When women overlook the violent histories of lawmakers, safety and progress are at risk. Healing and discernment are keys to protecting our rights and freedoms.
“Women, if the soul of the nation is to be saved, I believe that you must become its soul.”- Coretta Scott King
There is a hard lesson history keeps trying to teach us:
When women overlook the violent histories of the men who make our laws, we weaken the very safety we’ve fought to build.
Every generation of women inherits a mix of progress and pain — and each time we ignore the warning signs, we risk handing our daughters less freedom than we were given.
Freedom is not guaranteed; it must be guarded with clear eyes and healed hearts.
Many of us were taught to trust authority, to value appearances over accountability, and to call harm “strength.”
We were told to be forgiving before being discerning.
But healing asks for something different.
It asks us to look inward — not to blame ourselves, but to understand how unhealed wounds can cloud judgment.
The words of bold, beautiful, talented, and courageous Coretta Scott King continues to school us.
When we do not face our own pain, we sometimes project it outward — defending those who resemble our past, protecting what feels familiar, even when it harms us.
But true healing gives us sharper sight.
It allows us to see power clearly, to recognize danger in any disguise, and to say, “No more.”
We can change the pattern.
We can insist that leadership be rooted in empathy, integrity, and accountability — not intimidation.
We can honor our healing journeys by making decisions that protect rather than repeat harm.
Freedom begins with honesty.
Safety begins with self-awareness.
And progress begins when we choose to believe that we deserve better — in our homes, in our laws, and in our world.
Here in the West, we have a greater duty to heal so that we can use our power wisely.