We all watched tears stream down the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s face the night of Barack Obama’s election. Americans, regardless of race, ethnicity or gender, understood the significance of that moment. The civil rights movement and the African-American struggle for equality culminated that night in a grand victory for all who truly believe in the phrase “all men are created equal.” But what about women?

My elation was temporarily halted the next day as Sen. Hilary Clinton took on the media. No matter how happy I was about Obama’s win, one question plagued my mind-How long will we have to wait to hear the words “Mrs. President?”

Despite that historic moment, minority struggle is not over in America. As tolerant and diverse we have come to believe America is, harsh social injustice is still existent. Fortunately, minority groups are still fighting for their own causes and keeping the forums for discussion and progress open. Yet, some groups are making more effort and ground than others.

It seems as though feminism has temporarily died, and the women’s equality struggle has fizzled over the last two decades. But why? Have women as a collective whole become complacent in our society?

Most places of business proudly display “equal opportunity employer” signs. But is this enough? We can now get our foot in the door, but once inside the workforce, inequality still reigns. A 2007 report released by the U.S. Census Bureau reported that women are still only making 77 cents to the dollar men are paid, and the numbers are even more unfair for women of color.

In some sense, our struggle is far less progressive than others. Most educated, civic-minded and respectful global citizens have eliminated racial slurs from their vocabulary completely. We have come to understand the hurt and pain behind those terms. Yet, derogatory terms for women are still part of our everyday vocab. As much as I love “BITCH” Magazine, I cannot say what it has really done to “take the term back” for women.

After the sexual revolution of the 1960s and with divorce rates soaring to 50 percent, most of us have come to realize that monogamy and marriage is not the golden ticket to happiness for everyone. People are free to explore their sexuality for their own purposes, not breeding. So why are women being examined under a different microscope? As long as everyone is practicing safe, responsible sex, no one should be judged by their number of partners. Especially not women when their male counterparts are not facing the same scrutiny.

On Oct. 13, The Chronicle published “Curbing the cat calls,” an article about sexual street harassment. We all know that catcalls are as common as apple pie. Any woman walking down the street can expect words like “baby” or “sexy” to be hurled at her by a nameless, faceless man. The article examined the misconception that this is a small problem. The article even included solutions created by concerned women. However, they were bleak. “One day the world will be a different place for women, but in the meantime keep your head up” seems to be the consensus. It all boils down to a waiting game.

Our radical bra-burning and power-suit wearing foremothers made leaps and bounds, so why should we stop now and wait for the rest to come? There is no reason; we should not wait.

America is on the cusp of great change, and ideology has made its comeback. Now is the perfect opportunity for closeted feminists to crawl out of the woodwork. We have the opportunity to write the next chapter of feminism, the opportunity to define what the fourth wave will be. So let’s do it now. Change starts with talk, so lets open the “women’s equality” discussion once more and march toward a time of true equality where women get equal pay for equal work and can safely walk down the street without a misogynistic comment being thrown her way.

And this time let’s do it with our bras on. Or off. It’s our choice…