Try Not to Get Cut

You can't break through a Glass Ceiling without getting a little cut up.

Any person who has been the first at anything - first woman to join the Citadel, the first African American to go to a Desegregated School in the south, the first Man on the Moon; has had to face many challenges and obstacles that probably seemed insurmountable at the time. They may have not even enjoy their victory because of all of the turmoil but THEY WERE THE FIRST. Someone always has to be and it clears the way, free of as much glass hopefully, for others to follow.

Some people may be better at breaking glass, they may learn to take precautions before breaking it or even safer ways to break through the glass; but even the most skilled person is going to get a few scratches.

So if you have gotten cut up a bit by being one of the firsts in a social changing situation; wear your scars with pride. 

Remember -- You Made History and We ALL are forever grateful to you for it.

Originally Posted 2/12

Political Firsts

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Here's some Political Firsts for Women

• 1933 - Frances Perkins is appointed secretary of labor by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (first woman cabinet)
• 1960 - Oveta Culp Hobby becomes the first woman to serve as Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare by President Eisenhower. 
• 1964 - Margaret Chase Smith, of Maine, becomes the first woman nominated for president at the Republican National Convention. 
• 1981 - Sandra Day O'Connor is appointed the first woman Justice by President Reagan to the Supreme Court.
• 1984 - Geraldine Ferraro was the first female Vice Presidential candidate
• 1993 - Janet Reno becomes the first woman U.S. attorney general by President Bill Clinton
• 1997 - Madeleine Albright is sworn in as U.S. secretary of state by President Bill Clinton
• 2005 - Condoleezza Rice becomes the first African-American female Secretary of State by President George W. Bush
• 2007 - First Speaker of the House - Nancy Pelosi

W O M E N  I N   T H E   

U⋆S⋆A⋆

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Girls Can do Anything

I truly believe this! In this day and Age and in this Country, Girls have unlimited possibilities. There is not a field or profession that a young woman does not have access to, accept for maybe Navy Seals and SWAT Operators - and hopefully one day that WILL change. This has come about from hundreds of years of other Women Paving the Way. 

So if you feel offended at work, under appreciated at home, or generally frustrated by your womanhood; think about all of the women who have come before you and all the opposition they have faced. If they had not persevered we would not have - 



Radium invented by Marie Curie in 1898





White Out Invented by Bette Nesmith Graham in 1958




Windshield Wipers invented by Mary Anderson in 1903 
  



Kevlar invented in 1964 by Stephanie Kwolek

So next time you think you can't accomplish something

∞ Think Again Sister ∞

First blogged 2.13.12

Ain't I a Woman!

Sojourner Truth was a slave who escaped to freedom in 1826. She then fought for the abolition of slavery and Women's Rights during her lifetime. 


During the Civil War, She gathered supplies for black volunteer regiments. In 1864 she went to Washington, D.C., where she helped integrate streetcars and met with President Abraham Lincoln. The same year, she was appointed to the National Freedmen's Relief Association to counsel former slaves in the area of resettlement.


In 1851 at the Women's Convention in Ohio, she delivered what would become one of the famous speeches in US History. Here is what she had to say:
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And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?
Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or negroes' rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full? 

Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.
If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.

WELL SAID
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Aint No Mountain High Enough by Soul Definition

Don't be a Crab

They say that when you put a bunch of crabs in a bucket to go to market, there is a very strange dynamic that happens. If one of the crabs starts to climb the side of the bucket to escape, the other crabs will pull that crab back down into the bucket with them. Sort of a one for all and all for one concept even in the face of doom.

My mother has done very well in her profession and is a national leader in her field. She has always told me - there are two kinds of women who rise to the top. One kind steps on other women to get there and the other pulls other women up with them as they go. She is the second kind of women and that is the kind of woman I have always aspired to be as well.

So what I say to women is Don't be a Crab.

There is not a limited amount of leadership positions or success slotted for women. We do not have to compete with each other for it. We do not have to put each other down, vie for attention, or sabotage each other to become a success. By doing so, we are just continuing to perpetuate the small leadership numbers and low morale among women in today's workforce.

Your success can be others success as well.

Set the pace. Pave the way. Be the first one to change the dynamic in one of your tense female coworker situations.

Get out the Vote!

In 1848 in Seneca Falls New York, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the first Women's Rights Convention to discuss women's equality ~ including the right to vote. 





Wyoming Territory was the first territory to grant women the right to vote in 1869. In the late 1890's, Idaho and Utah followed suit. 


On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was finally ratified. This finally gave ALL American women the same rights and responsibilities of citizenship as men! 

Women fought hard for you and I to have this right.

Get yourself to the polls this year and exercise that right!

The New Justice League

Women have been fighting to be a part of the justice system throughout this country's history. 

In 1869, Arabella Mansfield was granted admission to practice law in Iowa; making her the First Woman Lawyer. She was formally admitted to the Iowa State Bar after a ruling in the Iowa courts in her favor.

A year later, Ada H. Kepley, of Illinois, graduated from the Union College of Law in Chicago. She was the first woman lawyer to graduate from a law school.

Even after some of the first women had achieved success, it was still not an easy road for women trying to practice law in this country. 

In 1872, Myra Bradwell filed a petition with the U. S. Supreme Court to appeal the decision of the Illinois Supreme Court. Even though she had completed her legal studies and passed the bar examination, they denied her admission to the state bar.  The Supreme Court upheld the lower court's decision. She was eventually granted license in 1890.

In 1879, Belva A. Lockwood was the first woman attorney admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Charlotte E. Ray, a Howard University graduate, was the first African American woman lawyer. She was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar in 1872. She applied for admission under the name C. E. Ray. The admissions committee thought she was a male so the application went through without problems.

In 2010, 31.5% of lawyers in the United States were women. 

There's More Story to Her story

March is Women's History Month

Throughout the month I will be spotlighting different Significant women in US History from all areas.


Check out what your city or local entities are doing to honor the History of Women this month. If your city or corporation is not doing anything to honor any local women, volunteer to organize something yourself ~ a display in the lobby or giving a local woman an award.


Find out the story of a significant woman in your business or community. Share what you find with your coworkers or neighbors. They most likely did not know the impact that individual has had on the organization or community as a whole. 

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You can't know where you are going until you first know where you have been.

Jersey Shoredom

Shows such as Jersey Shore are the Jerry Springer of this generation.


Considered to be a trendsetting phenomenon in the current culture, this reality show has set records for MTV in ratings, making it their most viewed series of all time. 


People are drawn to it, like moths to a flame. It's a real life soap opera targeted to a young generation. The characters cuss each other out, have disregard for each other, and are totally consumed with their self image.  


As comical as it seems to a more mature audience; shows like Jersey Shore are modeling to our youth ~ materialism, obsessive vanity, lack of integrity, and destructive communication. In real life, people cannot conduct themselves so outlandishly; no employer or instructor would tolerate it in a professional setting. 


We seem to be in a very Superficial time in this world's existence - convenience, luxury, and accumulation are all qualities that the new generation values. The ideals of Respect, Integrity, and Compassion seem to be in a dormant state of underappreciation for the time being. 

• Having such destructive Role Models will only lead to destruction •

Just say NO to Snooki.

Heroes Among Us

 Nominate a woman you know for a Hero Award.

They say that women work twice as hard and receive half of the credit for all they do on a daily basis. Every community is thriving with unsung heroes, find one in yours and submit HER name for recognition. 

Many organizations have a Local Hero Award - Local Radio Stations, Chambers of Commerce, local chapters of NAACP, LULAC, United Way... 

Even the most confident of individuals needs to experience appreciation. It is a simple step that could have a big impact. Honor a Woman you work with, who teaches your children, or a health professional,etc. that has been serving the community and taking care of your family for years. Let her know that she is appreciated! By doing so You WILL be her Hero. 

◊ BE A HERO ◊

    

Hero - Trupti Pandkar (Mariah Carey cover) by deepakdp