Approaching Equality

Laura Pendergast-Holt has apparently broken through the glass ceiling and is about to join the “white men only” hall of fame for scam artists. According to today’s Dallas Business Journal . (www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2009/05/11/daily54.htmlPendergest-Holt” , Ms Pender-Gast pleaded not guilty to fraud charges and is currently out on $300,000 bond. She was the chief investment officer of the Stanford Financial Group, which is in the midst of an eight billion dollar fraud allegation. You will recall that this past February, the SEC charged R. Allen Stanford with fraud and seized all his assets.

Although the inclusion of Ms. P-G in this elite company can only be considered a triumph for women everywhere, it should not be construed as an indication that the fight has been won in any real sense of the word. Until Ms.P-G can be joined by other minorities, including, but not limited to the African-American community, can anyone really defend the assertion that any real equality exists in the upper tiers of American society?

Furthermore, her inclusion in this prison bound club does not, even now, allow Ms P-G to be treated equally. Most reports stoop to commenting on her attractive appearance, and her youthful age. This merely shows how far we, as a society, need to come. Until equal attention is paid to the personal appearance of such felons as Bernard Madoff and Stanford himself, all news reports merely underline how far things need to progress before true equality can be claimed. The report from the above cited Dallas source refers to her as the “former thirty-five year old chief investment officer.” Did they also refer to Madoff’s former ages? No, I think not.

But progress comes slowly. For now, we must content ourselves with the incremental successes as they happen. We now have the Susan B. Anthony of scams and her name is Laura Pendergast-Holt. A pioneer in her own right, perhaps some day her portrait will grace the $7 bill. The words of Charlotte Whitton resound loudly on such a proud day. “Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily this is not difficult.”


By Myron Gushlak