No
One Left Behind
By
Annabelle Carr
Deep Magazine
March/April 2004 When
the position became available at the Center for Women, I actively
lobbied for it," recalls Jennet Alterman. "I had
learned from experience in the Peace Corps that the only way
to bring about positive sustainable success for individuals
is to do it at the grassroots, village level and to start
by educating people. That’s what the Center does: we’re
dedicated to helping individual women find success in their
lives." It’s
a commitment that Alterman has maintained throughout her life,
from her pioneering college experience to the Peace Corps
to the South Carolina political machine. Today, she looks
back on the lessons of her success and the path that brought
her home. Jennet
Robinson Alterman, Director of Charleston’s groundbreaking
Center for Women, explains why her success is in the accomplishments
of others. Open
Your Eyes
" I’m a typical Southerner," says Alterman. "I grew up here
in Charleston and with Southern expectations for what women can and can’t
do, but I’d never faced direct gender discrimination. Then, while I was
away at an all girls’ college, I was given an opportunity to attend a [prestigious,
Southern] men’s college for one year." It
was a year that forged the direction of Alterman’s life. "This
was back in the early 70s when many single-sex colleges were
grappling with going coed, and I was one of ten ‘trial’ women.
When I got to this men’s school and people said to me: ‘You
can’t do that because you are a woman,’ it was
a shock to my system. Luckily, instead of running into a corner
and biting my tail I got angry. And it was a wonderful learning
curve for me." Alterman’s
first job out of school taught her even more about gender
inequality. "Television broadcasting was one of many
fields in which men were, and in many places still are, routinely
paid more than women for the same work." Then, as a Peace
Corps volunteer: "My assignment in the late 70s was to
work in health education in Afghanistan. I ran headlong into
health discrimination—reproductive health inequities
that were shocking to me as an American and a woman. So what
I found between my first three experiences as a young woman
was just how really difficult it was to be a woman on this
planet. And it’s been reinforced by other jobs that
I’ve held." Learn
the System
Returning to the U.S. in 1978, Alterman became the press secretary for Lieutenant
Governor Nancy Stevens, the first woman ever elected to South Carolina state
office. "I was lucky to meet some of the great visionaries and thinkers
of the time: Inez Tenenbaum, who’s currently running for the U.S. Senate,
and Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court Jean Toal. We
worked to get the Equal Rights Amendment considered by the
South Carolina House and Senate. This was 1980-81, and it
was soundly defeated. The ERA has never passed here in SC!
But it was with these wonderful women that I learned how
state government operated. Together, we worked very hard to educate
and bring about change."
Take
Risks
After eight years in government, Alterman went back to the Peace Corps. "It
was time to take a risk. So I got on a plane and flew to Southern Africa and
spent three years running a Peace Corps program in the monarchy of Swaziland.
Alterman continued with the Peace Corps in Washington, putting her expertise
to |
work
on worldwide programs like the International Program for Women
and Development and micro-enterprise development. "I kept seeing it over and
over again: where woman are not allowed to be educated, the economy suffers."
Educate
When she returned to her hometown in 1996, Alterman saw in the Center for Women
an opportunity to further her goals of success for women. "We do it
four ways: through individual counseling, peer support groups, resource
referrals and educational outreach programs. We have a popular brown bag
lunch series, which we started several years ago to offer a snapshot in
a different area each week. We also have The Entrepreneurial Woman series,
for women who are starting or running their own businesses. It’s
everything you need to know on how to start and run your own business,
without getting an MBA."
Do
Something
"‘There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t
help other women,’ said Madeline Albright—I have that typed up on
a piece of paper in my office. All the great therapists and philosophers claim
that man has only two responses to threat: to fight or to flee. Research has
shown that woman has a third response: to befriend and nurture. We bond, we take
care of each other, and that’s how we survive. That’s one of the
reasons we live longer: when our backs are to the wall, we don’t bottle
it up inside. We call a friend and ask her how she’s doing."
Last
year, the Center for Women directly reached over 4500 women
in the Charleston area. "We did over 60 programs, and
every single woman I asked to donate her time in doing a program
has said yes. Not one has turned me down because she’s
too busy. That’s a great way to give back."
Women
who are not ready to volunteer can become members of the center
for as little as $25 a year, but it’s a little that
goes a long way." That membership money goes toward offering
the great majority of our programs free of charge—allowing
others access to the programs is a great gift. Over 50 women
owned enterprises contribute as Business Members. Come check
us out if you’re in the area. Come to one of our programs,
and see if it’s something you want to support."
Oh,
and before you go, be sure to call a friend. |
