 |
X'Zashea Lawson-Mayes
Class of 2018 |
Reason is the gateway to making the right decisions through finding and holding beliefs. In order to obtain reason, C.S. Lewis describes in
Abolition of Man that one must possess a head, chest, and stomach. With the head comes intellect—knowledge of the things around you. With the chest comes heart—passions and drive to discern right from wrong to find truth. With the stomach comes an instinct—natural tendencies and abilities. However, in
Abolition of Man, Lewis talks much about how certain authors and books negatively affect young boys and how to aid in making a better man for society. As a woman, this does not offend me due to my knowledge of women’s importance throughout history. In fact, in 1943 when this book was published, many women had just as much, if not more, reason than most men. Lynne Olsen explained this in her book, which she discussed in a lecture at the McConnell Center, titled
Freedom’s Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement. In it, she chronicles the lives of many influential women who played pivotal roles in the fight for equal rights. A prominent female heroine discussed in the book is Diane Nash—a beautiful and intelligent African American woman who truly put in work during the movement. Nash organized lunch counter sit-ins, aided with Freedom Riders, and helped with voting rights initiatives in many states. Later, after guidance from another prominent female leader named Ella Baker, Diane Nash founded the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) with other young adults. However, as people were being elected to office for position within the committee, Diane Nash, a deserving candidate, was not elected president because she was a woman.
Women like Diane Nash had a head full of reason, a chest with a passion for advancing and proclaiming truth, and a stomach with the instinct to fight regardless of her race or gender. For much of American history, women have been the voices of reason in homes and in politics but chose to let men stride in the limelight. No one had to write a book about having a reason, a heart, and following instincts—women were using these traits already but received little credit. The time has come where women should own their individuality and take the reins controlling their future for themselves. It is time to stop being surprised at the idea of a woman being the head of a household, a woman being a CEO of a fortune 500 company, and a woman being president of the United States. We did not need a book telling us how to be better women—we just needed the confidence to step out from behind men and direct our own destinies. So women, own your reasoning, passions, and instincts in whatever field you find yourself in, whether it be cosmetology, education, medicine, law, or even politics. Abolish the idea of having a man lead the way for you and make way for a better you.
X'Zashea Lawson-Mayes is a freshman McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. She studies political science.
.png)