Make no mistake – women have made history. They’ve invented machines, cured diseases, discovered scientific phenomena, summited mountains, built landmarks, fought battles, championed causes, saved lives, won elections, and flown aircrafts. Female-identified folk have achieved so much – more than I can ever hope to list here – but most of those achievements have gone without proper recognition.
Monuments to currency, postage stamps to national holidays, the faces, names, and legacies of women are woefully underrepresented, if not absent entirely. The world knows little of our greatness not because we aren’t great, but because recorded history doesn’t include much of that greatness in its dusty pages.
As Meryl Streep once remarked of the typical sixth grade history book, “only 7 out of 631 pages talk about women. Suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony does not rate even one single line!”
Blame it on the patriarchy, BUSTies. It’s easier to deny our value to society if there’s no proof, right!?!!?
But don’t get mad. Well, do get mad. I’m mad. But after you get mad, get even. Or, rather, get visible by putting women on the map. Literally.
Women on the Map, a feature hosted through Google’s Field Trip app, allows users to explore the world with geotagged stories denoting the accomplishments of women. For example, a stroll along the beautiful Lake Waban in Massachusetts would signal a brief blurb discussing how the lake comforted legendary poet Xie Bingxin while she was homesick in college nearby. Or maybe you’re in Hawaii, and instead, you read about Patsy Takemoto Mink near her high school, where, before becoming the first woman of color elected to Congress, she won election as the first female class president.
It goes without saying this app is dope, but it’s also *praise Beyonce* FREE for Android and iPhone. Even more impressive is how it came to fruition. The Spark Movement, a super-inspiring, “girl-fueled” intergenerational activist collective, has been working to develop Women on the Map since 2013. But even gals outside Spark can help expand the map and its reach. Anyone wanting to submit a story to the database can do so by penning a blurb themselves and emailing it, along with a photo and location, to dana@SPARKsummit.com. There are 100 stories logged already, but why not shoot for thousands?
Get out there and leave your mark, BUSTies.
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