Three Years Later — Where do we go from here?

Three years ago my daughter, Chandler, wrote a poem for her 8th grade English class.

Now–here we are–three years later. And I find myself shaking my head because not only has nothing changed since she wrote her poem, I’d argue things seem to be getting worse. Here’s the poem–she was 14 when she wrote it. Fourteen.

Make a change, be the change

Punching, Slapping, Shooting, Strangling, Killing;

Actions that take part in relationship violence;

Day by day, Around the world, are girls,

Victims, Abused by their lovers; Their “soul mates”;

Minute by minute, Innocent women

Dying, Suffering, Crying; Shredded to pieces,

Left scattered in the wind;

Feeling shame and humiliation, Nowhere to turn to;

No one to tell, Just lost in the unknown.

The bells, bells, bells; Bringing happiness to all,

But one; The woman, the object to power for him;

No smile, Just pale and melancholy;

Against her will, Not able to choose,

No one makes the decision, but Him;

He is the Male, The controller of the house;

The Alpha; He is her Father.

Innocence being robbed, From her very body;

Blood gushing, Split apart, Sold, Lost, Cold,

Scared, Taken. From a child to a tool,

She is traded for pleasure, For lust, For money;

Childhood ripped from her tiny, shaky hands,

She is not a virgin anymore; She is a prostitute,

A target, for human trafficking.

Here I am, At home, Safe with my family,

Family who care, about me;

What about the girls my age across the globe?

My sisters, Not by blood, But by gender;

Why can’t they have the opportunities I do?

Why do we have to live in a world full of hate and discrimination?

Why can’t we have the same respect Men do?

Why, why, why?

We, The givers of life, Are disregarded,

Disrespected, And discriminated against;

I call upon the good men around the world;

I call upon the strong women throughout the world;

Link arms everybody! -Make a change, -Be the change.

I ask myself…what sort of world have we created for our children to inherit?

Take advertising, look at the way women are portrayed. I made this film a few years ago too. Watch it and ask yourself, what do these pictures say about how our culture values women?

Today, we can’t turn on the news without hearing about Bill Cosby, alleged serial rapist, a man who stole the hearts of the American people while secretly robbing young women of their right to emotional and physical safety.

A while back a woman I respect was in the news after being terrorized for speaking out about women in gaming.

Then there’s the swift public unraveling of “asshole” culture and Uber that began with an outspoken journalists decision to delete her Uber app for a number of issues, in particular, the company’s flagrant disregard for the safety of it’s female drivers and passengers. Her experiences and observations only further expose the fall from civility that exists in this country.

Remember my daughter’s words:

We, The givers of life, Are disregarded,

Disrespected, And discriminated against;

I call upon the good men around the world;

I call upon the strong women throughout the world;

Link arms everybody! -Make a change,-Be the change.

What’s wrong with this picture? And where do we go from here?

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