Well, if you are a feminist, you’ll be happy to know that The U.S. President Barack Obama is the proudest member of our feminist club.
And, he confirmed it, yet again, through his empowering speech at the first ever United State of Women Summit organized by The White House, on June 14, 2016.
Obama acknowledged the women in the room including the First Lady, Michelle Obama, with a wit, saying, “I know you’re really here to see Michelle… or Oprah. Well, I cannot compete with them.”
Obama’s legendary statement of the day, “I did want to stop by and make one thing very clear. I may be a little grayer than I was eight years ago, but this is what a feminist looks like,” not only gained applause from the audience but also went viral on social media.
The Summit featured women speakers like Kerry Washington, Joe Biden, Patricia Arquette and Shonda Rhimes, who talked about the gender equality issues ranging from economic empowerment to violence against women.
Obama also appealed the audience to encourage and ensure pay equality, paid maternity and paternity leaves for the working parents.
“If we were truly a nation of family values, we wouldn’t put up with the fact that a woman cannot even get a day off to give birth,” he said.
He added, “Our country isn’t just about the Benjamins. It’s about the Tubmans, too.”
He also implored U.S. to change not only the policies around gender equality but also the culture that perpetuates sexism:
“If we are going to change our policies and our politics truly, then we’re also going to have to change something else. We’re going to have to change the way we see ourselves and this is happening already, but I want us to be more intentional about it… The emotional, sexual and psychological stereotyping of females begin when the doctor says it’s a girl… and that has consequences for all of us — whether we’re men or women, black, white, straight gay, transgender or otherwise.”
He also appreciated the contribution of women like Sonya Sotomayor, Laverne Cox, and Michelle Obama, who are changing the conversation and perspective on gender equality.
He advocated, “The countless ordinary people every day who are bringing us closer to our highest ideas.”
“That’s the story we’re going to keep on telling, so our girls see that they, too, are America. Confident and courageous. And in the words of Audre Lorde: ‘Deliberate and afraid of nothing.’”
Here’s his full speech:
One should understand that the U.S. President and the other prominent people are feminists and are supporting women empowerment not because it’s the ‘trending’ thing and will keep them in news. They are talking about it perpetually because they understand that only through gender equality can the world prosper in the real sense.