onstance Morella opened her lecture Thursday evening with a quote by Joseph Addison: “I consider an human soul without education like marble in the quarry, which shows none of its inherent beauties, till the skill of the polisher fetches out the colours, makes the surface shine, and discovers every ornamental cloud, spot and vein that runs through the body of it.” “Tripping Along in Heels,” the title of her lecture, focused on women’s rights and equality and was the most recent of the Carlos R. and Georgiana E. Leffler Memorial Lecture events. “At Elizabethtown College, the polishers of the marble are your faculty, administration, trustees and staff who all care about polishing you up so you will go out and shine,” she said, directing her attention to the students in the audience.
Morella served as ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) from 2003-2007. Morella served as a representative to Maryland’s 8th Congressional District for 16 years and had previously served in the Maryland House of Delegates. She is the only female member of the Maryland General Assembly to have been elected to the U.S. Congress. During her time in the House of Representatives, Morella promoted rights for women, children and families. Women’s rights and equality has played a large role in Morella’s life as she served as chair in the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues and advocates for these issues in both her everyday and professional life.
Constance Morella’s speech, titled “Tripping Along in Heels: Women’s Progress Despite the Potholes and High Hurdles” focused on her personal journey as a politician and a feminist, as well as outlined her outlook on the progress American women have made.
She opened the speech by asking the audience to raise their hands if they have a credit card in their name. Both men and women alike raised their hands. Morella stated that in 1972 women could not legally take out a credit card in their name. Men had to sign for a card because women were being discriminated against. In regards to this, Morella quoted Australian educator Irina Dunn, “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.”
Around that time, Morella stated that the only feasible jobs or roles available for women were housewife, mother, secretary or teacher. This meant that the thought of a woman such as Morella getting involved with politics was almost unheard of. Often, she stated that people would confuse her position in the U.S. Senate as her husband’s occupation. Usually she would shrug it off and laugh about it later. “You’re not going to win everything,” she said. “You’re going to have losses along the way, but you can’t give up. No guts, no glory.”
Despite being vastly underrepresented in government in general and within her own party, Morella never gave up. She said, “I’ve found that the harder you work, the luckier you get.” During her time in office, Morella strongly advocated for the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). It was her mission to show violence against women and work toward passing acts to protect victims of these acts of violence.
It is Morella’s belief that society is made richer by elevating women within its culture. Within her own Republican party, Morella admits that the support of women could use some work. “Women[’s representation] in the Republican party is in shambles,” she said. “All women are not that prone to say, ‘I want to run for office.’” She said that if women were more encouraged to run for positions in office, the party itself could be stronger. She also believes education plays a large role in enabling the change of raising women higher in society. “Education is a liberator … a facilitator,” Morella said. “It gives women the confidence to know what needs to be done.”
In her speech’s conclusion, Morella spoke on the topic of getting women to put themselves out there in the world. She encouraged the women in the audience to be daring. “A ship in port is safe, but that’s not what ships are for,” she said. “Sail on.”
