Treasure Trove - an ode to Women's History Month

Tehachapi Treasure Trove will be celebrating First Friday from 5-8 p.m. with an ode to Women's History Month. We'll honor women from the past as well as women in the present (who are making history right now) with photos and stories, plus of course our usual food, wine, good conversation and laughter, and music by Art Larsen on clarinet.

History is written by the victors and, therefore, the entire story is never told. This is certainly true of women's contributions. History has largely ignored the many important rolls played by women throughout history. Women need to learn about their past, as where we have been will shape our future endevors.

Thousands of years ago, many cultures worshiped a female goddess. Men and women were considered equals and women held a prominent place in these societies.

With the advent of the Judeo-Christian cultures, however, women were reduced to subservience and were considered property. Over the last 2000 years, women's rights have come a long way in but it has not been an easy struggle.

Two hundred years ago women had no legal rights. Married women could not sign contracts, own property, or manage their own money. They were considered the property of their father or husband. Abused women were required to stay with the abuser and had no legal recourse. Education in other than teaching or nursing was not available to women. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was one of the first women do become a strong advocate for women's rights with her Declaration of Sentiments document.

Woman finally won the right to vote in 1920 after 80 years of marches and protests. Many women were beaten, jailed and killed for protesting. In 1919, as the suffrage victory drew near, the National American Woman Suffrage Association reconfigured itself into the League of Women Voters to ensure that women would take their hard-won vote seriously and use it wisely. While many women looked no further, a minority – like Alice Paul – understood that the quest for women's rights would be an ongoing struggle.

In the 1960's many states forbade woman to use birth control; discussion of the topic was forbidden and Margaret Sanger was arrested for her articles advocating birth control. Margaret Sanger and her supporters faced down at every turn the zealously enforced laws denying women this right. In 1936, a Supreme Court decision declassified birth control information as obscene. Still, it was not until 1965 that married couples in all states could obtain contraceptives legally.

Esther Peterson was the director of the Women's Bureau of the Dept. of Labor in 1961. With her encouragement, President Kennedy convened a Commission on the Status of Women, naming Eleanor Roosevelt as its chair. The report issued by that commission in 1963 documented discrimination against women in virtually every area of American life. State and local governments quickly followed suit and established their own commissions for women, to research conditions and recommend changes that could be initiated.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, now a Supreme Court Justice, says, "I think about how much we owe to the women who went before us – legions of women, some known but many more unknown. I applaud the bravery and resilience of those who helped all of us – you and me – to be here today."

Women's rights that have been gained have been the result of many protests, marches, speeches and articles written by strong women. The recent march on Washington and many other cities around the world is a continuation of this process. Women's rights are still not equal in every venue, and many of the rights already earned are currently being challenged. Women's history is still being made today.

Come talk with us and visit a piece of history on First Friday.

For additional information call (661) 822-6794 or visit face book at http://www.facebook.com/TehachapiTreasureTrove The Treasure Trove has 55 vendors on commission in addition to an extensive line of arts and craft supplies, artist services, yarn, books, music related merchandise and more.