Women Making History

March is women's history month. An annual tribute that sprang up in the seventies when women in history were first noticed and studied.

Women Making History:

Ruth Bader Ginsberg ~ The Notorious RBG

Ruth Bader Ginsberg, now 84 years old, has had a career spanning her life time. In her role as lead counsel for the ACLU Women’s Rights Project, Ginsburg believed the most effective way to achieve lasting results was to pick cases that were winnable and would set precedents that would chip away at the legal barriers imposed on women. "Not all feminist issues should be litigated now," she cautioned in the early '70s, "because some are losers, given the current political climate, and could set back our efforts to develop favorable law." In this way, bit by bit, Ginsburg set out to construct an unshakeable legal foundation for women’s equality, which would hold until society was ready to pass a more sweeping measure—say, an Equal Rights Amendment—explicitly banning gender discrimination. Ginsburg’s slow and steady approach drew the ire of some feminists who felt the ACLU wasn’t being bold enough.

Sandra Day O'Connor was the first woman ever appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsberg was the second woman appointed. With no end in sight. Justice Bader Ginsberg has said on many occasions that she has no plans to retire any time soon.

On May 4, a documentary about Justice Bader Ginsberg's life and career will open at selected theatres.

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Emma Watson

We first head of Emma Watson at a young age for her portrayal of the brainy Hermione Granger in the widely beloved Harry Potter film series. Quite the overachiever herself, Watson earned her degree in English literature from Brown University in 2014 and later that year, was appointed UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. Her dedicated work for women’s rights around the globe includes acting as advocate for the UN’s HeForShe solidarity campaign, which encourages men and boys to be agents of change in the fight for gender equality. She has also spent time in Zambia and Bangladesh to promote education for girls and served as an ambassador for Camfed International, a nonprofit dedicated to eliminating rampant poverty in Africa through the empowerment of women. Just 25 years old today, Watson is destined to have an inspiring and productive career ahead of her.  

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Val Demings, Hometown Hero

In 2007, Val Demings made history when she became the first female chief of police in Orlando, Fla. and decreased the department's crime rate by 40 percent. After retiring from police work in 2011, Demings decided to run for Congress and won in the 2016 election.

Recently at a CNN Town Hall on gun policy, Florida Senator Marco Rubio publicly supported “gun violence restraining orders.” He previously backed the idea and. U.S. Rep. Val Demings (Orlando, FL), a former police chief, is a cosponsor of the Gun Violence Restraining Order Act.

The act would set up procedures by which families can ask a local court to prevent a loved one from owning a firearm, if the court finds that the individual poses a risk of injury to themselves or others. Senator Nelson also backs the idea. The bill has 60 cosponsors in the U.S. House. However, the GOP-controlled House of Representatives has refused to move the bill forward.

At the town hall Senator Rubio said, “I've already announced ... a concept called a gun violence restraining order that allows authorities -- and it has to be someone in your immediate family, it has to be somebody you live with, it has to be a parent, it has to be an administrator -- can go to authorities and allow someone to not just be prevented from purchasing any firearm and allow those to be taken from them -- and the person will have due process…I support that and I hope they will pass that.”

And, Rep. Demings said, “I’m glad that Senator Rubio has supported this common-sense idea. Families are our first line of defense. If something is wrong, it is nearly always a loved one who notices first. The mother of the Parkland shooter called police dozens of times about her son. If this law had been in place, law enforcement officers might have been able to take the shooter’s guns before he could use them on our children. I urge Senator Rubio to put his words into action and push his GOP colleagues to bring this proposal up for a vote.”

I honor these women and so many others who are working daily to promote gender equality.

Who do you admire?