Event

Left on Pearl at the Rialto

In 1971 classified ads for employment were still segregated by gender, battered women's shelters did not exist, abortion was illegal, and married women couldnt open a bank account without their husbands permission. LEFT ON PEARL is about the movement that changed all that.

I chose this film because it taught me a piece of my own history that I
didn't know about. I was aware of the feminist movement in America in
the 1970s. In my own public-school education, however, the feminist
movement was always overshadowed by competing social justice movements
of the 70s: civil rights, Vietnam, and the environmental movement. To
hear that women in Boston were fighting for equal pay back in the 70s,
and it is still a discrepancy that exists in our country was pretty
disheartening. But this film explored one occupation during the feminist
movement from a very positive perspective. While I beat my head against
the wall hearing about the blatantly misogynist actions of the Alabama
state senate, I can turn to this film to remind me that while the fight
is never over, it is important to celebrate the wins. Even if they are
small wins. Because that win can inspire another group of women in
another decade or country to raise their voices and demand equity. While
it sometimes feels like our government's decisions are taking us back
into the "dark ages," I turn to Left on Pearl as a reminder that social
change is not one event, it doesn't happen overnight, and it almost
never leads to perfect solutions. It is a process. And we have to engage
in that process however uncomfortable or seemingly disorganized it may
feel in order to be heard. Amy Peterson