2013 Essay Contest
Maggie Berwick - High School, essay winner for 2013 Esteemed Women of Michigan
Margaret Berwick
Class of 2014 at the International Academy-Central Campus
Esteemed Women of Michigan Essay Contest
July 31, 2013
In my sophomore American History class, we spent a week learning about the women’s suffrage movement in the early 1900’s and how they succeeded in gaining the right to vote through their commitment to equality. This sparked my passion for women’s rights and I did numerous school projects on subjects like women’s suffrage across the globe, female nurses during the Vietnam War and female workers during World War II War. Learning about all these women showed me how much our country has changed in the past century, and also how much has stayed the same. The fact that some women do not earn the same amount of money as men for the same job astonished me. It was hard for me to believe that women are still not completely equal to men in the US in the 21st century. My enthusiasm for women’s rights inspired me to start a club at my school under the subject. Last November, the Women’s Rights Awareness Group (WRAG) was born with the help of my government teacher Mrs. Rabourn, and my friends Rabab Jafri and Morgan Ginter.
WRAG met twice a month throughout the school year and boasts seventeen members (including two boys) and discuss subjects like the Violence against Women’s Act, girls and education in third world countries, and how women are portrayed in the media. The first half of the year we focused on women in the media and watched the documentary Miss Representation. This is because the media is something every single one of us experiences everyday, and it helped raise awareness of how movies, television and magazines do not always represent women accurately. Young women in my generation are affected because the media defines what is considered beautiful and can hurt their self-esteem. By discussing these issues with my club it helped me understand that it’s not just me who struggles with these issues and we are able to talk about harder topics in a safe and non-judgmental place.
We ended the year by starting a “Bead Sale” at school during the month of May. Through the non-profit organization Bead for Life (www.beadforlife.org), we ordered a box of jewelry that was hand made by women in Uganda. The mission of Bead For Life is to eradicate poverty in Uganda. They strive to help women become successful business owners and help their family and local community by selling the jewelry overseas where there is a market for it. The jewelry we sold were all made out of recycled paper that had been dyed and rolled into beads. The box included necklaces and bracelets in two different styles and also shea butter soap and lip balm also made by Ugandan Women. We sold to our peers, teachers, counselors, secretaries, lunch ladies, parents, neighbors, relatives, and friends. Three months later, we had sold about one third of our initial inventory totaling $1,307. What was unique about this event was that WRAG did not keep any of the proceeds, we sent everything we made back to the organization. We were all very proud to support women in a third world country, but the motivation behind this project was to teach our school something as well. Our club’s main goal has always been awareness and that’s what we set out to do. Our sales at school brought the women of Uganda’s story and struggles to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. We were able to educate the school and ourselves about how women in Uganda have struggled in the past through devastating wars, living as refugees, and having their families taken away to be child soldiers. And now the women are changing their lives by creating a self-sustaining business and shaping their own future.
Women’s Rights is an important subject to discuss, especially at my school. The International Academy is a competitive community with a reputation of a rigorous curriculum. The students here are all focused on their education and know that their future will include a higher education. People often joke that everyone will either be a lawyer, engineer or doctor. WRAG helps us all to remember that not everyone is as lucky as us. There are girls across the world that do not have the privilege of going to school or obtain a higher education, so it helps us remember to be thankful when we are complaining about our heavy workload.
Taking on a leadership role in my community and starting WRAG has encouraged me to study women’s history and women’s studies at college and then continue on to law school and possibly even work for a non-profit organization like Women for Women International or the National Organization for Women. And as I write this essay, I keep thinking of my fellow competitors and how we are all proof of hope for extraordinary and esteemed future women of Michigan. Along with the words of Muriel Rukeyser, “Rage for the world as it is / but for what it may be / [and] more love now than last year,” I am hopeful for the future of my local community.