- i didn't even know what the junior league was until last week, when my boss came in with the invitation to their "breakfast networking forum and panel discussion" and told me to go. and he laughed, because it was the junior league. so i looked into it.
- the junior league's tagline is "women building better communities." okay, that sounds all right. the junior league of chicago's website boasts that "over half of JLC members are employed and work outside the home." over half? oh, okay, i'm beginning to understand.
- the event started at 8:00 a.m. why? why??
- i realized on my way out the door of the apartment this morning that i only had two dollars in my wallet, which is not enough for a roundtrip on the El. i run back upstairs and ask BoyCat if he has any money - he says no. so between the two of us, we have a grand total of two dollars in cash. i realize that i am really not the type of person that should be attending this event.
- to be fair, i was actually surprised at the racial diversity in the room, given my narrow (and probably largely unfair) idea of the junior league. there were at least a dozen black women there, and at least one indian woman and one latina woman. i probably didn't pass that many non-white people on the street during one day in my old boston neighborhood.
- to be unfair, i spotted no less than three sets of pearls from my seat at the back of the room, in a crowd of about 50. i am positive there were more, but i didn't want to be caught staring.
- it's interesting how feminism works over the long term. on one hand, over 90% of all married women still adopt their husband's last name. on the other hand, it seems like many women are ambivalent enough about that tradition to try to find a middle ground, hence all of the dual-last-name women you see today (but to hyphenate or not to hypenate, that is the question). this morning, the two presenters who were from the junior league were both late-20s-to-early-30s, white, attractive women with three names - a first name and two last names. they were obviously well off (the diamonds on their fingers nearly blinded me on several occasions as they gesticulated), and possibly coming from a slice of society that looks down upon anything deemed "non-traditional." and yet, with the three names. interesting.
ok, that last thought was pretty long. so long that my lunch hour is now over.
for my next trick, i will now attempt to survive the next three hours of the workday without falling asleep at my desk, kicking a file cabinet, firebombing a copy machine, or stabbing anyone with a Bic pen. wish me luck.
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5 comments:
dude...I so loving going to meetings like that and doing a census of my fellow women of color. I'll have to add the pearl count. Althou, I do wear pearls on occasion. Sometimes my faux ones, sometimes the real ones the MIL brought back from China.
I went to a craft fair today sponsored by the Junior League. I wasn't too sure what they were all about. Not wanting any of my money to ultimately end up fighting abortions (which didn't end up being a problem because, well, I don't really need 10,000 plush snow men decorating my house), I asked my mom if she had any idea what they were all about. She suggested I step right up to the Welcome table and demand to know their politics. I chickened out.
OK. Next time you are invited to a Junior League event, I want you to call me ASAP so I can hop the nearest plane and come with you. I think it's my biggest fantasy. You'll have to tell me more...
As for the three names...I can see how it seems confusing, however my (also possible unfair) knee-jerk thought is that it's not so much that these ladies are being non-traditional or progressive or anything, but perhaps that they come from influential families themselves and don't want people to forget it. This would be a good way to tell who's old and who's new money; Jane Smith is a waitress from a trailer park who married well, whereas Jane Jones-Smith came from money AND married money.
I don't really understand how the Junior League got such a bad rap. Yes, there are stereotypes in the League, as there are with any other organization or group of individuals. Why do women have to be so darned catty? I joined the League so I could give back to my community, and do it in the company of like-minded women. Some of us work, some of us don't. Some of us are white, others are not. Some of us have children, some don't. Some are single, some are married. Before you denegrate the organization, you should take the time to find out about all the wonderful things your local League has done for your community. My league just gathered and wrapped gifts and hosted a party for 200 foster children who would otherwise not had Christmas. We also give out community assistance donations to other non-profits, among many other projects. The League is not political; most of the projects are geared toward improving the lives of less-privileged women and children, and training our members to become leaders in the community.
Best regards from NY!
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