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Dear John,
This Sunday, May 12, is Mother’s Day in many parts of the world. You may know the quote, “Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.” Today, we want to honor a woman and mother who embodies Equality Now’s mission and is raising the next generation of feminists.
Lindsay Denton, a mother of three, has financially supported Equality Now since 2021. Our mission appealed to her passion for women’s and girls’ representation and empowerment as well as gender equality both locally and abroad.
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“It’s important that the charities I support work closely with the communities they are trying to help, use funds efficiently, and have a proven record of making meaningful and measurable change. I was impressed by Equality Now’s global scale, efficacy, and commitment to making the world better for women and girls.”
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Marie Grantham Photography
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As a child, Lindsay was sometimes treated differently from the boys around her. Though she found this unfair, she didn’t feel she could express when she wanted something that appeared off-limits or for boys only. Today’s generation, particularly its idealism, brings her hope. She does her best to model advocacy for her children and teach them about feminism and social justice issues.
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Through Advocacy:
“One way I’ve tried to model advocacy is by working with my daughter’s school to change their dress code procedures. My daughter was dress-coded earlier this year because her dress wasn’t long enough, and for the whole day, she had to wear a long pair of bright orange shorts with “dress code” written on them in large letters.
She was in tears when she came home and told me how embarrassed she felt. It has taken a lot of persistence, but we are on track to implement new policies next year that do not involve publicly shaming children as punishment. I hope my daughter sees both that I am willing to advocate for her and that it is possible to kindly but firmly advocate for change.”
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Through Teaching:
“My children are fairly young (7, 9, and 12), but I’ve found that most difficult issues can be explained in a basic and age-appropriate way. Sometimes I have intentional conversations with them, but most of our conversations about feminism and social justice issues come up organically or from questions they ask.
Teaching opportunities can be as simple as pausing a movie or show to point something out. We watched ‘Hidden Figures’ as a family during Black History Month, and we took brief breaks throughout to give context, point out the racism and sexism, and explain that the racial language in the film is outdated and inappropriate for us to use today.”
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Mothering takes many different forms, from raising your own children to being a guiding figure in the lives of other children in your family, friendship groups, or community. Ahead of Mother’s Day, we want to thank Lindsay, mothers, and mentors everywhere for inspiring and contributing to a stronger, wiser, and more empathetic future generation. In Lindsay’s words, “We all do our part to make the world a better, more equitable place.”
However, balancing competing roles and expectations can be challenging for women and mothers, giving rise to complicated feelings and a sense that we’re never enough. Lindsay’s experience as a mother extends beyond what we’ve shared here, and we feel it’s important to acknowledge that, especially for those of you who may relate. You can read her story in her own words here.
From everyone at Equality Now, we hope you have a happy Mother’s Day. Thank you again for all that you do. |
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Sincerely,
S. Mona Sinha
Global Executive Director
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