The news swirled this week around everything from swine flu to Obama's 100th day in office to word that after 30 years as a Republican senator, Arlen Specter is now batting for the Democrats, and that Justice David Souter plans to retire after the Supreme Court’s session ends in June.
Specter’s move inches Democrats closer to filibuster-proof status in the Senate, and Souter’s departure will open an opportunity for a Democratic president to name a new justice for the first time in 15 years.
But quietly buried in all this louder news of sorts was a small, fleeting ceremony in Washington that caught our eye, one with historical and current significance.
The ceremony
On Tuesday, 159 years after the former slave and outspoken abolitionist Sojourner Truth delivered her famous "Ain't I a Woman" speech in 1851 at the Ohio Women's Convention, she became the first black woman to be honored with a permanent statue at the Capitol.
Born in 1797 as Isabella Baumfree, Truth changed her name after escaping from slavery (she walked away and did not run, she emphasized) and became a crusader on abolition and women's rights, and a published author.
The growing female power circle in Washington
Almost as significant as the unveiling was who did it—the first black first lady Michelle Obama, the first female Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the first serious female contender in a presidential race, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
On the same day as the unveiling, the Senate added another woman to Obama’s top team—former Kansas Governor Katherine Sebelius was confirmed as Health Secretary, making her the fourth female cabinet member. In addition to Clinton and Sebelius, former Arizona governor Janet Napolitano is Homeland Security chief, and former California congresswoman Hilda Solis is Labor Secretary. Three other women hold key appointments on his team.
The Senate sped up the Sebelius confirmation as swine flu news intensified, finalizing Obama's cabinet just one day before his 100th day. Sebelius is known as an insurance regulation expert--a key ingredient for an administration pushing universal health insurance. She supports abortion, which held up her confirmation process.
The big picture
In terms of the size and scope of the news this week, it was a big one. It was a major shakeup when Specter switched parties, and it’s a huge deal that Obama will choose a new Supreme Court Justice—especially as it’s widely expected that he’ll nominate a woman. But it’s important to not overlook the other events. It took 150 years to get a statue of a black woman in the Capitol. It took 150 years to elect a black man to the presidency after emancipation. And while a woman has yet to be president, if this growing circle of power women is any indication, hopefully that time is not too far off. In the meantime, we can’t wait to see what these women do.
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Posted by: Lillian Carter | May 01, 2009 at 01:24 PM
The voice of Lillian Carter beyond The Great Divide. I always thought females were powerful, but guess it's now an established fact. Cheers!
Posted by: embee | July 03, 2009 at 11:24 AM