I am blogging for Fair Pay for Women all over the world today! I am proud to blog as a a woman who has Ojibway Native American heritage. I am also proud to blog coming from my working class Detroit roots. With family ties to the auto industry and the phone company. Being raised working class is a blessing. Overall, at a young age my parents taught me to value the Earth, relationships, community and the most powerful force in the Universe which is love.
As I blog for Fair Pay for Women today I am offering a story about my frustrations with jobs, equal opportunity employment and equal pay. I am offering this story as a give away. Meaning that I feel this aspect of my life is transforming and I was going through these employment woes and frustrations for a divine reason. It is important to understand the larger scheme of things in my life such as unfinished business with my family and healing the generational traumas within us all. This is important to understand as in healing I had removed many blocks and barriers.
I was 24 years old when I finished graduate school. I had done something in my immediate family that no one had done prior. My parents did not attend college because of their lack on confidence in doing so. My parents have done their best under the constraints that society had weighed on them. The working class family is often filled with much guilt and shame. My Mother had worked various jobs such as working at McDonalds, a lunch room monitor, babysitter and office jobs. My Father has worked for the phone company since he was 16 years old. He is the "Native" guy on the job who is a people person that everyone likes. My Mother would attend PTA meetings when I attended elementary school and felt ashamed of what she did or what my Dad did. I have spoken with her about this recently and she just felt shameful for not being a teacher or working at a major corporation like some of the other parents in PTA. Not to mention she thought our family life was not perfect because of how difficult it was at the time. There was a lot of factors at play here with jobs and their feelings around pursuing something other than what they did in life.
My parents are fantastic people. I love them dearly. They guided me to go to college and earn a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Wayne State University in Detroit. Also, achieving a Master of Arts in Environmental Leadership from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. It was never easy during college. I was a cross country and track athlete for my first two years in college. Because of burn out, depression and an eating disorder I fell to the wayside and off the athletic roster. I battled the viscous cycle of self hate and abuse that was my eating disorder from 2002-2007. Additionally, I was helping my family heal at this time from the generational traumas that were in us all. So, achieving these degrees pushing full throttle in 6 1/2 years was quite the accomplishment. On top of healing myself and seeing my family heal it was amazing time.
During this time my woes around employment seemed to reflect my inner and outer frustrations, barriers and hardships in my life. It was never getting any better. In undergraduate school I worked the jobs that I did whether it was a barista at a cafe or a cashier at health food store. My wages were anywhere between $7.00-$8.50 per hour. I reflected on this years later acknowledging that I had a lack of confidence around seeing if I could do an internship or two while in undergraduate school. I always felt that I was to work low wage jobs and that was how life was going to be for me. Some part time jobs I had during this time never gave me enough hours and I was literally forced to quit or find another job.
In graduate school things shifted a bit. I noticed how I felt disempowered, unworthy and overall lacked confidence in life. I began to commit to breaking down these walls in my life. During my time in graduate school I was working two jobs at times. My wages were up and were just enough to get by. Also, I finally did a few internships with local a a city government and local environmental organization. After my internship with the city government I felt proud. During my last several months in graduate school I worked on job at a local non-profit assisting a President.
I left Colorado to move back to Michigan because my eating disorder had placed me in a very dark and shaky place. It was time to address these issues within myself on a deeper level and do the work needed to fully heal. Since I have finished graduate school I have worked hard to heal on various levels. It has been nearly two years since I left Colorado and I have dramatically changed and gratefully healed. It was like I had lifted this incredible darkness and weight that had been with me since I was child. I healed deep rooted depression, feelings of guilt, shame, lack, abuse, self hate, poverty consciousness and a broken heart. The reason I mention this is because my employment woes were yet again reflective of my inner and outer life.
Since finishing graduate school I have worked at a place where I worked when I was 17, nannied, worked at a non-profit where the lady would make rude comments about the working/middle class people, worked on an organic farm (where I was sexually harassed) and worked three temp jobs. My pay range has been anywhere between $8.50-$15.00 per hour. I believe there is a perfect and divine order to everything in life. That I am exactly where I am supposed to be at any given time. But, this process has seemed rediculous to find a job!
Friends and family find out what I have been making and say, "you have a Master's degree, you should be making at least 40K!" I should but the story with my employment woes gets more and more frustrating. Over the past two years I have applied for over 600 jobs. It is probably more than that because there were times I stopped keeping track because of how depressing it was. I have been on roughly 60-70 interviews whether in person or on the phone. I have applied for anything from a cashier, barista, administrative assistant and other entry to mid level positions. In interviews I have been told I am overqualified, underqualified or that I will get bored on the job. In one interview the people looked at my resume and saw that I have a Master's degree. They asked, "who's paying for your education, you or your parents?" I was shocked as this was none of their business!
Through all of this I am finding out that the world has not changed. Through the walls put up in front of me, barriers, frustrations and disappointments I have become involved in Think Girl and started this blog. I am realizing more and more that what I truly want to do in the world is something that I may have to create or that I am creating right now. I may have to be the pioneer womyn creating a new organization in this world.
As I blog for Fair Pay for Women today I am offering a story about my frustrations with jobs, equal opportunity employment and equal pay. I am offering this story as a give away. Meaning that I feel this aspect of my life is transforming and I was going through these employment woes and frustrations for a divine reason. It is important to understand the larger scheme of things in my life such as unfinished business with my family and healing the generational traumas within us all. This is important to understand as in healing I had removed many blocks and barriers.
I was 24 years old when I finished graduate school. I had done something in my immediate family that no one had done prior. My parents did not attend college because of their lack on confidence in doing so. My parents have done their best under the constraints that society had weighed on them. The working class family is often filled with much guilt and shame. My Mother had worked various jobs such as working at McDonalds, a lunch room monitor, babysitter and office jobs. My Father has worked for the phone company since he was 16 years old. He is the "Native" guy on the job who is a people person that everyone likes. My Mother would attend PTA meetings when I attended elementary school and felt ashamed of what she did or what my Dad did. I have spoken with her about this recently and she just felt shameful for not being a teacher or working at a major corporation like some of the other parents in PTA. Not to mention she thought our family life was not perfect because of how difficult it was at the time. There was a lot of factors at play here with jobs and their feelings around pursuing something other than what they did in life.
My parents are fantastic people. I love them dearly. They guided me to go to college and earn a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Wayne State University in Detroit. Also, achieving a Master of Arts in Environmental Leadership from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. It was never easy during college. I was a cross country and track athlete for my first two years in college. Because of burn out, depression and an eating disorder I fell to the wayside and off the athletic roster. I battled the viscous cycle of self hate and abuse that was my eating disorder from 2002-2007. Additionally, I was helping my family heal at this time from the generational traumas that were in us all. So, achieving these degrees pushing full throttle in 6 1/2 years was quite the accomplishment. On top of healing myself and seeing my family heal it was amazing time.
During this time my woes around employment seemed to reflect my inner and outer frustrations, barriers and hardships in my life. It was never getting any better. In undergraduate school I worked the jobs that I did whether it was a barista at a cafe or a cashier at health food store. My wages were anywhere between $7.00-$8.50 per hour. I reflected on this years later acknowledging that I had a lack of confidence around seeing if I could do an internship or two while in undergraduate school. I always felt that I was to work low wage jobs and that was how life was going to be for me. Some part time jobs I had during this time never gave me enough hours and I was literally forced to quit or find another job.
In graduate school things shifted a bit. I noticed how I felt disempowered, unworthy and overall lacked confidence in life. I began to commit to breaking down these walls in my life. During my time in graduate school I was working two jobs at times. My wages were up and were just enough to get by. Also, I finally did a few internships with local a a city government and local environmental organization. After my internship with the city government I felt proud. During my last several months in graduate school I worked on job at a local non-profit assisting a President.
I left Colorado to move back to Michigan because my eating disorder had placed me in a very dark and shaky place. It was time to address these issues within myself on a deeper level and do the work needed to fully heal. Since I have finished graduate school I have worked hard to heal on various levels. It has been nearly two years since I left Colorado and I have dramatically changed and gratefully healed. It was like I had lifted this incredible darkness and weight that had been with me since I was child. I healed deep rooted depression, feelings of guilt, shame, lack, abuse, self hate, poverty consciousness and a broken heart. The reason I mention this is because my employment woes were yet again reflective of my inner and outer life.
Since finishing graduate school I have worked at a place where I worked when I was 17, nannied, worked at a non-profit where the lady would make rude comments about the working/middle class people, worked on an organic farm (where I was sexually harassed) and worked three temp jobs. My pay range has been anywhere between $8.50-$15.00 per hour. I believe there is a perfect and divine order to everything in life. That I am exactly where I am supposed to be at any given time. But, this process has seemed rediculous to find a job!
Friends and family find out what I have been making and say, "you have a Master's degree, you should be making at least 40K!" I should but the story with my employment woes gets more and more frustrating. Over the past two years I have applied for over 600 jobs. It is probably more than that because there were times I stopped keeping track because of how depressing it was. I have been on roughly 60-70 interviews whether in person or on the phone. I have applied for anything from a cashier, barista, administrative assistant and other entry to mid level positions. In interviews I have been told I am overqualified, underqualified or that I will get bored on the job. In one interview the people looked at my resume and saw that I have a Master's degree. They asked, "who's paying for your education, you or your parents?" I was shocked as this was none of their business!
Through all of this I am finding out that the world has not changed. Through the walls put up in front of me, barriers, frustrations and disappointments I have become involved in Think Girl and started this blog. I am realizing more and more that what I truly want to do in the world is something that I may have to create or that I am creating right now. I may have to be the pioneer womyn creating a new organization in this world.
I have the perfect set of tools whether from my community I was raised in, family, friends, education, spiritual gifts, and knowledge around fair pay I continue on. Why does it fell like I have been brushed aside, unseen, not fully acknowledged or respected for who I am? Why am I working a temp job right now that has nothing to do with my talents, skills, abilities and hard earned education? This is why I blog today! This is why I have shared my story with you today! Because fair pay and equal opportunity employment is something not fully actualized by society. Society is still stuck in time and stuck in a rut on how women are respected and treated. It does not even matter what I have made to the mans dollar because it seems like the outer world has again and again disregarded me as a powerful, wise, hard working and well educated woman.
This is why I will break down the barriers starting with myself, my family and the communities I live in. So I can impact the world by positively changing the consciousness out there! My vision, hope, prayer and mantra for all women worldwide is to heal, be empowered, let go of guilt, shame, and powerlessness. I see all of us stepping into our power as Daughters, Mothers, Grandmothers, Teachers, Healers, Priestesses, Medicine Womyn and Goddesses. Where we offer our sacred wisdom and knowledge that can collectively shift this rusted old consciousness into an enlightened one that honors and respects all women globally!
Feministing has an excellent post with information on equal pay and taking action on this day!
I leave you with this on the Blog for Fair Pay for Women...
I leave you with this on the Blog for Fair Pay for Women...
By the power of my consciousness I will break through and move through the parameters that were set up by previous generations.
4 voices speak:
I understand about working low-wage jobs in undergrad because you don't think you can do better... It's a long struggle but hopefully I can leave the world a little better than when I came in it. Part of that is working for Fair Pay!
Thanks for your response Lindsay! It is true, you really feel like you can't do better. It is a long struggle, lifelong, but lets hope our efforts leave this world a little better than it was when we came in!
I stumbled upon your blog today and wanted to say thank you. What a powerful story... thanks for sharing.
Good luck, and blessed journey!
Alyss - Glad you found your way over here and that you also enjoyed reading this. Inawendiwin!
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