Moving Forward Together

By Mary Reiman

If I asked you to name an influential woman from history, who would you name?  And why? 

March is Women’s History Month. 

Celebrating Women's History has its origins in 1980, after “a consortium of women’s groups and historians – led by the National Women’s History Project (now the National Women’s History Alliance) – successfully lobbied for national recognition." President Jimmy Carter issued a Presidential Statement asking for Americans to recognize National Women’s History Week, March 2-8, 1980."President Jimmy Carter’s proclamation of women’s history week shown the light on women, on the importance as well as the accomplishments of women, their roles in the building of the United States. who had and were making a difference in United States history. It was a major accomplishment to obtain that declaration. Women were being recognized for their work, their strength, their voices." 

For some (many?) of us, our high school American History textbooks might have had a page about Harriet Tubman or Florence Nightingale or Clara Barton. More likely a paragraph. In 1980, I truly believed that would soon change.

Finally, acknowledging women. Their stories. Their tenacity. Their roles in building our nation. I thought we had arrived. After marching, protesting, raising our voices. Believing equality was coming, I had hope.

More background from the Library of Congress: In 1987, after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9, which designated the month of March 1987 as "Women's History Month." This law requested the President to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate activities and ceremonies. President Reagan then proclaimed March 1987 as "Women's History Month" and calling upon all Americans to mark the month with observances to honor the achievements of American women. Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women's History Month.

The theme for Women’s History Month this year is: Moving Forward Together. It is meant to highlight and support women who have dedicated their lives to education, mentorship and leadership to shape the minds and futures of all generations.

I recently asked friends and family, all strong women I greatly admire, to name a woman from American history who made an impact on their world view. Here are a variety of the responses. Some acknowledged why they were inspired, favorite quotes from their selection are in italics. Note the diversity of these women. Fascinating.

Gloria Steinem, “I never wanted to be a politician or elected person myself, so I loved to work for other women who did—and hope that more girls will do that. The problem is the feeling that we’re divided from politics, that our vote doesn’t count or what we do doesn’t count. In fact, everything we do counts.”

Nettie Honeyball persuaded about 30 young women to join the British Ladies Football Club in 1894, to prove that women could play soccer. The beginning of the women’s soccer movement. "I founded the association late last year, with the fixed resolve of proving to the world that women are not the ‘ornamental and useless’ creatures men have pictured...and I look forward to the time when ladies may sit in Parliament and have a voice in the direction of affairs, especially those which concern them most."

Often called “The Most Beautiful Woman in Film,” In the 1930s and 40s, actress Hedy Lamarr was also an inventor who pioneered the technology that would one day form the basis for today’s WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth communication systems. She was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for the development of her frequency hopping technology in 2014.

Rachel Carson, marine biologist, writer, and environmentalist who is credited with launching the modern environmental movement. Her research led to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides, and her environmental movement is considered to have contributed to the creation of the more-important-than-ever Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

In 1949 Margaret Chase Smith began a 30-year congressional career becoming the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress. A woman of intelligence with ‘unflappable’ courage, she famously denounced McCarthyism with her “Declaration of Conscience,” something few senators had dared to do. “Freedom of speech is not what it used to be in America...It has been so abused by some that it is not exercised by others.”

In 1993, Julia Child was the first woman inducted into the Culinary Institute of American’s Hall of Fame. Her plan after college was to become a famous woman novelist. Instead, she worked for the Office of Strategic Services (precursor to the CIA) in WWII, and while in France, enrolled in the famous Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. The rest is history.

Bessie Smith, born in 1895, orphaned, living in poverty, began singing as a street performer on Ninth Street, Chattanooga’s center of music and dance, with her guitar-playing brother Andrew when she was only 14 years old. “She incorporated the hardships of being Black working class in her lyrics by singing about poverty, racism, and sexism while singing about love and female sexuality. Despite the prejudices of the 1920s, her voice rose above the hate.” She was killed in a car accident at age 42. 

Rosalyn Carter “Do what you can to show you care about others, and you will make our world a better place.”

Suzette La Flesche grew up on the Omaha reservation. She became a champion for Native American rights as a speaker, activist, interpreter and writer. “The legislation of the government has been directed rather to the protection of the rights of money and property than to the best good of the citizen.”

Ruth Bader Ginsberg is the name most often mentioned. She faced gender discrimination and became well known for wielding her pen in writing, for giving voice to decisions or the lack of decisions. In 1993, she became the second woman, and first Jewish woman, to serve on the Supreme Court. During her tenure as a justice, Ginsburg has fiercely advocated for gender equality and women’s rights. She paved the way for Supreme Court Associate Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson to continue to fight the good fight. 

Nellie Bly “Early female journalist. Got herself committed to an asylum and is well known for writing about horrific conditions in mental institutions.” 

Abigail Adams was one of the first advocates of women’s equal education and women’s property rights. In a letter to her husband John, March 1776, while he was in Philadelphia, Adams wrote, “Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice or Representation.”

Ida B. Wells “Teacher and civil rights leader and journalist. She wrote about rights for the black community and especially women, exposed lynchings and other horrors, and helped found the NAACP.” She was a powerful force.

“The first woman I admired was Annie Oakley. It began when I was a kid and played Wild West crazy 8 card game.  She held her own with other famous cowboys, could ride horses, shoot and lived her life as she wanted (including wearing pants). She showed me that you did not have to be a stereotypical girl and could do what men did.”

Frances Perkins served as the 4th U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945. “First woman ever to serve in a presidential cabinet. Worked for humane working conditions in factories.” She also advocated for the rights for refugees seeking to immigrate to the United States during World War II.  

“I admire Judy Chicago's feminist artistic piece 'The Dinner Party'. A 48' triangular art installation, it had place settings honoring 39 historical and mythic women. The table is set on a porcelain tile that includes the names of 999 additional women. There were so many women honored, whom I'd never heard of before.”

Eleanor Roosevelt “A woman among men who did not always respect her, but never the less, she did her thing. She lived in an era where women like her were not the norm. She was a civil rights activist before it was cool and when she could have easily just gone home after her time in the White House, she went on to be a humanitarian activist. She didn’t let other define her, and I admire that.”

Willa Cather “There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.”

Madeleine Albright  “It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.”

Perhaps this month we should make it a point to read something by and/or about women. I started with The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience by Chelsea Clinton and her mother, Hillary. I learned about Sally Yates (Assistant Attorney General at the Justice Department. She was fired.), Rosa May Billinghurst (one of the many suffragettes of the early 1900’s who endured abuse), Ester Martinez (In spite of so much hatred toward her, the Native American Language Preservation Act was established because of her perseverance), and learned more about Katharine Graham (CEO of the Washington Post...what would she say today...), astronaut Mae Jamison, Maya Lin (Vietnam Memorial and environmentalism), Maya Angelou, Jane Goodall, Margaret Mead, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ann Richards, Oprah Winfrey, and on and on and on.

I realize how few women have been named. Our lives have been enriched by the activism and advocacy of so many. 

Let this be the year of amending our American History textbooks to include pages and pages, chapters and chapters of the stories of women who have shaped, impacted and enhanced our lives. 

Magnanimous, magnificent, marvelous women. Gutsy women indeed. 

We are in this together. Join us in celebrating Women’s History Month, honoring those who came before us by moving forward. Let's make them proud.

The reason I made women's issues central to American foreign policy, was not because I was a feminist, but because we know that societies are more stable if women are politically and economically empowered.

Madeleine Albright