Truth Be Told - Words of Wisdom from 21 Women

By sitting down, she took a stand.

Hear the voice of Rosa Parks, celebrities, dignitaries and other legendary women in honor of Women’s History Month as they lend their voices to uplift women everywhere through the power of their quotes.

These quotes are not just niceties or feel-good phrases. They are words of wisdom spanning a lifetime of trials and tribulations culminating in their truths.

Across cultures, age, and time, here are 21 empowering quotes from 21 empowering women…

WEEK 1 - Undeniable Human Rights

Aretha Franklin and Cher both gained commercial success in the music industry starting in the 1960s eventually earning the names, ‘The Queen of Soul’ and ‘The Goddess of Pop’ respectively.

They share a passion for causes close to their hearts -- Aretha was an advocate for civil rights while Cher is an activist of LGBTQ rights. Each of their quotes reflect a page from their own lives, Aretha’s Grammy-winning ‘Respect’ and Cher’s mega-hit ‘Believe’…

*Aretha Franklin Image: iHeartsy-Music / Cher Image Source: stylebristo

WEEK 2 – Uncommon Firsts

The second week of Women’s History Month brings us five diverse women who fought for years to get to the top of their game and their quotes reveal how they got there…

Indira Gandhi was the 1st female Prime Minister of India, serving for a combined 15 years.

*Image Source: english.jagran.com

Rising from a background of abuse, Cyndi Lauper’s debut album, ‘She’s So Unusual,’ was the first of female artists to achieve four top five hits on the Billboard HOT100 in 1983.

*Photo Source: Gavin Bond

Billie Holiday was the 1st black woman to tour with a white orchestra, but still had to battle discrimination daily despite the applause.

*Image Source: freshsoundrecords.com

Dolly Parton’s debut acting role was a feature film ‘9 to 5,’ which was a comedic take on discrimination against women in the workplace – grossing $103M worldwide. She also wrote and performed the title soundtrack.

*Image Credit: Tech. Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby, U.S. Air Force

Queen Latifah was the 1st female hip-hop recording artist to get nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Matron ‘Mama’ Morton in the 2002 musical film ‘Chicago.’

* Photo Credit: Courtesy of Georges Chakra by AslanMedia

WEEK 3 – Unflinching Support

The month of March moves on to gather a group of women who have diligently supported others domestically and internationally…

In her role as the First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt was a staunch advocate for women’s rights, civil rights of African-Americans and Asian-Americans and war refugees.

*Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University

From Malaysia to Bond Girl to Crouching Tiger, actress Michelle Yeoh, who performs her own fight scenes, knows the importance of injury prevention. She supports the Asian Injury Prevention Foundation, a non-profit focused on decreasing road casualties.

*Photo: by Omar Chatriwala

The velvet voice of Barbra Streisand has mesmerized generations enabling her philanthropic support to causes such as protection of civil liberties and women’s health research.

*Photo/Image - "The Barbara Streisand Collection - Part I" by NYSIDLibrary

Escaping an abusive relationship, Tina Turner emerged to launch “one of the greatest comebacks in music history.” She is known for contributing her vocals to benefits such as USA for Africa (We Are the World song) and Live Aid for Ethiopia.

*Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

After a successful acting career, Audrey Hepburn devoted her humanitarian efforts to UNICEF, noting that she met and hugged children in apocalyptic environments.

*Photo: Bud Fraker

WEEK 4 – Unstoppable Work Ethic

The last full week of Women’s History Month salutes a set of women who stand on the strength of their work ethic…

Grammy-winning artist and fierce vocalist Patti LaBelle details her journey of dealing with record labels, serious career setbacks and tiring tours, but still managed a breakthrough to stardom.

*Photo: Zimbio.com

Award-winning, career journalist Cokie Roberts was a strong believer in advising up-and-coming women in the profession to get the story right, write it well and get it on the air -- then the value of the work would speak for itself.

*Photo/Image Credit: ALA - The American Library Association

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Sonia Sotomayor’s start at Princeton was not stellar and moving forward she had to fight for every rung on the career ladder -- but was ultimately recognized for her work and nominated to the highest court in the land.

*Photo/Image: wikipedia

Barbara Bush was Second Lady of the United States when her son was diagnosed with dyslexia. She used her platform to push hard for literacy resulting in the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and other programs.

*Photo: gettyimages.com

Early in life, Debbie Allen was twice denied admission into dance institutions due to race despite successful auditions. Undeterred, she later worked her way to choreographing and directing the Emmy-winning television drama, ‘Fame.’

*Photo/Image: madamenoire.com

WEEK 5 – Unimaginable Odds

The last week of Women’s History Month brings us four remarkable women who despite circumstances beyond their control, discovered their purpose within…  

Blinded at 6 weeks of age, Fanny Crosby used her listening skills to commit many books of the Bible to memory and went on to write and compose more than 8000 hymns and songs.

*Image: frontlinemissionsa.org

In the deep South, in 1955, Rosa Parks fought segregation of public transportation. Facing Tthreats of violence, loss of her job, Jim Crow laws and more, Mrs. Parks with the help of community leaders celebrated integration of the bus system in Montgomery, Alabama after a year-long boycott.

*Photo: Jim Forest

From an unhappy childhood to an unhappy marriage in the public eye, Diana, Princess of Wales evolved to become an endeared member of British society. Her compassion for others and championing of multiple charities, left a legacy impacting not only the Commonwealth, but the world.

Photo: gettyimages.com

Poet and activist, Amanda Gorman had a speech impediment as a child and currently deals with an auditory processing disorder. But that did not stop her from making her mark on history by delivering a moving poem at the Presidential Inauguration on January 20, 2021, generating international acclaim.

*AP Photo: Patrick Semansky

*This article was inspired by contents originally posted on #PositiveNuggets company page.

#LinkedIn #motivation #inspiration #creativity #kindness #equality #personaldevelopment #womenshistory

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Theresa Whetstone is a Content Writer and Storyteller and the Marketing Coordinator of a breakfast sports bar in Alabama.

She’s the Founder of Positive Nuggets, an outlet that curates positive messages from multiple forms of media.

She’s an avid viewer and student of westerns and film noir. Anyone can reach her at [email protected].