To the Editor:
I’m a firm believer in one generation passing down whatever wisdom and truth they have learned, fought for and attained, to the next group of budding adults. I mean, what good is all the suffering, if we can’t teach the lessons to younger generation who are destined to encounter many of the same, if not worse, challenges than we did?
The group, Hardy Girls/Healthy Women is sponsoring an event at Skidompha Library on Tues., June 8 from 6-7:30 p.m. The co-founder of the now-national group, author and Colby professor Lyn Mikel Brown will be in Damariscotta to speak and answer questions…important questions about the mass perception of girls (and women) and how it puts so many at risk and, at the least, in a position of low self-esteem and powerlessness.
Tuesdays are horrible for me – I rarely go out, knowing I have an early day of work on Wednesday. I turn down dinner with friends, monthly political meetings and fun goings-on – all because none of it is worth going to work groggy the next morning.
However, this event, with an introduction of a new literacy program for girls “Powered By Girl,” is very compelling to me because I was raised in a household, by a mother, whose primary quest in raising a daughter was to teach her that she was powerful, capable of accomplishing anything and, by virtue of the fact that I was her daughter, I had no choice but to comply.
Lucky for me, I had that impetus and that driving force behind me. What I didn’t have was a lot of support from my peers, or from my teachers, or from society in general. It was an uphill climb all the way. Frankly, I feel I fell short of both our expectations.
So I am curious about what Lyn Mikel Brown has to impart. In retrospect, I have to say I am a bit envious of young girls today, with this kind of indoctrination available to them. Don’t get me wrong – growing up in my household was very interesting, empowering and challenging, but to know there are other girls and women out there who “have your back” is a very compelling reason to come to Skidompha and find out more about it.
I plan to go, even though it’s Tuesday night. Honestly, I want to see and hear what I might have missed, and I want to applaud the founders and participants of Hardy Girls/Healthy Women for their groundbreaking work.
It’s still an uphill climb, but how affirming it is to have the strength of other young women along the way.
Daphne Lehava Stern
Bristol
