“In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being ‘disturbers of the peace’ and ‘outside agitators.’ But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were ‘a colony of heaven,’ called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment... By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests.”


      Martin Luther King, Jr.

             Letter from

             Birmingham Jail

AMERICAN FEMINISM

The 2018 Persyn of the Year: Donald Trump

Obviously, our selection surprised even us.  Here are seven reasons why we made it...

3. He’s a facilitator of Tolerance and Diversity

It’s hard to forget Trump’s inaugural Prayer Service, which impressed everyone with its multicultural warmth.  (Embracing other faiths is the essence of feminism.)  Like we said before... who knew?  #Tolerance

Harnessing the power of womyn to help heal the world

Does the president have his faults?  Sure.  And they get plenty of attention.  So it was only fair, we thought, to listen to our colleagues who were saying there’s another side.  And what they shared with us (highlighted in the seven factors, listed above) convinced us.  So, on behalf of the American feminist community, we tip our hats to the 45th president of the U.S... and the 2018 Persyn of the Year.

ORIGINS

Who was the proto feminist?

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www.AmericanFeminism.org

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A First Wave, “mainstream,” or “equity” feminist wants for women what she wants for everyone: fair treatment, without discrimination.

    - Christina Hoff Sommers

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7. He’s a defender of the persecuted and voiceless

“ISIS is clearly responsible for genocide against Yezidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims in areas it controls or has controlled... No one should have to live in fear, worship in secret, or face discrimination because of his or her beliefs.”


As President Trump has said, we look forward to a day when, quote, ‘people of all faiths, Christians and Muslims and Jewish and Hindu, can follow their hearts and worship according to their conscience,’ end quote.”

                                                                               

6. He’s a champion of Hispanic-Americans

Trump policies have driven the Hispanic unemployment rate to the lowest rate ever recorded by the Dept. of Labor: 4.5%. Perhaps Hispanics sensed this might happen, and that’s why 28% of Latino voters went for Trump in the 2016 Election.  In the words of one Hispanic commentator: “the Hispanics I know want good jobs, not government handouts. That's exactly what we're getting from President Donald Trump.”  

“I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States… to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also… fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.”


Abraham Lincoln

  Thanksgiving Proclamation

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Christians are “the most persecuted” religious group in the world, in the words of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.  They’re killed, dispossessed, and silenced in record numbers.  Many in the West turn a blind eye, due to widespread anti-Christian bigotry (and maybe because many targeted Christian groups are dark-skinned?).  Not Trump.  He raises his voice and fights for them.  Admirable.  His State Dept. determined that in Iraq and Syria, ISIS is “clearly responsible for genocide” against Christians. 

Under Trump, in the summer of 2018, “the female unemployment rate reached its lowest level in 65 years”

KEY STATS

NEWS

1. He’s made history empowering womyn as leaders

Trump appointed the first female CIA Director, Gina Haspel.  He empowered the first woman (Kellyanne Conway) to ever run a successful presidential campaign.  His first UN ambassador was a woman.  His Secretary of Education is a woman.  And his second Supreme Court pick, Brett Kavanaugh, is being hailed for his trailblazing pro-woman move: all four of his clerks are womyn (a Supreme Court first).  #FemaleFirsts

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4. He’s made LGBTQ history

Despite opposition (we were surprised to read that most senate Democrats voted against Grenell. . . yikes. . . we’re Democrats), Trump never flagged in his commitment to appoint the first gay U.S. Ambassador to Germany, a diplomatic post which surely ranks as one of the most important in the world.  What really struck us was that Vice President Pence made sure to acknowledge Ambassador Grenell’s partner during the swearing in.  Gutsy in his practice of tolerance, Pence showed that humanism and love have a place in politics, too.  #LoveConquersHate

5. He’s a pro-immigrant pioneer 

Trump is the first President to bring a First Lady to the White House who is actually an immigrant herself.  Surprising fact: Melania is the first First Lady with a foreign accent.  Seems Trump goes way beyond mere talk about loving immigrants: he practices it.  And, as a result, many now consider him an immigration pioneer. 

And for her part, Melania has seized the opportunity, launching a love pilgrimage.  #FirstImmigrantFirstLady

   

SOURCES

OF STRENGTH

Leaders who showed us how to effect change, and where our equality comes from...

CONGRATULATIONS

Sergeant Major

John Canley

Medal of Honor recipient

Trump made Elaine Chao the first immigrant ever to become Secretary of Transportation.  Secretary Chao is also the first ever Asian-America woman to hold the post.  “An immigrant who arrived in America at the age of eight speaking no English, she received her citizenship at the age of 19” (from Whitehouse.gov).

Secretary Chao and Trump are targeting sex trafficking.  Above, Trump signs the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act.

American Feminism, like most feminism, is grounded in the bravery and world-shaking strength of that first feminist, Mary. Since then, women have engaged in heroic struggles for equality worldwide, drawing on her inspiration, and collectively encoding in our cultural DNA the idea that female freedom and dignity are intrinsically enhanced by (and often reciprocal with) Christian faith and doctrine.  Since then, a who’s who of intellectual rockstars have added to the momentum, including:


  1. • Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who told the NY state legislature “We ask no better laws than those you have made for yourselves.  We need no other protection than that which your present laws secure to you.”

  2. • Mother Teresa, champion of love, who directed it at women as well as men, while proving that power can lurk behind what some view as meekness. 

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”


       T. Jefferson (and others)

              Declaration of

              Independence


https://www.c-span.org/video/?422134-1/president-vice-president-attend-national-prayer-service
FEMINISM

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2. He cares about the African-American cause

African-Americans are the beating heart of this country.  And Trump appreciates that fact. 


Here he is after Harvey, reaching out to victims of the storm (and embodying the feminist ideal of radical love) in a way that apparently touched the hearts of many.  Who knew he had this side?  We didn’t.  #LoveWins

Even critics say he “seizes every opportunity” to honor African-Americans (including again recently, at an October 2018 Medal of Honor ceremony).  #MedalOfHonor

And then there are the numbers, which do not lie... and which truly show where Trump’s heart is.

“The rate of job growth per month for blacks under Trump has so far been 40 percent higher than the monthly average under ‎Obama.”  In fact, under Obama, “from 2009 to 2015, the incomes of black Americans fell by more than $900 per family adjusted for inflation.”

Empowering African-Americans: Trump honored inner-city black civic leaders by inviting them to the table for the first time, and these leaders pulled no punches in explaining how much it meant to them.  Because of a sad and latent racism that seems to plague Big Media, this round-table was not widely covered.  (Perhaps because it featured too many self-assured African-Americans?)  Anyway, we found this footage on the WhiteHouse youtube site.  (Curiously, we’ve noticed that most of Trump’s humane/humanist achievements are not given much attention).

   From the Chicago Tribune:

Under Trump, Black unemployment fell to 5.9% in May 2018—the lowest level ever recorded

“Women are winning in the Trump economy”

    - Real Clear Politics

AMERICAN

Trump meeting with womyn small business owners