It is not every day that we see women rise above the glass ceiling in a male-dominated business in an up close and personal manner. We see it on the news of all the upcoming female politicians or female figures becoming CEOs of established companies.
As a woman of this generation, I know that young women around my age grew up wanted to be Oprah Winfrey or Hilary Clinton and make ground-breaking waves in the feminine agenda. I never really thought about how women could really make an impact on the glass ceiling until this week when my sister made a major breakthrough in an energy company case in Delaware court.
I won't pretend to know exactly the intricacies of what she was working on (way above my level of understanding). This energy company filed for bankruptcy and the firm that she works with is supposed to help find another company to take the debt. Many deals had fallen through over the years, but after several (I'm thinking more like seven but don't quote me on that) years, her team finally made an agreeable deal.
When she sent us this email detailing everything that she has done for her team and for this case, it made me so proud to be her younger sister. Growing up, she was the one who would be the most outspoken and passionate about different ideas. We would watch "Law & Order" reruns (I don't think I ever got the remote until she left for college) where she would avidly watch Jack McCoy litigate on TV.
And now, she broke through and achieved a dream that very few women in the legal profession have done. Pioneering on the front end of a not-so-very diverse team, my Asian-American sister fought for every woman who works in a profession that is overwrought with white men. But the funniest part was, she did not even know that she was doing it. To her, she was simply doing the job that she was paid to do.
I will not pretend that I am an outspoken feminist because I am not. I believe and support the feminist cause because I want people to see us as equals. The reality of the situation is that we are very far away from achieving that goal. In a time where it seems like privileged men have the rule of the land, it is time for action. To many women, that means bearing a sign and standing up in a rally to fight for our rights. But showing a united front does not change the tides of the male perspective. Action does.
I look at my sister and my mother every day as examples of women who stand up in the face of male-dominated society. My mother, who is a little lady with a big voice, advocates for those who cannot do it for themselves.
Dedicated to helping war veterans, the elderly, and truly needy women, she will never turn away from an unjust situation and will always find a solution for them. My sister, taking after our mother, finds ways to advocate for the women in the legal profession by being a beacon to those around her. I am very blessed to have grown up in a family where my opinions are celebrated regardless of my gender.
It does not matter that we, as women, speak out as a million voices. Anyone can raise a hand against the unseen injustice against our kind. But doing the small things, like leading a court case or standing up to your peers, because it is the right thing to do makes much more of a difference to the feminist movement. The time is over for speeches and it is beginning on being proactive in our own communities.