A Safety Net of Sisterhood

Making history together for the generations to come

With the backdrop of the 2024 Girl Scout cookie season coming to a successful close in a few days, I thought it fitting on this International Women’s Day to quote the founder of the Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low, who said: “The work of today is the history of tomorrow, and we are its makers.”

The weight of those words must have been felt deeply by Low and her trailblazing contemporaries at the turn of the 20th century. In the throes of the women’s suffrage movement, they faced relentless obstacles and repeated failures in the pursuit of the 19th Constitutional amendment, granting women the right to vote in Low’s lifetime. We stand today on the sturdy shoulders of Low and countless other women who forged paths before us. Their work, more than 100 years ago allows us to achieve more today and reach higher.

And reach higher we do. We reach, despite bearing the heavy load of primary caregiving duties and the relentless demands of home and workplace responsibilities. We reach, navigating societal expectations and double standards that seek to confine us. We keep on reaching, even as we balance precariously on the tightrope of unrealistic beauty standards. We reach because we know that the next generation will stand on our shoulders. We are the history makers of today, breaking barriers with so they won’t have to, and we have so much still to do.

I firmly believe that a tool to accelerate progress lies not in front of us, but beside us. It's not about more effort, or pouring all our energy into our passions – we are doing that already. Instead, our triumphs will be magnified, our legacy enriched for future generations, by extending our hands to one another. My complicated life of orchestrated handoffs, birthday parties, babysitters and business travel, only works because I have a community of support.

Let us be each other's safety nets, ensuring that no one walks their tightrope alone but instead with unwavering confidence because it’s okay to fall occasionally. Especially if we know we will get help when we stand back up.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day 2024, I’m making a commitment to be more than casual acquaintances with those in my circle. May our conversations be more meaningful, our connections more enduring, and in doing so, strengthen our collective safety nets. We should connect with our coworkers on the next, more personal level, learning about their dreams and burdens. Sometimes just knowing there is someone to call in case of emergency is enough to lighten our loads so that we can each run faster.

When we’re working together, united in our history-making purpose, our path will be lit not only by our individual goals but by the collective brilliance of our shared achievements. Let’s remember that we are here for each other, a safety net in sisterhood. And together, let us continue to shatter ceilings, break barriers, and pave the way for a future where every woman can reach her full potential, because she stands on our shoulders.