Women's Equality Day: August 26th, 2020
Women's Equality Day is honored one day each year. What does that mean for the other 364 days?
I understand that it is here to remind us of the important fact that women are equal to men as human beings. It is just sad that we need to have a day to remember that.
Equal treatment should be the right of all humans. So how long does it take to turn that ship around?
I am an old white guy and know I received preferential treatment because of that. I also feel that I have been wronged, felt inferior, and felt disrespected at times. It hurt me to my core. I cannot imagine how many more times in my life I would have felt that way if I was not privileged.
I grew up in a household where I believed men and women were equal. My parents had the traditional roles of their generation and my mother was still addressed as Mrs. Harry Kansman. My mother Delores, is brilliant, passionate, and definitely can take care of herself, (even at 89 years of age). The idea that women were not equal never crossed my mind until I started seeing factual proof in reports and articles during my corporate years.
I have lived with (a sister, cousins, aunts, etc) that are strong role models. I married a brilliant and creative woman (Minnie) who certainly has been a full partner in all important family decisions. She has been a successful business owner since 1994.
I worked for female leaders in a Fortune 100 company that were certainly qualified and equal to the Senior Leadership roles they held.
Now as the next generation of females in our family emerge (our daughter Jessica and new daughter Jillian), they continue to prove to me that women are equal to men in every way.
Let us move forward to the point that we recognize that fact and change any outdated standards, including needing a day to remind us of the obvious.
I support equality of all people in my mind and words. I know enough about unconscious bias to understand that I too am not beyond having prejudice thoughts and feelings. I also believe that we have a choice in how we react to those thoughts and feelings. I hope my actions have been without bias when dealing with others.
I learned many leadership traits from my father, Harry (integrity, problem-solving, finances, etc.). I learned about love in a leadership role from my mother. She loved us unconditionally and would protect us veraciously from danger. We also knew she was in charge and we needed to treat her with the respect she deserved. A good leader inspires their followers to commit to their vision and belief. I would do anything for my parents.
Loving unconditionally is a key factor in treating others with equality. That I learned from a woman, (my mother, Delores).
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