Today, March 8th, makes me so happy! I think back on all the women who paved the path for me in my life. I extremely thankful and grateful for everything they sacrificed and the choices they made to ensure I had the freedom to choose my own destiny.
As a black woman, I think back to Harriett Tubman who led slaves to freedom in 1850. I reflect on the Women’s Suffrage Movement of 1919 that gave women the ability to vote, and the Equal Rights amendment introduced in 1923. I think about Rosa Parks during the Civil Rights Movement in 1955 when she took a stand—by taking a seat—for what she believed in. I admire Michelle Obama, the first black First Lady who joined her husband in the White House in 2009. There are so many influential women who have made huge leaps and bounds for us ladies today, too many to name. But here are a few of my favorites…
Amelia Earhart – first female pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.
Margaret Sanger – first person to coin the term “birth control” through her work as a feminist and women’s rights activist.
Sally Ride – first American woman to travel to space.
Sandra Day O’Connor – first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court; she was a key swing vote in upholding big cases like Roe v. Wade.
Oprah Winfrey – first female African American billionaire.
Ava DuVernay – first female African American director to earn a Golden Globe nomination, and have a film nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture…
There are myriad more women, whose praises are sung and unsung, who have made a difference in my life and in the lives of so many others. Thank you all for setting the example of how strong, smart, powerful, and capable we are!
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