“Everyone has the right to self-determination and—happiness.” 
—Jonathan Sprout and Rodney Whittenberg, Force For Good

According to the National Archives, “After a public reading of the Declaration of Independence at Bowling Green, on July 9, 1776, New Yorkers pulled down the statue of King George III.” The act reflected one of the document’s missions: rally the colonists to fight for the freedom to govern themselves.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” states The Declaration of Independence, In Congress, July 4, 1776. The Declaration’s bold statement, preserved in master penmanship, set forth ideas to be accepted as universal truths, and supported the rally cry.

So, what if instead of “men” it was written that all people are created equal and that all people are endowed with the right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness?

The Right to Pursue Happiness

It’s a tricky proposition to put words in History’s mouth. Like a bowl of alphabet soup in a New England-clam-chowder base, it’s a bit murky. What is clear is that We the People, we human beings, one species, Homo sapiens of all colors—and our human tendencies—have not changed much. What’s a short 240-plus-years evolution compared to the span of 300,000 years spreading out over the planet, hunting and gathering, or 12,000 years ago when we figured out how to grow food and then planted ourselves? With our big brains we’ve changed the earth’s landscape forever, one year at a time, and much of that time as bad monkeys, treating Mother Earth like our personal pantry instead of our spiritual keeper. Earth’s dwindling biodiversity is proof that a superiority complex is not sustainable. But our beliefs, our social framework of taboos and norms, science and industry, keeps morphing and rolling along, carrying us to new heights even as we trudge through the abundant debris of out-of-step ideas that persist even after we know better. (See above, “human tendencies.”) You may have heard that “history doesn’t repeat, it persists.”

But our big brain can imagine big, good ideas too, and fulfill them. With today’s understanding that all people are equal (and many agree that all life, all living beings, deserve equal respect), we can look back and share a picture of what could have been set in motion if the social structure of the time allowed a declaration of independence for all people—including the right to pursue Happiness. We can imagine the rich gifts our society receives when all people are free to fulfill their great potential, reach for their Happiness. We can expect our social structures today to support self-determination for all—and work together to that end. Where “history persists” we see how uniting pulls us forward. Post-WWII’s atrocities, an international team of men and women, including indelible leadership from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, set forth the United Nations Universal Declaration for Human Rights which is considered the foundation of international human rights law.  Article 1 states: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” Today we might choose to write “in a spirit of union” or add “sisterhood,” but the declaration is clear: our humanness links us, can uplift us and all things being equal, empowers us to fulfill our greatest imaginings.

—Hillary Black, Editor, Force For Good

“The future depends entirely on what each of us does every day; a movement is only people moving.” —Gloria Steinem

“Gloria will be here today.” Gloria! I was fresh out of college where I studied theater arts and helped get Equal Rights Amendment petitions signed. Now here I was, working on a TV movie about feminist icon Gloria Steinem. Yes, that Gloria. My sister and I were huge fans thanks to my mom’s introduction. Her—and Dad’s—matter-of-fact attitude about equality included “You can do anything you put your mind to,” said with gusto, confidence, and unconditional love (although a detailed map along with that mantra sure would have helped). But the logical, commonsense side of me got it—not as via osmosis but, well, like: of course we are equal and can do anything! And for all to hear that message, Gloria gave her voice and more, more, more. 

I’ve always loved the fact that our March birthdays are just a day (and a few decades) apart. The Gloria in our movie, A Bunny’s Tale, was not far from my age at the time although I don’t remember making that connection then. A young journalist, Gloria Steinem went undercover as a Playboy Bunny and wrote an expose for the now-defunct Show magazine. It was critical to attack this chapter of her life with deserved sensitivity and dignity. Our team worked hard to honor her, from initial contracts to final shot.

If you’ve ever met one of your heroes, you may know the feeling. If you’re like me, you want to keep shut so you don’t say anything stupid, show respect by staying cool like everything is normal. But of course, it’s not. So at the same time, you want to scream out how wonderful she is, how lucky we are to have her, shout “thank you for all of your hard work and inspiration on our behalf!”

That day, she graciously inscribed her new book for me to give to my mother. Now a bestseller, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions was a big deal—it was like having Gloria’s golden words all to yourself. I was so proud: to have had the pleasure to be in her company, to have helped bring her story to light, and then to bring that book to my mom, with words to her in fresh ink from Gloria’s hand.

For Gloria Steinem’s most recent book, The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off!, go here.

—Hillary Black, Editor, Force For Good

Courage, the third song-film from the Force For Good cd Passions is released today!

Watch HERE — In the prologue, Force For Good founder, Jonathan Sprout, reminds us of the journey for women’s suffrage. Women’s rights and equal rights are truly that: they are rights, not privileges.

Watch the song-film today and take a moment to think about how you may be inspired to help promote the rights of others. Large or small, home or abroad, our efforts make a difference.

Courage Song-Film