The Villages - March 2018 - 19

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"The hand ThaT rocks The cradle is
The hand ThaT rules The world"
William Ross Wallace penned those words in 1865, asserting that a mother's role is a divine mission.
But mothering is just one thing a woman can do, although the laws did not agree. In fact, being
female was considered a defect. And over the next century, many gentle hands that rocked the cradle
would engage in a fight. They fought for the right to vote, serve in combat, practice law, attend Ivy
League universities and do hosts of other things only permitted to men. But Eleanor Roosevelt, Susan
B. Anthony, Coretta Scott King and other well-known pioneers were just a few of the many who
shaped history. Heroines are here, there and everywhere. So in honor of Women's History Month, we're
spotlighting a few who live among us. Domestic and daring, these Villages residents are caretakers,
innovators and advocates. Yes, they rocked cradles; some even changed their share of diapers. But
furthermore, they changed lives and continue to inspire their families, friends and neighbors every day.

Something can be done.

It's a phrase Jill Moss Greenberg adopted
at age 3 - when she first witnessed social
inequality. Walking by a dilapidated home and
a family in need, young Greenberg gazed up at
her father and asserted her phrase.
Seven decades have passed since she
uttered those words. And in that time,
Greenberg has not simply pointed out
injustices - she has worked diligently and
unceasingly to correct them.
As a teenager, she got involved with the
TAPI program - Teen Agers Pitch In. She and
her mentoring group took a number of poor
children to a New York City roller skating rink.
On the way, they got caught in the rain.
"We all took shelter under the overhang,"
she said. "But my mentee, Henry, would not
take cover with the rest of us. When I asked
why he chose to stand in the rain, he told me
he was washing up - he didn't have water in
his apartment. That was a seminal moment
for me. I couldn't believe it."
In college, Greenberg learned there were no
preschools for children with disabilities in her
region.
"Children with disabilities were treated
poorly back then," she said. "People sometimes assumed their parents had sinned or
done something terrible. So it was shameful,

and often the kids were kept at home where
nobody would see them. But I thought they
needed preschool, too."
Greenberg and a friend contacted the
United Cerebral Palsy nonprofit and persuaded
the organization to donate space for a school
- granted they could garner a staff and
materials. The two recruited a volunteer team
of students and nuns.
"We got local businesses to donate, and we
were able to get the materials and resources
we needed," she said. "It was one of the first
preschools for kids with disabilities in the
United States."
Once again, Greenberg proved her
statement - something can be done.
Although she is Jewish, Greenberg was
elected a member of the Christian cabinet
at her college, serving as an interfaith
coordinator of volunteers.
"Youth centers and prisons needed help, so
I found volunteers," she said. "But I couldn't
find anyone to help at our state mental
hospital. So I put myself there."
In the infirmary ward, Greenberg was
exposed to a new kind of bias among a
demographic she had not encountered before.
"These were people with dual diagnoses -
physical and mental disabilities," she said.
And while Greenberg never intended

MAGAZINE

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Villages - March 2018