Last week, the current administration made another attempt to erase women from American History by signing off on the demolition of the East Wing of the White House. The East Wing, infamously referred to as the “people’s house,” will be replaced with a privately-funded $300 billion ballroom, which the President hopes will modernize the East Wing.
The East Wing has long been the home of the First Lady, which Eleanor Roosevelt first professionalized during her husband’s presidency. Before then, First Ladies did not have a designated space; instead, they worked out of their bedrooms, sitting rooms, and other small spaces they could find. The East Wing, from that day forward, became a space for Women’s History that was not just for show, symbolizing a substantial move towards empowerment.
Eleanor Roosevelt transformed this space into a site of activism supporting women’s groups from the Girl Scouts, to the Women’s Trade Union League. The issues they discussed were not ornamental or superficial, but were political, economic, and life-changing. Famously, Betty Ford argued for a pay increase for her staff and Michelle Obama led her “Let’s Move Campaign.”
The creation of the East Wing as a professional space allowed First Ladies, and women alike, to be more than just their husbands’ wives. Instead, they could become the passionate activists they were born to be. Disposing of the East Wing actively erases women’s involvement at the White House and that First Ladies can have meaningful agendas.
It was Betty Ford who tirelessly fought to end sex-based discrimination and said, “if the West Wing is the mind of the nation, then the East Wing is the heart.” Michelle Obama used this space to highlight the importance of public health, and Jill Biden used this space to engage in her work with military families and education. An unnecessary ballroom should not be used to erase the life-changing work that the East Wing has represented.
Despite the President’s actions to modernize the building he was elected to serve in, the White House is not a private building. President Trump’s term ends in a few years, but the White House will live on with every subsequent generation.
It is our duty to preserve this country’s history in the fight for Women’s equality. The White House is the people’s house, and women’s history is American history. Instead of being erased, the East Wing, a symbol of this history, should not be overlooked in favor of a ballroom that will only promote exclusivity.
