Aunt Millie

Aunt Millie joined the National Women’s Party in 1916 and became one of the “Sentinels of Liberty” at the White House. The very next year she was arrested and served jail time. In 1919 she stood guard at the “Watchfire for Freedom” and by 1920, along with thousands of other women, she celebrated the victory of being able to vote. But that wasn’t enough for Aunt Millie; she decided that she would run for office some day. In 1928 the door of opportunity opened. She campaigned tirelessly from state-to-state. The press followed her every move. She was “cold and calculating” they reported. When she shed a tear, the press turned and said she was emotional and she could not run a country on emotion. Whenever she stood on the platform to campaign, men tore her appearance and her message apart. She realized she would never be elected as long as the silent machine was in operation behind the scenes. However, she would not relent. She stood on the stage for her last debate with Hoover and was as brilliant as ever. Hoover started with his tired “there will be a chicken in every pot” speech when she cut in. “That’s what America wants a chicken in every pot as long as there is a woman tied to the kitchen cooking that chicken.” I know that I will never, ever see a woman president in my lifetime, but someday, yes I say someday. Poor Aunt Millie’s predictions were true, but before she died she told me she thought I might get to live in a country with a woman as president. She’s right…if I move to Liberia!