On Gov. Elbridge Gerry

In 1812, the governor of Massachusetts signed into law a redistricting of his state that heavily favored his party in the coming election.  His name was Elbridge Gerry, and the resulting shape of one of the resulting political districts was said to resemble a salamander.  This produced the term "gerrymander," now used in politics to describe the manipulation of district lines for political advantage.

Sometimes this advantage is achieved by spreading members of a certain group over many districts to ensure they do not gain representation in any district.  Other times, it is achieved through consolidating a group into a specific district that guarantees their representation.

Certainly, women have faced the same gerrymandering throughout the social, economic, and political experience in America.  They are systematically and often subtly divided and put against each other in a way that ensures their continued status as second-class citizens and wage-earners.  Alternately, they are represented by a few tokens who serve as (false) reminders that women are indeed included, respected, and treated equally in the political and social processes.  Nonetheless, the underlying truth remains that women - and all minorities - do not have the same opportunities or successes as majority America.

This blog is a personal effort to reexamine the ways in which this truth manifests itself, and also the ways in which this reality can be affected.  Luck to us all.