Can’t Be Silenced

There was a point in time that the saying, “this is a man’s world” became outdated, but I’m not sure when that happened. I only know the amazing women who paved the way to throw this saying out the window. The women, who shined through constant negativity, continue to fight for equality and fight for their voices to be heard. The women who look at a man in high power and remind them that they are speaking. The women that are proudly and remarkably breaking the glass ceiling with all the might they have. As we celebrate Women’s Month in March, I want to share several really phenomenal women with you that have paved the way for women across the world to achieve outstanding goals, and challenge YOU to #choosetochallenge for #IWD2021 with the International Women’s Day (IWD) community.

Lisa Kleypas said, “a well-read woman is a dangerous creature”, and I think she hit the nail right on the head. When you look at the list of women who have paved the way, you can see that they all are dangerous in their own ways because of their own skill sets and I think that is what she was getting at. You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room to create change, you have to be passionate, kind, encouraging, and have a skill set that will be noticed from afar.

Women Changing the World for Our Babies

There have been many women in history that have changed the world, but during the COVID19 crisis, we had several that took our breaths away.

Kim Ng became the manager of the Miami Marlins, yes, the baseball team. This made her not only the highest ranking woman in the Major Leagues, but she is also the first female General Manager of a baseball team in North America. Speaking of baseball, Rachel Balkovec was hired by the New York Yankees, making her the first female hitting coach in the MLB. Women’s soccer player, Sarah Fuller, made history as the first woman to ever play in a conference college football game. And since we are still on the topic of sports, let’s go ahead and give a round of applause to Katie Sowers who was the first female to coach in the Super Bowl, as the offensive assistant coach for the 49ers. I’ll cheers to women in “men’s sports”.

The U.S. Navy also had a couple of women paving the way for excellence. Lieutenant Madeline Swegle received her Wings of Gold, making her the first Black female in the U.S. Navy to become a tactical fighter pilot. Sydney Barber became the first Black woman to serve the United States as a Naval Academy brigade commander.

Lastly, world leaders, women in charge. We had three women make history – amazing, glass shattering history. Katerina Sakellaropoulou became Greece’s first female president. Kamala Harris became the United States first ever female Vice President, who was sworn in by the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor. We also have the first Dr. as First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, who will be the first First Lady to hold a paid job as she will continue teaching. Can you imagine being a kid in her class? I can’t.

Lastly, New York did something AMAZING! Y’all, New York City’s Central Park unveiled the first statue of real women; Susan B. Antony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Sojourner Truth. Um, am I the only one bouncing up and down about this one?!

Are these women not amazing?! What do they all have in common though? They are all women that empower other women, they are women that have the mindset of “if one of us wins, we all win”. How can we do the same? Well, we can join International Women’s Day 2021 campaign #choosetochallenge. According to the campaign, by choosing to #choosetochallenge you are choosing to “show your commitment to choose to challenge inequality, call out bias, question stereotypes, and help forge an inclusive world”. So raise your hand high and post to social media with #choosetochallenge #IWD2021. Find more information here: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Theme

Don’t be silenced. Stand with these women and challenge yourself to be amazing!

About the Author

Lauren is a mom of two kids, Wyatt (4) & Audrey (1) … & the fur baby, also known as the OG, Luna Bella. (Oh & Mustard the fish). She is married to one heck of a guy, Troy, who she met in college. She has a Bachelors in Behavioral Analysis and a Masters in Social Work, currently she is navigating the life of a full time working mom as a hospice social worker for Centric Healthcare & Hospice, but has also juggled the jobs of stay at home mom & work at night mom. She has been a member of CECPTA for 3+ years & has sat on the board for two, this year she is the Education chair. She is also the red playgroup coordinator and a member of the yellow playgroup. She is also a member of the JLCC. She loves cold brew, crafting, reading, and margarita nights with the hubs.