America's social reformer by Victoria

America's social reformer by Victoria - February 2016 Scholarship Essay

I would like to invite to dinner, a historical woman whose work had a tremendous positive impact on the lives of many young women today, including my close friends and I; Margaret Sanger. I admire her activism for women’s reproductive rights, yet there are those who like to paint her story in a negative light. I personally would like to have dinner with her so that I could hear the final words from Margaret herself.

First, I would start the conversation by letting her know that I, and many of my friends, appreciate for fighting the initial fight to give women access to birth control, and information about it. I think she would like to hear about the positive impact Planned Parenthood has had for so many women in America.

Then, I would go on to ask her about the accusations of her being a racist. Although she was praised by Martin Luther King Jr. and her clinic in Harlem was supported by W.E. B. DuBois, she is also known to have given a lecture to an auxiliary Ku Klux Klan women’s group. I want to know what her intentions were. Were they just another group she agreed to lecture because she believed all women would benefit from this information? Or did she sympathize with their ideals in any way? And has any of her personal politics changed over time?

Lastly, I would like to discuss with her about the state of women’s access to reproductive health care today. Considering she had accomplished so much for women’s rights, she seems like she would have the wise insight on how to address the ongoing issues affecting American women today.

This conversation would likely end up covering many extensive topics that couldn’t be discussed over one simple meal. Nonetheless, I think it would be beneficial to get to know a great woman who did so much for other women in the past and present, and to have her explain her morals in her own words, instead of speculating after her death.