Those Who Came Before Us

A week ago last Sunday there was an article in our Salt Lake Tribune by Kimberly Mangun entitled Clinton and Obama were not the first. She notes in the article that Hillary Clinton is not the first woman to run for president nor is Barack Obama the first African American to do so.

Their have been others before them who challenged racial and gender norms and helped pave the way for them. Over twenty years ago Reverend Jesse Jackson ran for president on the Democratic ticket.

Before Jackson, Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress, ran for president in 1972. Chisholm realized that even though she probably wouldn't win in the conventional sense, her candidacy would change the face and future of America.

One century before Chisholm in 1872 Victoria Woodhull who chose Frederick Douglass has her running mate was nominated for president by the Equal Rights Party. An interesting side note is that this was during the time of Reconstruction and only two years after the 15th Amendment was passed, so Douglass could vote but Woodhull couldn't.

All this is to remind us that although there is a good chance we might have the first woman or the first African American as the next president of the United States, there are other courageous individuals who came before them who helped to make this a reality.

For each of us there have been courageous pioneers who came before us to whom we owe a great depth of gratitude for paving the way for us to accomplish our dreams. May we do so for others.