Madeline Albright’s article, My Undiplomatic Moment, gave me a moment of pause. The feminist revolution, like any battle, was not always pretty but it always took courage. Challenging the status quo is not for the faint of heart. Pioneers pave the way for the next generation to inherit the benefits without the sacrifice. In the domestic violence movement there was a time when we did not have emergency shelters, hotlines and all of the many comprehensive services that we routinely provide today. There weren’t laws requiring mandatory arrests and applications for restraining orders. Domestic violence was not even a common place term. As Gloria Steinem once reminded me, “Before the women’s rights movement, domestic violence was called life”. To all of those glorious people who have spent their lives protecting the marginalized, given a voice to the silent and abused, I want to say thank you. Thank you for the lives that your words have saved. And one more thing, Ms. Albright, you have earned the right for an undiplomatic moment.

Phyllis Adams, MSW, MA, DVS
Executive Director, Women Aware