Sallie Bingham

 
You are here: Home / Politics / Two Women in an Elevator

Two Women in an Elevator

 by  in Politics Leave a Comment

Two Women in an Elevator

@mgallagher822 and @AnaMariaArchil2

I only heard them mentioned once at first, on NPR. They were nameless then, but their effect may be enormous.

On the afternoon of the testimony that riveted all of us last week, two women were in a Capitol elevator when Senator Jeff Flake stepped in. He’s just announced that he would vote for Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court.

One of them screamed at him that by supporting Kavanaugh, he was ignoring the pain and the emotional damage she had suffered because of a sexual assault.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you!” she screamed.

Women have been taught not to scream lest we be discounted as "hysterical"... and so the strength of our voices, and of our fury, has been denigrated and eliminated from public discourse.

Yes, screamed.

All women have been taught not to scream lest we be discounted as “hysterical.” And so the strength of our voices, and of our fury, has been denigrated and eliminated from public discourse. You may be forgiven for screaming at your two year old but not at a U.S. Senator.

A few hours later, Flake reversed his position. Now he will wait to see the FBI report before deciding whether to support Kavanaugh. His vote may be the one needed to change what seemed to be a pre-determined outcome.

Of course there may be other deciding factors, but one thing is sure: two brave women in an elevator may have altered history.

Share
Tweet
Share
Buffer2
2 Shares

In Politics

A long and fruitful career as a writer began in 1960 with the publication of Sallie Bingham's novel, After Such Knowledge. This was followed by 15 collections of short stories in addition to novels, memoirs and plays, as well as the 2020 biography The Silver Swan: In Search of Doris Duke.

Her latest book, Taken by the Shawnee, is a work of historical fiction published by Turtle Point Press in June of 2024. Her previous memoir, Little Brother, was published by Sarabande Books in 2022. Her short story, "What I Learned From Fat Annie" won the Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize in 2023 and the story "How Daddy Lost His Ear," from her forthcoming short story collection Cowboy Tales, received second prize in the 2023 Sean O’Faolain Short Story Competition.

She is an active and involved feminist, working for women’s empowerment, who founded the Kentucky Foundation for Women, which gives grants to Kentucky artists and writers who are feminists, The Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture at Duke University, and the Women’s Project and Productions in New York City. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Sallie's complete biography is available here.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

You might also like

  • Black and white photo of Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin.
    The New McCarthyism
    As we struggle for balance in the maelstrom of public events, it may be helpful to remember that we have been through this before in the period seventy years ago called McCarthyism for its creator, Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin....
  • Photo of woman reading newspaper headline - They
    We Shall Overcome
    We have been through hard times, politically, often before, although many are probably too young to have witnessed Vietnam or the McCarthy period, when it also seemed as though Democracy was at stake. ...
  • Image of a robed figure threatening a mother and two children
    Beware the Bogeyman
    The bogeyman is a mythical creature, used to frighten children. It can take many forms. One form may be a loud, big, tumultuous man....
  • Photo of Amy Biehl
    Truth and Reconciliation
    So how do we move forward?...
 

Subscribe

 
Menu