Article January 20, 2003 Issue

BREAKING THROUGH WALLS of PREJUDICE

Five people tell their stories.

with contributions from Marta Greenwood, Quinci Coates, Yolanda Nava, Tony Lobl, Frank Magwegwe

By Marta Greenwood

When I first read Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, I discovered the concept that God is Mother, as well as Father. For the first time, I realized that motherhood is a strength, not a weakness. I also found another name for God: Mind. I read that each one of us is the reflection of God, as the Bible states in the first chapter of Genesis. I came to realize that drawing on God's wisdom and intelligence, and on the strength of God's mothering qualities, made me a strong reflection of the divine womanhood. This was a dramatic change for me, as I had been raised in Iran, where I had absorbed a very limited, negative view of myself and of all women.

More recently I noticed another change in my thought, this time in relation to other women. Yes, I had liberated myself from the constraining perceptions of womanhood that I'd been raised with, but I had never extended that freedom to other women of Eastern origin. I had just viewed them as limited and unable to take on intelligent roles or fill leadership positions. I had prejudged Eastern women en masse, believing they were unable to be strong, because of their conditioning.

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