March is an important month for women around the world! It prompts us to pause, reflect and celebrate the contributions of women throughout history and the decades of struggle for equality.
On March 8th every year we commemorate International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the political, social, and economic achievements of women that began many years ago on March 8, 1911.
March is also designated Women’s History Month, a celebration of the contributions women have made through the years in the areas of history, culture, and society. This was first celebrated in Sonoma, California in 1978 with hundreds of students participating in a “Real Woman” essay contest and a parade in downtown Santa Rosa. A few years later, President Jimmy Carter declared the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week, and the U.S. Congress passed a resolution establishing a national celebration. The National Women’s History Project later made a petition to Congress to expand this celebration to include the whole month of March.
We don’t have to look far today in 2021 to find women leaders around the world. Women continue to push forward to break barriers in all areas of science, sports, the arts, medicine, government, and the military. It is an exciting time to be a woman and encourage our younger generations of females to dream big, reach for the stars, and never-ever settle. I remember as a young Mom many decades ago telling my own two daughters to “follow your dreams, there are NO limits!” Now, I am saying those same words to my granddaughters. It is essential to foster this sense of empowerment in our very youngest as they develop and grow into strong women. Mentoring future generations of women is the responsibility of all of us as we model for younger females that women are soaring to career heights like never before, literally!
One of my favorite examples of this is the story of the FIRST all-female flyover on February 2, 2019 to honor the first ever female fighter pilot, Retired Captain Rosemary Marinar at her memorial service.
Captain Marinar was a true trailblazer and her list of achievements is long and beyond impressive. In addition, she personally mentored young military women in their careers including many of the pilots who were involved in her memorial service flyover. Although Captain Rosemary Marinar has left this earth to soar in the Heavens, her legacy will continue to fuel the dreams of countless young women as they embark on careers in aviation and the military.
My passion for women’s empowerment continues every single day in my professional and my personal life. We are all here on this earth for a purpose, and I have always felt that making a difference in the lives of women was what I have been called to do. Recently, I had the pleasure to be a guest on a podcast hosted by Kami Guildner of EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN RADIO. We talked about the gift of female friendship and how to feel empowered during these challenging times in the pandemic. Kami is an experienced host and we had a productive discussion that I highly recommend checking out our interview which is here on my website under MEDIA.
One final thought for you———
In honor of all of the women in our world who show up everyday to make a difference, give of themselves for the benefit of others, and get into the trenches to promote a cause larger than themselves, don’t ever give up!
We are reaching high into the galaxies of opportunity finally, something that our great-grandmothers only dreamed of! In 2021, the future for females has never been brighter!
We have never been stronger, more bold, or more fired-up than we are now!
Let’s model this empowerment for the youngest amongst us. It was sweet music to my ears when I recently heard my 3 year old Granddaughter, Charlotte, proudly proclaim to me, “I am BRAVE!”
YES, WE ARE!