Women’s History and Women’s Future in America

March is Women’s History Month and we’ve had the pleasure of reading about some of the many worthy and worthwhile women in our community.

There are moments when I forget it’s March of 2026; so many of the current goings on seem rooted in the past, predating women’s and civil rights.

As I prepare to take both my birth and marriage certificates, a credit card statement, and a utility bill to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get my new, REAL ID driver’s license, I am reminded of the inconvenience of being a woman. I was expected to change my name upon saying “I do” and I did. Now I have to do more to prove I am who I say I am. Thankfully, my documents are organized and at the ready, but surely, some women’s aren’t, which will make getting updated identification, traveling, and voting more of a challenge than they pose of this special, Women’s History Month issue.

So many of our young daughters, nieces, and granddaughters have no idea of how recent the history is for women’s gains in society, business, etc.

I wonder if they’ll believe that women only gained the right to apply for credit in their own names without a man co-signing for them in 1974? Or that lenders could ask about a woman’s marital status or family planning, or even discount her earnings to deny her credit? Women today most certainly don’t want to go back to those policies.

As we brainstorm, strategize, and legislate to maintain our current rights and regain those recently stripped from us, let us remember how capa-ble, brilliant, dedicated, and tenacious women are and that we will stand, fight, and win to restore our righteous place in history and in the present.

Thankfully, we don’t have to navigate these obstacles by ourselves or As the current administration works implementing 2025, we are looking at more rollbacks on women’s rights including reproductive health, workplace and economic equality, and education and social without a map. Our grandmothers, mothers, aunts, sisters, and cousins have already trod the route and blazed a path for us. We have to retrace their steps and reclaim what is and has been ours for the better part of a century.

Poet and Civil Rights Activist Maya Kather than focus on the negative, Angelou once said, “I am grateful to be a woman. I must have done something I choose to celebrate positivity, like the work of the women in this month’s is-great in another life.” Author Isabel sue. So many intelligent, committed, Allende asserted, “I can promise you highly-skilled women working for all of that women working together-linked, informed, and educatedcan bring us in our communities! Women have peace and prosperity to this forsak-worked for years to make inroads not only into business and politics, but also en planet.” And Playwright and Poet the Church. It wasn’t long ago that Ntozake Shange stated simply, “Where there is a woman, there is magic.” women were discouraged if not out-right banned from ministry and lead-We’re already armed gence and resolve. We have our march-ership positions, but here we are today. ing orders and our map, and right is Tennis Champion Serena Williams on our side. But we know how wily this once said, “Every woman’s success administration is, so let’s bring our should be an inspiration to anoth-er.

We’re strongest when we cheer brooms and wands to create some of that magic Sister Ntozake mentioned. each other on.” Those words perfectly sum up the women, stories, and pur-Better safe than sorry, and we need all of the help we can get.