SEPARATE BUT EQUAL

Forty-three...the 14th smallest prime number, the designation of an Interstate in Wisconsin, the code for direct dial international calls to Austria, the number of different herbs and spices contained in Spanish liquer, the album Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd is 43 minutes long and lastly, our current George W. Bush is the 43rd president.

What is my point you ask? Well let me be clear in stating it has absolutely nothing to do with George. Instead, I exclaim: It is exactly the number of years since Affirmative Action!

I am addressing this issue because its importance is paramount. Lyndon B. Johnson said it best, "You do not take a person who for years has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him to the starting line of a race, and then say, 'you are free to compete with all the others."

Today, I would challenge Lyndon on his use of the word "him" but instead will applaud him for his foresight.

According to the policy of Affirmative Action there are 3 key ideas. I would like to concentrate on the third one. " The effectiveness of remedies is judged by results not intent."

There is a sad misconception of many that Affirmative Action solely assists minorities where it relates to color. Let me educate you: Women are minorities and we come in all colors. We too benefit from Affirmative Action.

Lyndon's statement had a profound effect on me. Since the beginning of time women have been labeled as the weaker sex or human. We have been mistreated, underrepresented, discriminated upon, underpaid and physically violated. We are faced with cultural ideologies that should have disappeared with the corset but unfortunately continue in some form. Women are harassed by a male dominated society that sees women as different and therefore not equal.

We have proven that we can educate and be educated, we have earning potential, we can make ammunition and shoot guns, we can cure illnesses, we can represent our country and last but not least we can reproduce like no other.

Why then can't we be equal?

Our actions and contributions over the course of years speak volumes. True indeed, we did not begin our training for the race at the same time as our male counterparts-if we had, we would be running the universe.

Sources: Gendered Lives 8th Ed., Julia T. Wood; Wikipedia (forty-three)