lost to Governor George McGovern (who in turn lost to Richard Nixon). Though Chisholm was not the first woman to vie for the Democratic nomination, she was the most viable up until that time. Chisholm is still much respected for her political role and appeared on a stamp in 2014.

Linda Jenness

In 1972, presidential hopeful Linda Jenness ran to become the coveted Chief of Staff under the Socialist Workers Party. Her platform was Women’s liberation and no more war in Vietnam. A secretary from Atlanta, Jenness shared the nomination with another female candidate, Evelyn Reed, who ran in her place in states where Jenness did not qualify for the ballot due to her age. At 31, she didn't meet the US Presidency Age for Candidacy requirement of being being at least 35.

Though Jenness repeatedly challenged Democratic nominee George McGovern to a debate, he refused. Jenness predicted her own defeat, declaring that “the Socialists do not fool themselves that they have a chance of winning any major victories this year.” She was right—but she still managed to garner over 83,380 votes despite tepid press and struggles to finance her campaign.

Jill Stein

As recent as 2012, Jill Stein ran under the Green Party. Her platform was Green jobs and environmental protections. As a third-party candidate in a raucous election year, Jill Stein’s 2012 presidential run felt more like an afterthought than a milestone. But in fact, Stein’s presidential candidacy was the most successful ever conducted by a woman up until that time.

A physician who specializes in environmental health, Stein ran for president after two unsuccessful bids for the office of governor of Massachusetts. “People ask me why I keep fighting political battles in a rigged system,” she said in a 2012 speech. “The answer is simple. I keep fighting because when it comes to our children, mothers don’t give up.” Though Stein only managed to grab 0.36 percent of the popular vote (469,015 votes), she never gave up. She is currently running in the 2016 election, and you can visit her campaign page here. 

Long before Hillary, American women set their sights on the Oval Office. Whether it was to bolster a radio show, or to fight for their children, women have stood in the presidential race with pride, strength and insight. Not sure why the US is so behind the times when it comes to having a woman in charge. Britain had Margaret Thatcher, Israel had Golda Meir, India had Indira Gandhi, Germany has Angela Merkel. The bonds of patriarchy and male domination run deep and wide on American soil. There's one fact that cancels out any battle of wills when it comes to allowing women to make global political decisions..

Women truly do run the world..

With or without elections.

WTS.

Shirley Chisolm, Presidential Campaign Announcement

When the Rest of the World Elected Their First Women Leaders
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Women and Chess: New Movie Starring Lupita Nyongo

Queen of Katwe is the colorful true story of a young girl selling corn on the streets of rural Uganda whose world rapidly changes when she is introduced to the game of chess, and, as a result of the support she receives from her family and community, is instilled with the confidence and determination she needs to pursue her dream of becoming an international chess champion. Directed by Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding) from a screenplay by William Wheeler (The Hoax) based on the book by Tim Crothers, Queen of Katwe is produced by Lydia Dean Pilcher (The Darjeeling Limited) and John Carls (Where the Wild Things Are) with Will Weiske and Troy Buder serving as executive producers. The film stars Golden Globe® nominee David Oyelowo (Selma), Oscar® winner and Tony Award® nominee Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave) and newcomer Madina Nalwanga.

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What Mother's Day was SUPPOSED to be..

Capitalism knows no bounds. Nothings is off limits. Nothing is sacred. Anything can be exploited, including the love one feels for their mom. I absolutely feel mothers should be celebrated, but I also feel every day is Mother's Day. I don't necessary care for the commercial aspect of the holiday as it compels people to spend on this day more than any other. But hey. People can do whatever flips their skirt up. 

Or Mom's.

I'm personally much more in favor of a "Mother's Peace Day" but that one didn't win out.

This lady's story seems like an episode of Seinfeld.

-WTS.

To all the mothers, and to those who might feel that this day, one when flower sales and brunch reservations go through the roof, is too overly commercialized -- you'll appreciate the story below.

  
Anna Jarvis (below) mothered Mother's Day a century ago. To see what her baby grew into would break her heart.

Anna Reeves Jarvis

Mother’s Day is a holiday honoring motherhood that is observed in different forms throughout the world. The American incarnation of Mother’s Day was created by Jarvis in 1908 and became an official U.S. holiday in 1914. Jarvis would later denounce the holiday’s commercialization and spent the latter part of her life trying to remove it from the calendar. Jarvis despised attempts to commercialize the "holy day" that she launched in memory of her mother, Ann. She fought tenaciously until her death to shield Mother's Day from "the hordes of money-schemers" that were hawking flowers, cards and candy.

Jarvis "is probably spinning in her grave," said Katharine Antolini, a board member and historian for the International Mother's Day Shrine in Grafton, West VA where the first celebration took place. "What we have today," said Antolini, "is not what Anna wanted." Not even close. Jarvis envisioned a day marked by hymns and prayers. She called for intimate family gatherings to "revive the dormant love and filial gratitude we owe to those who gave us birth." She wanted the focus and attention on a mother's devotion and sacrifice. It didn't take long, however, before some merchant got the idea of tossing up a SALE sign.

MOTHER’S DAY: EARLY INCARNATIONS

The roots of the modern American Mother’s Day date back to the 1800s. In the years before the Civil War (1861-65), Jarvis helped start “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs” to teach local women how to properly care for their children. These clubs later became a unifying force in a region of the country still divided over the Civil War. In 1868 Jarvis organized “Mothers’ Friendship Day,” at which mothers gathered with former Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.

Another precursor to Mother’s Day came from the abolitionist and suffragette Julia Ward Howe. In 1870 Howe wrote the “Mother’s Day Proclamation,” a call to action that asked mothers to unite in promoting world peace. In 1873 Howe campaigned for a “Mother’s Peace Day” to be celebrated every June 2. Other early Mother’s Day pioneers include Juliet Calhoun Blakely, a temperance activist who inspired a local Mother’s Day in Albion, Michigan, in the 1870s. The duo of Mary Towles Sasseen and Frank Hering, meanwhile, both worked to organize a Mothers’ Day in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some have even called Hering “the father of Mothers’ Day.”

THE OFFICIAL MOTHER’S DAY

Following her mother’s death in 1905, Anna conceived of Mother’s Day as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children. After gaining financial backing from a Philadelphia department store owner named John Wanamaker, in May 1908 she organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration. That same day also saw thousands of people attend a Mother’s Day event at one of Wanamaker’s retail stores in Philadelphia.

Following the success of her first Mother’s Day, Jarvis—who remained unmarried and childless her whole life—resolved to see her holiday added to the national calendar. Arguing that American holidays were biased toward male achievements, she started a massive letter writing campaign to newspapers and prominent politicians urging the adoption of a special day honoring motherhood. By 1912 many states, towns and churches had adopted Mother’s Day as an annual holiday. Her persistence paid off in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

Jarvis' Mother’s Day involved wearing a white carnation as a badge and visiting one’s mother or attending church services. But once Mother’s Day became a national holiday, it was not long before florists, card companies and other merchants capitalized on its popularity.

While Jarvis had initially worked with the floral industry to help raise Mother’s Day’s profile, by 1920 she had become disgusted with how the holiday had been commercialized. Jarvis seethed at what she perceived as corruption of the day. She was tenacious, if not "a little bizarre," in her efforts to ward off profiteers, Antolini said. In 1923, for instance, the New York Times reported that Jarvis crashed a confectioners' convention to issue demands. But, hard as she tried, she could not stop the cash registers from ringing. . . and ringing . . . and ringing. She outwardly denounced the transformation and urged people to stop buying Mother’s Day flowers, cards and candies. Jarvis eventually resorted to an open campaign against Mother’s Day profiteers, speaking out against confectioners, florists and even charities. She also launched countless lawsuits against groups that had used the name “Mother’s Day,” eventually spending most of her personal wealth in legal fees. By the time of her death Jarvis had disowned the holiday altogether, and even actively lobbied the government to see it removed from the American calendar.

Jarvis -- who never had a child of her own -- died bitter and destitute in 1948, her last days spent in a sanitarium.

Legend has it that florists, forever thankful for what Jarvis created, paid for her care. After all, one never forgets.

WTS.

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Happy Friday. We're Back

Hello amazing Readers. Have you missed the updates? The stories? The sexiness? The ridiculousness?

So have I. With so many other projects going on, I haven't been focusing on this one. In truth, I wasn't sure I was going to continue with this blog. BUT, it's nice to hear what you think, what you like, what you wanna know about.

Plus, there are messages to get out. Information to be disseminated. Gifs to be made! Laughs to be laughed. Women to be saluted. Causes to be spotlighted. and most important,

Blogs to be written.

I (with the help of two associates) am working on new pieces. We're bringing in more spiritual layers to our stories. The world is changing and there are ALWAYS realities the general public is unaware of. Too many of us in this amazing sisterhood don't understand how, why, and/or some of the explanations beyond the physical. Well it's time to delve.

We also want to post videos including interviews, commentaries, and whatever the hell else we feel like doing. If anyone doesn't like it..

Capiche?

Thank you Readers for remaining faithful throughout this break. With an average of about 80 page hits per day (even with no new posts since Feb), that's definitely loyalty.

XOXO!! Thank you.