Rants, Ramblings, and Random Nonsense

Welcome to Sheba's thoughts! If that doesn't frighten you away, you are brave indeed. Try not to get lost in here. ;)

[sheladyluna]

Very different sound from their previous albums, but I likey so far! :)

[coolchicksfromhistory]

Amelia Earhart prior to Last Takeoff, 1937.  

[stuffmomnevertoldyou]

Today in 1963, a bomb ripped through the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Four young girls were killed: 14-year-old  Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley and Carole Robertson and 11-year-old Denise McNair.

The bombing was the third in 11 days, in the wake of a federal court order mandating the desegregation of the state’s schools.

[todayinhistory]

September 3rd 1838: Douglass escapes

On this day in 1838, famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery in Maryland. Douglass was born into slavery, and when he was around twelve years old was taught the alphabet by the wife of his plantation owner. The young Douglass was soon able to read and write fluently, but had to keep his literacy a secret as slaveholders decided that an educated slave was dangerous. When it was discovered that he was teaching other slaves to read, Douglass was sent to a ‘slave breaker’, who frequently and brutally whipped him for alleged ‘insubordination’. Douglass’s education, and his experience of the horrors of enslavement, refined his critique of the institution of slavery. Douglass successfully escaped from his enslavement in September 1838, using the papers of a free sailor to board a train headed North, eventually arriving in the New York safe house of abolitionist David Ruggles. Douglass went on to become a prominent abolitionist, famous for his eloquent oratory and his intelligence, which disproved slaveholders’ claims that slaves were not intelligent enough to be free. He published multiple narratives of his life in slavery, which drew attention to the injustice of slavery in the Southern states, and campaigned for civil rights issues in the antebellum era. Douglass continued the fight for equal rights after the Civil War and emancipation, advocating the enfranchisement of African-Americans and women. In 1872, the radical Equal Rights Party nominated him for Vice-President - with feminist activist Victoria Woodhull for President - making him the first African-American nominated for the office. Frederick Douglass died in 1895, aged seventy-seven.

“On Monday, the third day of September, 1838, in accordance with my resolution, I bade farewell to the city of Baltimore, and to that slavery which had been my abhorrence from childhood.” - from ’Life and Times of Frederick Douglass’, 1881

[todaysdocument]

Women’s Equality Day

Established in 1971 by Representative Bella Abzug (NY) through a Joint Resolution of Congress, Women’s Equality Day is observed on August 26 to commemorate the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which granted women the right to vote in 1920.

Achieving this milestone required a lengthy and difficult struggle; victory took decades of agitation and protest. Beginning in the mid-19th century, several generations of woman suffrage supporters lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change of the Constitution. Few early supporters lived to see final victory in 1920.

Find more photos of early suffragists in the National Archives Catalog.

Read more about the struggles of early suffragists at Prologue: Pieces of History

[thedisneyprincess]

[stuffmomnevertoldyou]

An appeals court has ruled that sprinter Dutee Chand, previously barred from international women’s competitions because of her high testosterone levels, must be allowed to race. 

[stuffmomnevertoldyou]

S(hero): Virginia Apgar

Our friends from missedinhistory dedicated an episode to Dr. Virginia Apgar, who broke new ground in the fields of obstetrics and anesthesiology in the mid-20th century. When babies are born today, one of the tools doctors use to measure whether they’re thriving on their own is the Apgar score. Tune in to learn more!

[geekychristian]

…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭11-13‬ NIV)

[mikedonehey]

I am the chief among sinners. I’ve stolen. I’ve lied. I’ve cheated. I’ve committed adultery in my heart and murdered in my mind. I am a disgrace, a convict in need of pardon, an orphan in need of a Father.

And yet, Christ saw me, loved me, and gave Himself for me. He lived the life I could never...

[think-progress]

52 years today the Equal Pay Act of 1963 was signed. This is where it is today.

[stuffmomnevertoldyou]

Why do girls like princesses? 

“But in another study I found looking at the more generic appeal of princesses, it also identified the social power inherent in the princess role as being part of her charm. When little girls get to play princess, it’s basically the kid version of getting to play boss.”

[sheladyluna]

[stuffmomnevertoldyou]

15 Rare Photos of Black Rosie the Riveters

During World War II, 600,000 African-American women entered the wartime workforce. Previously, black women’s work in the United States was largely limited to domestic service and agricultural work, and wartime industries meant new and better-paying opportunities – if they made it through the hiring process, that is. White women were the targets of the U.S. government’s propaganda efforts, as embodied in the lasting and lauded image of Rosie the Riveter.

Though largely ignored in America’s popular history of World War II, black women’s important contributions in World War II factories, which weren’t always so welcoming, are stunningly captured in these comparably rare snapshots of black Rosie the Riveters.

[stuffmomnevertoldyou]

#DiversitfyAgentCarter

[stuffmomnevertoldyou]

The Price of Nice Nails

Once an indulgence reserved for special occasions, manicures have become a grooming staple for women across the economic spectrum. There are now more than 17,000 nail salons in the United States, according to census data. The number of salons in New York City alone has more than tripled over a decade and a half to nearly 2,000 in 2012.

But largely overlooked is the rampant exploitation of those who toil in the industry. The New York Times interviewed more than 150 nail salon workers and owners, in four languages, and found that a vast majority of workers are paid below minimum wage; sometimes they are not even paid. Workers endure all manner of humiliation, including having their tips docked as punishment for minor transgressions, constant video monitoring by owners, even physical abuse. Employers are rarely punished for labor and other violations…

READ THIS BEFORE YOUR NEXT MANICURE. NO REALLY.

[sheladyluna]

[historical-nonfiction]

The First Pilot

In 1936, Sarla Thakral became the first Indian woman to earn a pilot license. She was 21 years old.