I have a soft spot for trouble makers. But these are not therabble rousers armed with animosity who incite violence and criminal acts.I’m talking about the people who question outdatedrules and conventionsthat no longer work and challenge behaviorthat for too longhas been inappropriate and unjust. Theyspeak out when others remain silent and take action when many hold back in fear of what people will think. They question the “norm”when it no longer feels comfortable and right. They are deemed unconventional in the face of convention. They are full ofconviction when others remain complacent. People sometimes refer to them as “trouble makers.” I call them “activists” and “advocates.”
And admirable. And we need more of them.
The late Martin Luther King Jr. was one of those so-called trouble makers. So was Joan of Arc. One was assassinated. The other was burned at thestake. Many years ago, the women who’ve spoken out forthe #metoo and #timesup movements wouldhave been called “troublemakers.” But then, so were the suffragettes who fought for the right to vote in the early 20th century andthe woman’s libberswho marchedfor equal rights and reform in rhe 1960s. The women who marched on Washington last year,much like Dr.King did in 1963, wouldhave been labeled “trouble makers”decadesago.Actually, any woman who raised a voice in protest would have been called “trouble maker.”
And, they still are.Around the world, woman still sufferthe consequences for being considered “trouble makers,” for standing up for what they believe in and speaking out against injustice.Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head at age 15 for campaigning to improve girls’ education in Pakistan. She survived and later became the world’s youngest Nobel Prize laureate. Women are still fighting: domestic violence,human trafficking, genital mutilation,the right tohave an education, the right to vote, the right to drive a car. Some of these are rights that womanonce foughtvaliantlyto obtainthat many now take for granted.
The world is a better place thanks to people who speak out for justice and civility, who challenge laws that are unfair and question rules that are outdated. Theseare individualsfor whom remaining silent is a worse crime than the act itself.
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A little story on why empowering young women to speak out matters:
As a 12-year-old insixth grade I waged a protest wearing the requiredwhite lace anklets and Mary Janes for my graduation ceremony. I announced that I wanted to wear pantyhoseand heels with mywhite dress. “I was a young woman and no longer a child. Women wear pantyhose; children wearwhite lace anklets!” I argued. The school’s leadership responded, “But that’s been the traditional graduation attire for decades.” My response was “It’s time to change with the times.”
No one listened to me, the obstinate 12-year-old, except for my mother who stood for individuality (and still does).She marched into the school principal’s office to negotiate my case for changingthe white lace anklet rule. Finally, the principal and fellow school poo-bahs relented with one condition: The young ladieshad to wear white opaque stockings, not(lewd) nudepantyhose that showed(gasp!) our young flesh (as if white lace anklets were an adequate cover up either!)
The group photo of the graduating class of 1971 at The Bright Schoolin Chattanooga shows young boysin white pants and shirts and young girls wearingwhite dresses, white stockings and whitelow-heeled shoes (no Mary Janes). And if you look very closely in the center of the photo, you’llsee one young girl with long darkblondehair and large eyes wearing a very proud (smug) smile on her face. That’s the “troublemaker.”
It was my first lesson on being Fearless. And it stayed with me the rest of my life.
Lessons learned:
If something does not feel right, speak out. Askquestions. It’s your right. Don’t worry what people will think.
If you want to see change happen, do your homework.Present your argument with supporting facts
Expend your energy wisely. Sometimes a quiet steady voicewith well-chosen wordsresonateslouder that just making “noise.”
Create a community of support who can share your voice and message. There is strength in numbers.
My Final words…..
Often we can make a more meaningful impact by lowering the volume and improving the message. #FearlessFabulousYou @mightymelanie
