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And the world was turned around.
Before Rosa Parks, to find a woman in a martial arts class in the United States was almost impossible. The Civil Rights Movement may have started race-based, but over the years it spawned the women's movement, the peace movement and quite probably the green movements. True, in Thailand, women were training in Krabi-Krabong and some were actually training and competing in muay Thai, although their fights were usually held after all the males had competed, and they were not allowed to jump over or crawl through the ropes, but rather had to go under the bottom rope. But starting in 1955, not only were African-Americans empowered more, but also women, led by a small (well under 100 pounds) lady from Memphis, Tennessee. And the world turned. Now it is not uncommon to find not only female students, but also instructors, in every martial art. My Jujitsu instructor was/is female, and it was a great honor to me when, upon my promotion to Black Belt, she took off her belt and gave it to me. And often at the Buddhai Swan I received instruction not only from female instructors, but my seniors sometimes were pre-teen girls; and they had a lot to teach me also. The warrior's heart will always beat, and it is not race nor sex constrained.
Before Rosa Parks, to find a woman in a martial arts class in the United States was almost impossible. The Civil Rights Movement may have started race-based, but over the years it spawned the women's movement, the peace movement and quite probably the green movements. True, in Thailand, women were training in Krabi-Krabong and some were actually training and competing in muay Thai, although their fights were usually held after all the males had competed, and they were not allowed to jump over or crawl through the ropes, but rather had to go under the bottom rope. But starting in 1955, not only were African-Americans empowered more, but also women, led by a small (well under 100 pounds) lady from Memphis, Tennessee. And the world turned. Now it is not uncommon to find not only female students, but also instructors, in every martial art. My Jujitsu instructor was/is female, and it was a great honor to me when, upon my promotion to Black Belt, she took off her belt and gave it to me. And often at the Buddhai Swan I received instruction not only from female instructors, but my seniors sometimes were pre-teen girls; and they had a lot to teach me also. The warrior's heart will always beat, and it is not race nor sex constrained.