Women Changing the Narrative and Changing the World

What do you want to be when you grow up? Nowadays, kids are asked this question on a regular. Some say they want to be in fields like Law Enforcement, Forensic Science, Sports Physical Therapy, etc. Is this because there are more options for the average person, more access to college, or the breaking down of racial and gender barriers? Funny, growing up, I don’t remember anyone asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I definitely do not recollect any of my elementary

school teachers asking me to write about my aspirations. Was it because I was a girl? Did they think I wasn’t smart enough to be anything? Was it because of my race? It could have been all, some, or none of these. I just don’t remember being asked. What I do remember is having a passion for writing and nursing. Without the encouragement from my educators, I chose my own path in both those areas, ultimately focusing on writing and the education of others. Of my accomplishments, I am proud. And as a woman I celebrate myself!

HerStory

It is said that “Women are the backbone of the family and the bedrock of a nation. They bring life into the world. The way to empower women is to ensure girls share the same education opportunities as boys.” Well, with this being International Women’s Month, I want to focus attention on fields in which women are placing their footprints and more specifically, celebrating some of the many women who were “first” in their amazing accomplishments. At this time, let me highlight the celebrated or less celebrated women who globally paved the way for other women to make a difference in the world. The saying “you can be anything you want to be” has become more a reality than just a dream.

American women’s history has been full of pioneers. For example, women who fought for their rights to be treated equally, those who made strides in the fields of Science, Politics, Sports, Literature, and Art. Although there have been many, what is presented here, is just a few of the extraordinary accomplishments by trailblazing women in our history.

I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar!

Althea Neale Gibson, who ultimately paved the way for Arthur Ashe, Serena, and Venus Williams, was an American tennis player and professional golfer, and one of the first Black athletes to cross the color line of international tennis. In 1956, she became the first African American to win a Grand Slam title (the French Championships). In all, she won 11 Grand Slam tournaments: five singles titles, five doubles titles, and one mixed doubles title. She was the first female recipient of the NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award. Gibson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame. 

Shirley Chisholm, in 1972, became the first Black candidate for a major party’s presidential nomination, and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s nomination. During this primary, Chisholm won the New Jersey primary, becoming the first woman or African American to win a primary in any state. This would not be repeated by another woman for 36 years, in 2008.

Sandra Day O’Connor, née Sandra Day, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. She was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court. A moderate conservative, she was known for her dispassionate and meticulously researched opinions.

Mae Carol Jemison is an American engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut. She became the first Black female astronaut to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Jemison joined NASA’s astronaut corps in 1987 and was selected to serve for the STS-47 mission, during which she orbited the Earth for nearly eight days on September 12–20, 1992.

Aretha (Queen of Soul) Franklin was an American singer, songwriter, actress (Blues Brothers), pianist, and civil rights activist. In 1987, Ms. Franklin became the first woman elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Yes! Respect!

Ellen Ochoa is an American engineer and former astronaut. In 1993 Ochoa became the first Hispanic woman to go to space when she served on a nine-day mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. She then went on to serve as the 11th director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC). She was JSC’s first Hispanic director.

Sonia Maria Sotomayor was born in the Bronx, New York City. She is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was nominated by President Barack Obama and has served since August 8, 2009. Sotomayor is the first Hispanic and Latina member of the Court.

“Mayor” City Be Proud

There are several Black women who deserve to be highlighted and acknowledged for being “the first” particularly those elected mayors of major cities across the United States. In 1973, Lelia Foley was the first Black woman elected mayor in the United States – Taft, Oklahoma. Another honorable mention is Sharon Pratt Kelly, who was the first Black woman elected mayor of Washington, D.C. serving from 1991-1995. She was the third mayor of the District. In 2001, the people of Atlanta elected Shirley Franklin, a first-time candidate for public office, to serve as the 58th Mayor of the City of Atlanta. She became the first female mayor of Atlanta and the first African American woman to serve as mayor of a major southern city. Yvonne Spicer an American educator was inaugurated on January 1, 2018, as the first Mayor of Framingham, becoming the first African-American woman to be popularly elected mayor in Massachusetts.

In keeping with noting female mayors, specifically Black women who stand on the shoulders of those who preceded them, remarkably, a record number of Black women serve as mayors in America’s 100 largest cities, according to the Center for Women in American Politics at Rutgers. I am so proud to pay homage to these women. Each of them has risen to the challenge, supporting their communities through the civil unrest and call for justice.

In 2020, they took the lead in speaking out against the murder of George Floyd, fearlessly standing in solidarity with protesters, and helping to protect the safety and well-being of their communities.

• Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms
• San Francisco Mayor London Breed is the first Black woman to be elected mayor of San Francisco
• Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot
• Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser
• New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell
• Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Vi Lyles is the first Black woman serving as mayor of Charlotte
• Baton Rouge, La., Mayor Sharon Weston Broome

As a rising force in major American cities, these women have led and healed their communities in the face of blatant injustices. They set an example for women and girls everywhere as they lead the push for justice and change, while taking care to continue bringing their communities together.

Saving the Best for Last

Former First Lady Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is a lawyer, writer, and the wife of the 44th President, Barack Obama. She became the first African-American First Lady of the United States. Through her four main initiatives, she became a role model for women and an advocate for healthy families, service members and their families, higher education, and international adolescent girls’ education.

Kamala Harris is the vice president of the United States. Yay! She is the United States’ first female vice president and the highest-ranking female elected official in U.S. history. She is also the first Asian-American and the first African-American vice president! 

I salute all these women including my mother Karen Richardson who I proudly stand on the shoulders of and who is the reason I have grown into the woman I am today. I reverence these beautiful, extraordinary, strong, bold, and intelligent women. Let’s honor their legacy and legacies to come. We rise, we rise, and we rise!

Happy International Women’s Day – I and the World Salute and Honor You!