Elizabeth's Dream

A Dream By Elizabeth P.  I have a dream that someday all women will be free from the slavery that still oppresses so many women all over the world. Women are slaves in the home, in the church and in society. I will tell you many examples of this slavery. But my dream keeps me going. Women are strong and we will keep using our voices and our minds and our spirits to make change happen. Someday we will be free from this slavery and our little girls will not have to go through what so many of us have gone through in our lives. My dream will come true. At Home At home, women are still terribly oppressed as mothers and homemakers. In some countries, even if both the husband and wife work outside of the home, when they get home at the end of the day, only the woman has domestic obligations. While the man sits down and relaxes, the woman must start her "second" work day. She must cook for the family. She must clean. She must do laundry. She must care for the children. All the while, the man is grumbling, "Where is my dinner?!" As terrible as this story above sounds, for many women this situation is normal and at least it is somewhat safe. Sometimes when the woman doesn't do what she is told to do, the man beats her. Domestic violence is everywhere. Many women live every day in fear. This is slavery. Fortunately, in this country, this situation is slowly changing. The expected roles of women and men are changing. The new generation of women is getting to use their minds to help society and men are using their hearts to support family life. This is one of the reasons that I love America and this is part of my dream, that women will eventually be free from slavery. In Religion In many religions, women also face oppression. Many men base their ideas and laws of today on the Bible, Torah, and the Koran etc, not realizing that at the time when these books were written, women were really slaves. These old laws do not make sense in our society today. For example, in almost every religion, only men have the right to minister. Old laws said that women could not speak in public. This is no the law of God. It is the law of men. Religion also oppresses women by controlling what they wear and how they look. Some religions still even today require that women only wear dresses. Some religions require that a woman's body be completely covered except for her eyes. Is this fair? Is this equal? Is this freedom? I have a dream that women will be free from this kind of slavery. In Society Women are also oppressed out in society. There are many examples of how our societies treat girls and women like slaves. It is so bad that I call it torture. I will give you a few examples. There are countries where it is a common practice to cut off the clitoris of girls because they believe that women have no right to have pleasure. Isn't it crazy? Some people want to make it sound like it is not so bad, as if it like when a boy is circumcised. But really it is mutilation. It is torture. In some societies, when a man dies, they bury his wife with him-alive! Another culture has a law that says if the husband dies, the woman can never marry again. Is this fair? When the woman dies, the man can re-marry! In many places in the world, girls are still sold into forced marriages. Sometimes these girls are only 9 or 10 years old and they must have sex with grown men. Is this marriage or is this slavery? There is still so much ignorance about the status of women today. I hope that one day women will be free from the slavery that we still suffer in many parts of the world. When these terrible stories are no longer true, my dream will have come true. It is possible. Women are strong. Women are smart. When we all work together and are united, we can accomplish so much. Women, united together, can make the greatest changes in the world. Biography of Elizabeth P. Elizabeth was referred to Web of Benefit by a Transitional Living Program in Newton, Massachusetts in September 2005. She had fled an abusive husband and was in poor health, needing financial aid to help pay for multiple doctor visits and necessary medications which she could not afford. Her life was in jeopardy at this time. Web of Benefit realized that, before she could think of defining and pursuing her dream, she needed very specialized medical help. After six months, with her health greatly improved, she began working toward her dream of becoming a Medical Translator for Brazilian women who could not advocate for themselves due to the language barrier they faced. In the past 12 months, Elizabeth has taken multiple English classes, graduated from the Women to Women Program, and has become an American Citizen. She is well on her way to realizing her dream and plans to make her life's work helping other women in need. Web of Benefit is honored to have been able to assist this extraordinary woman in defining and accomplishing her dream.