Change is here

Last night was historic as we saw our first woman of color debating for the vice-president slot in the upcoming presidential election. Senator Kamala Harris held her own and represented women and all of us who call ourselves progressive very well. This in spite of being interrupted by the current Vice-president over and over again. Senator Harris had to stop Pence on several ocassions and put him in his place respectfully. She gave him the look and us mean know what that look means. In my training on communication I share some of the gender differences in communication between the sexes and I state how men use interruptions as a way to control women. Of course women do it too but it is much more common among men. When I do this to my wife she stops talking and I know instantly what I have done. I apologize immediately and promise not to do it again. At least not for the rest of the day. The first step to changing your behavior is to be aware of your actions. This is part of the patriarchy system we still live in and Senator Harris will help to change this male dominated framework.

And then we have our fearless leader who calls Senator Harris a "monster" which is outrageous. This is part of the patriarchy and the misogyny we see in our society. Senator Harris has three strikes against her.

1) She is a woman.

2) She is a person of color.

3) She is intelligent.

Among our Tribal work staff we have many women who fit this description and they know all too well what it means to work in a patriarchy and misogynistic work environment. They have a right to be treated with respect and dignity. This starts at the top of the organization and it should be an integral part of the work culture. Having policies and procedures that address these issues are a good start but they need to be implemented fairly and consistently in order to make sure women achieve true equality.