In Honor of the Women In My Family

I was fortunate enough to be raised in a family with generations of strong confident women who, to this day, have made an impact on me. As we close out Women’s History Month, I wanted to take some time to reflect on their influence on my life. 

My grandmother, Rie, was the woman that I spent most of my early years with. A loving grandmother, politico, lover of the arts and sport. She was an amazing tennis player, beating the men on the college team at Augusta University. She could outshoot anyone with a rifle. She was so independent that the family apparently used to say it would be a cold day in July, which is rare in the South before she got married. Guess what? She got married to the love of her life, my grandfather, in July on a cold day! Rie used to whisper her witticisms to me all the time. She taught me lessons about challenging racism, hard work, the finer points of roller derby, love, gardening, and of course baseball, specifically Atlanta Braves baseball!

The reason I spent so much of my early years with my Grandmother was because my mom, Kathy Martin, was a divorced, single mother when all of the above was not looked highly upon. My mother is my hero. Until she remarried in my late teenage years she worked in a “man's world.” The thought of that term hurts me deeply as she was simply trying to raise and support my brother and myself, and was only asking to be treated as an equal. She is one of the smartest people I’ve known. Had she been starting in business today, she could have been anything she wanted to be, but times were different. My mother worked for the local phone company, Southern Bell, and was the first woman to work in a telephone switching office in Atlanta. She made great sacrifices for my brother and I and was one of many women of that generation who struggled mightily for equality. I’m very proud of her.

The newest generation of strong confident women in my family includes my daughters, Claire and Grace, and nieces Maegan, Kendal, and Caitlin. I am excited as they, and the next generation of women leaders, take their place. Our world is in good hands.