She Shall Have A Name ??

"I would venture to guess that Anonymous, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman." -?Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own

I’ve been thinking a lot about women’s history this month. Yes, I know it’s Women’s History Month. Every year it comes around and every year organizations ramp up the celebrations and recognition of women’s contributions. And that’s great.

Except, is it?

Yes, we need to celebrate the stories of our past – but too often it’s the women who we don’t know that are overlooked during Women’s History Month. And oh, by the way, every other month for that matter. You know them. They are the often anonymous women who contribute to our world every day with their work ethic, their passionate commitment, and their gritty resilience.

I met Allison Gilbert a writer and renowned champion of women’s untold stories at TedWomen last year. She has dedicated her work to sharing the amazing stories of those women we don’t know but who we should remember and celebrate. She recently pointed out that often it’s the institutions that collect our history that are part of the problem. And she shared that with new dedication some of those institutions are now working towards a solution to ensure that women’s untold stories will be secured for future generations.

It’s one of the reasons I love supporting the National Women’s Hall of Fame – the first institution, founded in 1969 in the very center of women’s rights, Seneca Falls, NY, to shine a spotlight on women who have made an impact on our nation.?Over the years I have served on the Induction Leadership Advisory Board, been a judge reviewing induction submissions, and even nominated my own potential inductees, something anyone can do since it is open to public submission?(Erma Bombeck – one day please?).

I’ll never forget moving to Rochester, New York and on a rainy Friday night my husband said get a babysitter we are going to Seneca Falls for the Induction party at the Hall of Fame – a place I’d wanted to visit since I did a speech by Susan B. Anthony in the seventh grade declamation contest. As I traversed the cocktail party that night, I sat down at a little table in the corner, and I gasped because I realized I was eating my cubed cheese with none other than Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was being inducted into the Hall.?

At that time, the National Women’s Hall of Fame was housed in a store front on the main street with rolodex cards filled with the stories of women who made a difference for our nation. And since then I have met many famous women during inductions ceremonies over the years (Gloria Steinem; Temple Grandin; Lilly Ledbetter). But it’s the stories of the women I’ve never heard of that always bring me to tears. And that’s mostly because I’m grateful to be in the room hearing them told out loud.

The Hall has grown enormously over the years and finally moved into its permanent home, the historic Seneca Knitting Mill. This year the induction took place in New York City early in March.?

I attended with my best friend who I met in that seventh grade declamation contest (she used a speech by Elizabeth Cady Stanton) and other women I love and admire.

Yes, well-known women like Ruby Bridges and Serena Williams were among the inductees. It was a thrill to hear from and meet the legendary Ruby Bridges in person.

But it was also a thrill to learn the stories of those inductees I’d never heard of before. Like the first Black woman physician to receive a patent for a medical purpose (cataract surgery), Patricia Bath; the woman who first coined the phrase “white privilege,” Peggy McIntosh; and the woman who coined the phrase “intersectionality,” Kimberlé W. Crenshaw.

What a way to celebrate Women’s History Month – paying witness to their stories. And yet, this past March as I found myself questioning the need for a Women’s History Month, I wondered wouldn’t it be a better statement of growth and equality if women’s stories were celebrated alongside their male counterparts every month or if they didn’t have to be considered the one and only, or the first - which was the focus of Mercedes Benz Be One of Many campaign with this tagline:

“I don’t want to make history, I don’t want to be the only woman, I want to be one of many.”

But in the end I am thrilled that the month of March is always a reminder of the individual stories of women we don’t know. The woman who would go unknown if not for someone shining a spotlight on her contributions. The woman whose name might be anonymous if not for the telling of her specific story.

Go ahead and celebrate Women’s History every March and every month. Share the names you learn and their stories out loud, so instead of anonymous being a woman, because of you she shall have a name.

This month’s OUTLAW ONE is the new book The Setback Cycle by Amy Shoenthal. Amy shares stories of some amazing women who suffered major setbacks including Robin Arzon, Reshma Saujani, and Norma Kamali. She takes people through this common experience in a way that enables them to understand it, address it, and come out the other side with a renewed sense of growth and a clear vision. Her mission in writing this book is to enable everyone to navigate their careers -- and lives -- armed with the tools to work through this inevitable cycle. Having been through many a setback myself I am excited to hear the stories of others who have emerged stronger.

I look forward to the opportunity to work with you or your organization to grow your EDGE: Explore, Dream, Grow & Excite?. Feel free to reach out any time.

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