Goodbye, Geraldine. And thank you.

I was 12 in 1984, not old enough to fully realize the significance of her candidacy, but old enough to know it was big.   Just the fact that she was the first in the history of our country, the fact that her gender caused a big hubbub in the media, made me aware of how far women still had to go to be truly equal.

I may have been more aware of this than other girls my age.  My mom was, is and probably always will be a vocal feminist.  Not a "man hater" as those who try to marginalize women who speak out about inequities in our system like to portray feminists, more practical than that.  She has always voiced the belief that women and men should have the same opportunities and responsibilities.  My mom is college educated and worked outside of the home.  Before we moved to Oregon, she ran her own business.  To put it in proper context, you have to remember that in the late 70s, only about 40% of women with children participated in the workforce.  Mine was one of them.  By 1984 that had jumped to nearly 60%.  That's not far from where it is today, and yet it wasn't until the 2008 election that a major party had the audacity to run a woman again.  And sadly this time it was a woman who spouted some of the most anti-woman rhetoric I've heard in years.

Today I read that Geraldine Ferraro had passed away.  I have to admit, I hadn't really followed her career after the election ended. And though I was disheartened by the loss, I didn't really think much about her unless I happened upon her on tv, but when I read her obituary it made me remember how proud I was to be a girl, a future woman, when I saw her speak back then.