I remember when I was in college watching a panel on civil rights, and one of the speakers was a feminist activist.

It's been over 12 years since that day, so I don't remember much from the event, but I do remember one thing that the feminist activist said.

She said that she wouldn't be satisfied until the day that a woman was standing on a platform at the U.S. Capitol, getting sworn in as

president, by a woman who is the chief justice of the Supreme Court. That was her dream. I remember

that the audience cheered when she said this. Her comment has always stuck with me. Ever since then,

I've thought to myself, what would that moment be like? When would

it happen? Who would it be? I also found myself asking, is that a fair way to measure progress or

fairness or gender equality in our country? Does our country need to have a woman president and a woman

chief justice? I think I understand why she said this.

Firsts are a big deal.

Everyone remembers the first person to do something.

It's kind of like a way to mark time.

When someone achieves something that hasn't been done before,

it's seen as a milestone attained by society on the path to progress. We remember

George Washington as the first president, or Neil Armstrong is the first man to walk on the moon.

There's something about being first that resonates with our human spirit, our desire to achieve a

goal, or realize our highest ideals. Those who look forward to the day when we have our first

woman president, I believe, are driven by an ideal, the ideal of equality regardless of gender.

To them, it would be the fulfillment of a long struggle against centuries of sexism.

For a woman to attain the highest office in the land, they believe, would show, if not the elimination of sexism. For a woman to attain the highest office in the land, they believe,

would show, if not the elimination of sexism, at least a big step towards achieving the promise

of equality for all. Like most firsts, they believe that it would be a profound symbol of progress.

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