Great Grandmother's Purse… to Whom Much is Given, Much is Expected

I was almost ready to attend The White House Project EPIC Awards, where I was going to be recognized for their “Circle of 10” honor, something I never in my life dreamed possible. The last item I needed before I ran out the door was a purse to match my dress. When I opened my purse drawer, one holding special energy revealed itself – a purse given to me by my grandmother, Evelyn, that had been handed down to her. What a perfect moment to honor her. I instantly realized that this was another one of those “meant to be” moments in my life. I couldn’t think of a better way to honor all women with something as personal as my grandmother’s purse – carrying everything deeply meaningful to her, yet so small in size.

As I put my credit card, license, cell phone, BlackBerry and a special tube of lip gloss into the purse, many thoughts streamed through my heart and mind. First, I had a moment of humor when I realized that never before had these items been included in this purse (which dates back to the early 1900s.) A more serious and solemn realization came over me as I thought of the event I was about to attend, its relevancy to women, and what it would have meant to my grandmother had she been able to be there – what it would have meant to her and to all the other women of those times. They sacrificed so much of themselves, namely their dreams, passions and life goals, all in the name of others. And in many cases, their dreams could not have been possible given the culture and, in many cases, laws of the time.

What flashed in my mind were “given” things for women today: our rights to vote, attend and graduate from college, obtain a driver’s license, say “no, thank you” to a marriage proposal to someone who is not your soul mate, decide how many children you will bear – or even take a Friday afternoon walk into a local tavern, park yourself on a barstool and enjoy an icy cocktail to celebrate a great week. And this doesn’t even begin to touch on desires to start companies or pursue careers inside the nation’s biggest companies. Heaven forbid she would want to attend or even play a sporting event, wear a red dress, take a sip of a great heritage scotch in a tavern or even utter a swear word under her breath! Sorry, lady, you are not welcome here! My amazing purse owner checked her dreams at the door of possibilities (as did the other women) in the name of “woman’s duty” and what was culturally acceptable for them.

The White House Project “Circle of 10” honor was an amazing recognition to me and to all the other “WOLVES” who made this dream possible – giving voices, skills, networks and possibilities to women. Giving them all that could be possible, all the “never before” things, all in the name of empowering and enabling women’s leadership, breaking down stereotypes, and creating a stage and path for so many more girls and women to ease into today and in the future.

As I stepped into the Museum of Natural History, the energy, importance of the award and the responsibility of what more is required of me became clear. All of the women I met, their unique stories, their passion and risk-taking to make a change, were astounding. I sat quietly with humility, and also the deep feeling of “I must do more,” as the other recipients accepted their awards, including Leymah Gbowee, for her role in Liberia to stop the bloodshed and war by mobilizing over 2,000 women and motivating them to sit on airfields to prevent planes from taking off to harm others (inspiring the movie Pray the Devil Back to Hell).

The responsibility of that purse left me with a heavy heart – a heart weighed down with responsibility. It gave me such humility and made me realize how much more we need to accomplish in the name of women, girls, business and opportunities. This purse was actually symbolic of what could be done once we all partner together as women, support each other each day and unlock the latchet of the purse of possibilities. Ensure that in 10 years, no one can write about women being stereotyped as “not having the total package” in business or not deserving their pay when they have more education, experience, moxie and credentials than their peers.

We need to partner and support each other to enable women to freely celebrate having children on their own if they choose (without the hallway gossip over who or why), to buy and drive the most amazing sports car available, to stay out all night dancing if they want and to hold equal power in all levels of government. We need a woman presidential candidate who is accepted on equal terms, when hairstyles, looks and mood do not become media buzz. And all this should happen while women celebrate their femininity and the privilege of being soft, supportive, curvaceous and beautiful women. This much I owe my grandmother. I am honored to carry her purse and hopefully unlock the beautiful garnet latchet of possibilities for so many others.

By Julie Gilbert