Equal Time With Martha Burk

Females are without question the stars of Hollywood costume design, raking in Oscars in numbers that far outstrip the men. They get lots of well deserved recognition for what they do.  Except in one very important category . . .

It started with one thin dime, and a bus ride in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. City busses were segregated back then – whites in the front, Blacks in the back. On that fateful day, an African American woman named Rosa Parks paid her 10c fare, and took a seat in the Black section. 

In 1971, Congress created President's Day, to fall yearly between the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln on the 3rd Monday in February. Many have aspired to the office, but a significant group has never made it. 

I thought it would be simple. Just google Valentine’s Day and learn all about it – when and where it started and modern ways it’s celebrated around the world. Well, it worked – sort of. Seems there’s disagreement, disinformation, fantasy and frolic when it comes to researching the day of sweethearts.

February is Black History Month, officially recognized by President Gerald Ford in 1976. It was about time. The 1960s had seen crucial economic gains for African Americans, even as the Black Freedom struggle faced assassinations and government suppression. 

In 2009 Lilly Ledbetter learned she had been paid 40% less than men in the same Goodyear Tire & Rubber job. It was a long slog, but she won, and working women today still benefit.

January 22 marks the 51st anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, when the court ruled abortion was legal under U.S. Constitution's guarantee of a right to privacy.  But it didn't last. Where are we now?

Minimum wages went up in a number of states on January 1. Pizza Hut is crying foul and punishing delivery drivers for the hike by firing them all. Are these workers getting rich at your expense? Nope, but somebody else is.

Men have an abundance of something women lack. It's starts with a "P" and can be easily remedied with one big change of habit.

Millions will wake up on New Year's Day hung over and unhappy. Here's a long term cure that doesn't mean giving up alcohol, and it's not "hair of the dog."

Christmas traditions around the world have different origins and different meanings -- not all Santa and elves, sometimes funny, many surprising.

Many great women snagged honors this year, from athletics to movies, science and more, and we lost a few great ones too.  But one gets our personal year end award.

The term Guns or Butter? goes back to World War I and protests over prioritizing the production of munitions over the production of dairy products. Nowadays it's unneeded war toys over needs of kids.

December 7, 1941 was one of the deadliest days in American History. The massive assault on Pearl Harbor drove the American military to do something it had never done before.

Thanksgiving is coming up – and once again turkey will be the star of the show.  But there’s always an issue with side dishes.  No worries, a business in Florida has definitely got you covered, and not in the way you think.

Last week marked the one year countdown to the 2024 Presidential election. It was both a kick in the pants and clown show on the Republican side, and a cause for celebration for the Dems. But -- far from predictive for a year from now.

"Buy American" was a phrase coined by the government in 1933,  in the midst of the Great Depression. It granted a preference to domestic products in  government purchases to shore up US companies when the economy was in the pits. Is it still a good idea today in a global economy?

Halloween used to be about Fairies and Superman, but in the 1970s a new spook came on the scene -- the evil clown. Historians say it was because kid's clown entertainer John Wayne Gacy was also a serial killer. Since then more scary clowns have followed, including a terrifying new one this year.

The carnage in the Middle East rages on, and most folks are worried and frustrated, because there’s nothing ordinary individuals can do to solve the conflict and stop the killing. But there’s lots you can do to make things better right here in the USA, now matter where you live.

The United Nations designates October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, promoting empowerment and rights of  girls to safe, educated, and healthy lives as they mature into women. In researching the day, I planned to take aim at backward countries where girls are mistreated and devalued. To say I was surprised at what I found is the understatement of the century.