It seems fitting that Frances Crowe was born right around the time women were given the right to vote in the United States. That historic ruling in 1920 gave women a much-deserved voice in our society about how things should run — and Crowe has been using her voice for decades in order to affect change. And at 91, she isn’t slowing down.
In fact, as the Boston Globe reported, Crowe was most recently arrested less than a month ago, protesting with a group at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, the state’s sole nuclear plant. As MassLive notes, Crowe has been arrested seven times at the Vermont Yankee since 2005. When the Globe asked her how often she’s been arrested standing up for her various causes (her first arrest coming in 1972 as she was protesting the Vietnam War), she actually said (with a smile), “Not enough.”
That’s just awesome. And while her son, an orthopedic surgeon in Maine, may not always side with her politics, he can’t help but respect her. “I think the world needs uncompromising idealists,” he was quoted. “She’s willing to take risks that the rest of us aren’t willing to take, and that helps make the rest of us aware.”
And what she’s really doing is proving that, no matter your age, you can always do your part to try and affect change. As Crowe was quoted, “People my age have been lulled into the idea that they shouldn’t take risks, that they should stay comfortable and take the easy way,” adding, “But we’ve lived our lives, and we have nothing to lose — no kids or jobs to worry about. I say to them, ‘Have some fun. Get out there and join the community of people acting on their beliefs!’”
Should you need further inspiration, here are some other women who have done their part to make a difference:
- Emmeline Pankhurst, a political activist in England who was a leader of the movement to get British women the right to vote.
- Rosa Parks, an African-American woman who refused to give up her seat for a white passenger, becoming a symbol for the Civil Rights Movement.
- Gloria Steinem, who was seen as the leader of the Women’s Liberation Movement in the ’60s and ’70s.
Screengrab by NorthAssocVideo via YouTube.