Why I’m a Feminist Voting for Bernie Sanders

In 1975, the year I was born, First Lady Betty Ford supported the Equal Rights Amendment, the Supreme Court ruled that states could no longer exclude women from jury duty, and the National Organization for Women led a “Mother’s Day of Outrage” demonstration at the Apostolic Delegation to the U.S. in Washington, D.C. While all of that was going on, I was learning to crawl.

When my mother, a first-wave feminist, struggled to find adequate daycare for my older sister while she was working as a secretary for a construction firm in Albany, her boss, the president of the company, once pushed her up against the filing cabinets and groped her. When she protested he threatened to fire her.

My mom wasn’t an active feminist. She didn’t burn her bra or march in protest of an unfair system. But she was still a product of her times. By virtue of her sex, she experienced discrimination, humiliation, and a dearth of societal and political protections. A lot was gained for women during the height of the feminist movement, and my generation is a direct beneficiary. But like most people who haven’t had to personally struggle for something, I didn’t fully appreciate what women before me had sacrificed and fought for so that I could have more equal opportunities.