March has been the celebration of Women’s History, yes her-story. On the last day of the her-story month, I went to the North Carolina Museum of Art and enjoyed a tour of women in art. One of the art pieces was done by Amy Sherald, the artist who painted First Lady Michelle Obama’s official portrait. I am so proud of Michelle Obama. It was recently reported that her memoir has just surpassed sold 10 million copies, about to break a record for memoir books ever sold. That’s her-story big time.
Every day new her-story is made so commemorating it won’t all fit in just the month of March. But, walking through the Museum of Art and listening to how many women artists struggled through the centuries, I thought of how difficult life has been for women. This is the case in art and other professions as well. Many women artists weren’t allowed in art studios, as a model or an artist. They felt caged and inhibited. And yes, this applies to how women have felt across the spectrum of life.
There are many women to celebrate every day. Ordinary women like the mothers who get up and go to work, some at more than one job, get kids to school and come home to cook dinner and keep a household together. There are extraordinary women who do the ordinary things plus go beyond like run for political office or hold judicial positions or do science research or teach our children in the classrooms.
I could name many women to have paid tribute to for Women’s History Month but I mostly want to say that women who manage to put their best face on each morning and get through the day are to be celebrated. Women have days that are less than extraordinary but they survive them. Women have days that are spectacular but they feel lost and alone. Women are powerful and beautiful yet often are viewed through someone else’s lenses of what they should be. Actually, they just want to be seen for who they want to be.
So, for all women, know that we her-story is made every day. I celebrate all women. Every month is our month. Here’s to the ordinary women, the extraordinary women and the women who stand up and stand out in every profession. We stand on the shoulders of women like Harriet Tubman, Cleopatra, Mary Magdalene, Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Mother Teresa, Joan of Arc, Sojourner Truth, Pocahontas, Coretta Scott King and more. We do much with little and don’t take no for an answer, always looking for a way when there seems to be no way. That’s the way of a woman. Every day is our day.
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