It’s that time of year for everyone to celebrate and encourage the wonderful women in our lives. During Women’s History Month, we usually recognize women that have done amazing things in our country. This annual celebration corresponds with International Women’s Day in the United Kingdom and Australia. I thought it would be an amazing change for this month to celebrate the amazing women that surround us every day, dedicating their lives to service of family, business and community.
Women’s History Month – Celebrating the Women in our Community
In March of 2019, I received an amazing recognition from Daytona State College for their Women’s History Day. Their theme was Women of Peace and Non-Violence. I was the only award recipient (the first time that’s happened in 15 years). Wow, I was excited. I arrived at the beautifully decorated Mori Hosseini Center prepared for 300 guests to hear me give a presentation of PEACE ARTS. The “who’s who” of Volusia County sat around, ate a fantastic meal prepared by the Hospitality College. I often wondered how I could bring this same feeling of acknowledgment to New Smyrna Beach for the women that work extremely hard for our community. This year, at the Mary S. Harrell Black Heritage Museum, for the month of March, I will host an exhibition in honor of Women’s History Month. Once I started doing research of powerful women I was humbled by the women in my own circle.
The first thing I thought about was…what does it mean to be a woman? We are the carriers of life, bringing everyone that enters this earthly realm through our bodies. We take on mega cramps every month and still go out and face the world with a smile. We keep our homes together with caring, compassionate and nurturing love.
My second thought was looking back to see how far we’ve evolved since the beginning of time. At one point in history we couldn’t even think about voting, to now experiencing our first woman of color in the White House as our First Lady, women campaigning to be the President of the United States, to having our first woman Vice President of the United States. If you sit back and take a hard look, wow! We are women, hear us roar. These accomplishments are well documented for us to learn and be inspired by those that walked the Earth before us. But what about those heroic tales that go undocumented, overlooked and almost never acknowledged.
So, let’s have a great month, ladies! Here are some wonderful quotes to inspire all of us to keep pushing and striving to be the best history makers right here in South East Volusia.
1. “I figure if a girl wants to be a legend, she should go ahead and be one.” – Calamity Jane
2. “Behind every successful woman is a tribe of other successful women who have her back.” – Unknown
3. “I can’t think of a better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself.” – Emma Stone
4. “She overcame everything that was meant to destroy her.” – Unknown
5. “She is clothed in strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future.” – Proverbs 31:25
6. “We need women who are so strong they can be gentle, so educated they can be humble, so fierce they can be compassionate, so passionate they can be rational and so rational and so disciplined they can be free.” – Kavita Ramdas
7. “Not all girls are sugar and spice and everything nice. Some girls are made of adventure, dark chocolate, wine, intelligence, cuss words and courage.” – Brooke Hampton
8. “It doesn’t matter how strong your opinions are, if you don’t use your power for positive change you are indeed, part of the problem.” – Corretta Scott King
9. “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars and change the world.” – Harriet Tubman
As we honor the women in our lives, make plans to call and chat with old friends – some you talk to everyday, and reconnect with those you haven’t heard their voice in a while. Send a handmade card to a woman you don’t know; maybe she’s a neighbor that you see may need something to smile about. I am honoring all the women that have supported me this past decade in my journey to be the best version of myself. Three of those ladies own an amazing magazine called the East Coast Current. They have been on the scene and behind the scene cheering for me and encouraging me to keep going. Thank you ladies. You are loved.
