It seems to me that the fight for equality in this world is a war that wages on throughout our lives. Long ago, African Americans simply wanted to live the same way as whites and other genders as one world and nation. There are incidents in Ferguson that have raised hands on the racial tension that still thrives today. No matter how hard a certain group of activists fought long ago, the war is still there, breathing. For me, it isn’t the only unfortunate fight. There is the same sex marriage debate that wages on. There is another terrible injustice being waged at this very moment. Equality among genders. A solidarity if you will. It is a fight that Emma Watson is taking upon herself to make right.

I know what you are thinking. Here is some actress trying to soak up some headlines and get some feel good time with the world. Hey, look at me, I am a good person. I call bullshit on those people. All this does is tighten the lens on Watson’s career. You see, she thrives on the attention of men in her movies, so this could be a risk. A lot of men won’t like her movement. Trust me, there are a lot of males still living in the Mad Men age, “Draping up” relationships and marriages. Hey, ladies, do this and do that or else I am gone. That still happens here in 2014.

I stand up in the name of feminism. I think women deserve equal rights, in the workplace or the home or wherever the setting needs to be laid out. I was raised by two great parents, but my mother is a saint. She lives for her kids and she takes care of sick kids at Children’s Hospital. She also cares for my brother. I grew up around strong women. My grandmother, Henrieta or “Meme” as I called her, was a strong voice in my life. She preached patience, goodness in the soul and made sure I was a nice and gentle person. She fought off the hate in people when she was around them. My wife, Rachel, works 60 hours a week and is also a great mother to my three year old son, Vincent.

There isn’t equality for women in the workplace. This is the tip of the iceberg for the campaign. Men still make more money. I don’t really have to break out the numbers and scales for you.  For a lot of men that I have been around, this seems to be the way they want it.  The men make the dough an the women stay home. Screw that. I don’t see it that way. My wife makes more money than me and there isn’t anything wrong with it. As long as my son is taken care of and a roof stands over our heads, I can keep breathing and walking. You don’t need to measure pride up against survival to get the point here.

I take a certain pride in knowing my wife can dominate a male driven market, and that is sales. Give it a name. Car sales. House sales. Computer sales. My wife sells tile and is making a name for herself in an industry dominated by men. I am proud of my wife. I don’t need to sleep comfy at night thinking my writing and warehouse work are just as strong. Why is it in life that men and women have to be measured in terms of who is better at something? Why not find the best person, male or female, for a job instead of judging it on gender? That’s still a problem.

Racism was a huge problem. Same sex marriage still has a problem winning over the religious folks because the invisible man they believe in told them it’s wrong. Gender Equality doesn’t seem too hard to understand but today, it is still an issue.

HeForShe doesn’t just speak about women in the workplace. It stands for all violence and abuse towards girls and women. There’s simply too much of it. You don’t have to know who Ray Rice is to know about domestic abuse towards women. It happens every hour of every day. What’s wrong here? Why is there still so much violence towards women? Don’t ask Stephen Smith about this.

If you want to solve world issues, women will be needed. They can’t be ignored. At home or in the workplace. The time for a disconnect has ended. It’s time to bring the two genders together once and for all.

Men are taking up the cause. The goal is to get 200,000 men to join the fight and stand up for #HeForShe. What you have to do is go to the website and pledge. Here it is. http://www.heforshe.org/#take-action

I am #170,797 and the goal is not too far off. Do it for your own reasons. Do it for your own peace of mind. I support feminists because I was raised by a strong group of women. As I live my adult life, I am still surrounded by great, beautiful and strong women. I’ve never felt alone in this world and a lot of that is due to having a great mother, a wonderful wife and a few honest and very cool female friends.

People may read this and think I need to get over myself. That is fine. People hate change, even in the smaller forms. It’s hard to deal with for some. I love it. It means we are moving forward as a generation and as a group of people spending time on this earth doing as many good things as we can. Leave a damn mark while you are here. Stand up for something you believe. Support solidarity in gender today.

Max Foizey, 97.1 FM Talk Show Host and Max On Movies Host here in the Lou, got me on this. Check out his podcast on Itunes and hear his show opening speech about the HeForShe movement. It’s inspiring, honest and gets right to the heart of the issue. You can find his speech on Itunes. Here, you can hear Watson’s speech at the United Nations.

http://www.971talk.com/blogs/max-movies/emma-watsons-heforshe-speech-united-nations

After you listen to that, Join the movement and post a pic. You know it’s important when you put your face on it. I stand up for #HeForShe. Will you? It doesn’t cost anything. Just your word.