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This Day in History: Women's Righths

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

"And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is the equality of women and men. The world of humanity has two wings—one is women and the other men. Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible. Not until the world of women becomes equal to the world of men in the acquisition of virtues and perfections, can success and prosperity be attained as they ought to be."

‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, 227: “O ye esteemed ones who are pioneers among the…”

The "Blogging Circle of Friends "  prompt for DAY 1343
Pick something that happened on this day and talk about it in your blog. I've included a link to give you some ideas.
http://www.onthisday.com/events/july/19

July 19, 1848 1st US women's rights convention held in Seneca Falls NY, organised by Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Lucretia Mott1
Women's Rights Activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton2
1848 Seneca Falls Convention begins3

Women have came a long way since 1848 when the women's rights convention was held in "Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, N.Y."4. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, an abolitionists and women's rights activist, was one of two conveners of the convention held in Seneca Falls. The other convener was Lucretia Mott. These two women were barred from the floor of the 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention because they were women. This fact enraged them and began the women's rights movement in the United States. The first day of the convention was exclusively for women, but the second the public, including men, were invited to attend. On the second day forty men, including Frederick Douglass, attended.

1848 is an auspicious year for women's rights. In late June and early July (three weeks) a conference of Babi's was organized by Baha'u'llah and held in Badasht5. During this conference Táhirih6, the only women among the Bab's (forerunner of Baha'u'llah) Letters of the Living, removed her veil and sent many men into shock. I've always found it intriguing that the first women's rights conference in the United States was held in 1848 the some year that Tahirih removed her veil in Badasht, located in a country that still encourages and even requires women to wear veils.

It's been 168 years since the first women's right convention was held in the United States. Women in America and across the world have came a long way towards achieving equal rights. This year the U.S. may elect its first woman president, but even if Hillary Clinton is elected president of the United States it doesn't mean women have gained equal rights. There are still women in America and across the world being used as sex slaves. There are women working as hookers because they can't get jobs to support themselves or their families.

There are women in Pakistan and other third world countries being murdered by family members in "honor killing" executions. There are young girls in Africa and other countries forced into childhood marriages with men old enough to be their fathers or grandfathers. Until women in every country has equal rights with men then no woman in America or any industrialized country has equal rights. We still have a long way to go before women on attain equal rights with men. We have to continue working toward full equality before humanity can fly and attain true civilization.

Footnotes
1  http://www.onthisday.com/events/july/19#
2  http://www.onthisday.com/people/elizabeth-cady-stanton
3  http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/seneca-falls-convention-begins
4  ibid
5  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conference_of_Badasht
6  http://bahaichronicles.org/tahirih/