March is Women’s History Month where we highlight the accomplishments and contributions made by women. Women have been the backbone of our homes, communities, and societies since the beginning of time. Women such as Harriet Tubman, Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, Dorothy Height, Eleanor Roosevelt, and so many more paved the way and opened doors that we can walk through today with ease.
However, we are still living in a time where we have firsts such as Madam Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States; Ventris Gibson, Director of the United States Mint; the Honorable Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles, Sarah Harris, President of the Black Business Association of Los Angeles, Tammy Tumbling, President of the Orange County Community Foundation, and Cynthia Heard, President of the Los Angeles Urban League to name just a few. Although these women may have been among the first, they are not the last. It is our job to lift as we climb and leave no woman behind.
For many of us, our role models were our grandmothers, mothers, and aunties. We also had women who were active in our churches, schools, and community organizations wholooked out for us. They took time to help guide and mold us into young ladies who would grow up and become leaders and keep the positive trajectory moving forward. Some of these role models are missing in our society today.
We are experiencing a breakdown in some of our traditional institutions such as the family, church, and civil rights organizations. It is important for us to do our best to restore and support our institutions and traditions to help future generations understand their importance. My grandmother was my first role model. She lifted me up when others left me behind. I will forever be grateful for the example she lived out every single day for me and so many others.
There are many reasons why women should uplift one another. For one, we can help each other regarding issues around systemic problems. We are still experiencing gender and race discrimination and inequality. When we work together, we help make each other stronger, which empowers us to know and believe we can achieve anything our minds can conceive.
When we support one another and lift each other up, we open doors of networking that would not have previously existed. What I have personally experienced is that sometimes, when I think I am helping another woman by mentoring or sponsoring her, she eventually sows back into my life. We never know when the person we set out to help ends up being the one who answers our prayers.
As I shared in my first paragraph, most of us are where we are today because of someone who took the time to invest in us as children (or even as adults). We know why it is important, but some of us might ask how we do this when our plates are already packed with our day-to-day responsibilities.
It is not that difficult if we are intentional. Doors and opportunities will present themselves when we open our heart with the intention of helping someone else. We should never let our success get in the way of helping someone who crosses our path and needs our help, and we have what they need.
Beyonce said, “I want to build a community where women of all races can communicate and share some of those secrets, so we can continue to support and take care of each other. I want to give women a space to feel their own strength and tell their stories. That is power.”
Together, we can form a bond and a strength that cannot be broken and that can serve as a bridge for women to come. What bridges are you building and who is your community?
Healing Without Hate: It’s a choice. It’s a lifestyle. Pass it on.
Visit www.WendyGladney.com and www.forgivingforliving.org to learn more. Wendy is a life strategist, coach, consultant, author, and speaker.
