By Linda Burton on
For this week’s Honeys We Love interview, Look To The Stars caught up with Eric DeArmon. Frontman for The Truthseekers – an 8-piece, New York-based “funk-n-soul machine” – Eric recently contributed a refreshingly original song, “Brighter Day”, to Amy Sewell and Susan Toffler’s documentary “What’s Your Point, Honey”.
What’s Your Point, Honey brings attention to the gender inequalities in political leadership. They seek to change that by introducing seven young women who have what it takes to seek and win the Presidency. The seven were chosen by an initiative called Project 24 which, along with the support of The White House Project and CosmoGirl!, aims to have a female President by the year 2024.
What impressed you most about the young women profiled in the documentary?
What impressed me most were the little girls. I felt like they were so pure and so real and so honest, and I really loved that. As far as the older girls, I think that what impressed me the most was the experience. You know, the opportunity to have this experience just as individuals, not as women going for the Presidency, but just that they would have that much energy, drive and desire for these things. I think that we spend a lot of time dividing each other up, whether it’s between political parties, or agenda, or sports teams, or whatever. My point about being divided is that our society tends to focus more on the differences than the similarities. These women – they are leaders, and to my knowledge most people are not. Most people are waiting for someone to tell them what to do. They were leaders moving in the direction that not everyone is comfortable in choosing. I think that is inspiring.
What do you think we can do to encourage younger girls to choose more leadership roles?
I think focusing on equality is the thing. One of my co-workers said the other day that there are more women than there are men in the world, and that it was odd that women are still considered a minority. My general philosophy in life is to do what makes you most happy, but take your own path and invent a new way of being. I feel like a lot of times we all fall prey – and maybe women more – to this trap of women getting into a man’s world. The focus shouldn’t be so much about trying to match up to men as it should be just creating your own path. I would encourage women to do what they do best, and embrace that.
That is good advice for everybody, not just women.
Exactly.
Who do you feel is a great role model for young women?
Helen Keller comes into my mind, just as far as a revolutionary and somebody who certainly made her own way. I am thinking of spiritual women, too. There is this woman, Shakiti Gwain, who does creative visualization, which I think is cool. It’s funny, because I definitely have a lot of women in my life, and I always seem to be involved creatively with them. I think men – mostly because of how they are represented in society and stuff – are the protectors or the conquerors. What is great about women is how open they are and how giving they are – how much they have to offer. I just find in working with men that their ego gets involved a lot. Whereas women [are] more often open and willing to get their hands dirty, and are extremely helpful and giving.
As far as politics – I wasn’t really pulling for Hillary. I guess I was more in the Obama camp. I am all about doing something in a different way. That is the whole thing with my band, The Truthseekers – it’s like, this is my sound, my voice, our music. Individuality is important. When I think about equality and I think about women, I think of the same thing. I have a seven-year-old son, and often we are in the playground. It is great because you have these little boys and little girls that haven’t been too tainted by the world, and it is always interesting to me that the little boys tend to gravitate towards the things that the little boys gravitate towards, and the little girls gravitate towards the things that little girls gravitate towards. So, there is always the question of nature and nurture, too, and how that plays a part. I think that I would say to women or to everyone, is be unique. Don’t follow the crowd.
Copyright © 2008 Look to the Stars
