Recently in 2012, the historically all-male and most exclusive golf club in the United States extended membership to highly-qualified women; former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and partner of private investment firm Rainwater Inc, Darla Moore. In addition to being one of the most exclusive clubs in the US, Augusta also hosts the Masters tournament each year. While many women activist and writers are ecstatic about the recent changes the club has made, many still are left speculating why now and why these two women?
On the contrary, many were critical of this decision because they believe that some long-standing traditions should be preserved. But, I believe that Augusta was more or less pushed into making this decision because of the amount of press this situation was receiving. Because the Masters is one of the most covered golf tournaments in the US, the PGA had to differentiate their views from those shared by the executive board at Augusta. In addition to this, women's activist Martha Burk, is known for her disagreement with the chairman of Augusta and the open letter she wrote to them stating that this treatment of women constituted as sexism and should not be tolerated. So— what does all of this have to do with my project? Because Burk, started advocating for women to be members at Augusta, famous sports reporter, Christine Brennan, gave this topic the media attention it deserved. Brennan's actions again show how women should support other women and by doing so allowed other women to join in to support. Also this story shows the power of the media and that if you strongly support something that is unjust you have the ability to make a difference which can affect everyone around you and the future generations that will come after you.
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