Where were the white women?

At the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, we saw exhibits about various humans’ rights issues all over the world. On a wall with pictures of people who have recently been convicted of human rights violations, one picture caught my eye. It was a photo of Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, who was involved in the Rwandan genocide. I'd never heard of her in my life, but she was the only woman up on the wall. Suddenly, I realized that all the “bad guys" of the Civil Rights Movement that I'd learned about were just that: guys. Men were the police officers, store managers, and governors who abused their power.

That's not to say that there weren't plenty of white women who went along with or actively supported segregation and racism: there were. I'm fact, while the enforcers of sexism oppressed many white women; they seemed to have no problem with mistreating another group of people.

Clara Brill-Carlat, The Park School of Baltimore