“For most of history, Anonymous was a woman” Virginia Woolf

All throughout March, we have heard about National Women’s History Month.

A fairly young organization, NWHM was started in 1980 in an attempt to bring attention to the rich history of woman for the gleaning and empowerment of future generations.

This excerpt from their website offers an explanation for their efforts.

“History helps us learn who we are, but when we don’t know our own history, our power and dreams are immediately diminished.

Multicultural American women are overlooked in most mainstream approaches to U.S. history, so the National Women’s History Project champions their accomplishments and leads the drive to write women back into history.”

This year they focused on celebrating women in history who have made contributions in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. See this year’s honorees and nominees here.

We had our own nominations here at SJG and asked our team, “What woman, other than your mother, has most influenced your life and why?”In celebration of the last few days of National Women’s History Month, we asked them to write their important women into Our Space history. We didn’t necessarily expect them to mention women who followed this year’s theme of the organization. Nevertheless, we know that regardless of where we come from, none of us arrived where we are today alone. We were birthed, trained, taught and guided largely by women. Whoever they are, they deserve to be mentioned in our lives and given the props due to their influence.

“My general manager at work had a very big influence on me… Things like getting to work on time, having that sense of urgency to getting the job done.”

“My oldest sister.  After battling pancreatic cancer at the age of 32 and having life threatening surgery, she still remained strong for her two children, one whom has Down syndrome.  She has shown me to never give up and to stay strong no matter the circumstance and that we must always have faith. She is now studying for her Master’s degree.”

“My girlfriend Silvia. With her I’ve discovered what it means to have responsibilities, to live far from home, take care of myself and lots more.”

“…I can’t point to another single woman who has had a specific effect on me. Friendships at different stages of my life have influenced me in many ways.  Our experiences together have molded me into the person I am today though their love, support and laughs.”

“My daughter. She came to my life early and changed, for good, everything I could have been as an individual. Looking at her, I grew more mature overnight, and she became, for my life, pillar and horizon simultaneously. Still today, she is one of the women that I most respect.”

“My sister, my Aunt and my cousin who passed away last July are/were very influential in my life.   Our shared interests, the passing down of family stories, the grounding in the families past and belief and appreciation in one another to shape a future have all shaped them to become who they are.

“My grandmother. Knowing her and her journey to womanhood has helped shaped my vision for myself. In the words of novelist James Baldwin, “If you know from whence you came, there are absolutely no limitations to where you can go.”

“My older sister is the most influential woman in my life (other than my mom), because her qualities epitomize everything for which I aspire. My sister has been through real adversity in her life; however, she manages to learn from her experiences and constantly recreates and updates herself so that she’s the latest and the best version of herself possible. She’s also fearless, never letting anything (a relationship, a stereotype or an image) define her; rather, she’s her own, highly intelligent, creative and motivated person. As my role model by birthright, she does an amazing job.”

Although National Women’s History Month may be drawing to a close, we must continue to recognize the contributions women have made and continue to make in society. As woman, may we never underestimate our influence on those around us because we are all influencers. In that respect, our example can either propel the next generation to do far greater than we could imagine or our silence and stifling can keep the next generation from rising to their potential. As a culture, let’s esteem, celebrate, honor and thank the women in our lives who have sacrificed and served and sought to make this world a better place for the people living in it.

Cover Photo Source: Nancy via Wikimedia Commons
Photo Source 1: National Library of Medicine via Wikimedia Commons