Thoughts on 21st Century Feminism

March is Women’s History Month and it provides an excellent opportunity for conversations with our girls – daughters, family members, students, mentees- starting with why a month specifically designated for “women’s” history.  As with Black History Month in February, the need for time periods set aside to recognize specific groups speaks volumes about whose stories and struggles are excluded in our larger national and global narratives.  When our girls fully understand that history is fact filtered through the perspective and experience of those empowered with the voice and means to record it, they can appreciate that much of what they learn and accept as the full story is, in fact, his-story.

I encourage you to bring “Her-story” to your daughters, sharing the stories of truly powerful women whose achievements were not on the stage of conquest and conflict, as is so much of our recorded history, but to advance common human needs and rights. You might start with those women who have made their marks in a girl’s area of interest, such as Rachel Carson and Dian Fossey in conservation or Audre Lordes and Zora Neale Hurston in literature.  Online resources are plentiful but most important are the follow up conversations with girls about the traits these women model.

Of course, our ultimate goal is to empower girls and young women to develop their voices and to have the skills and confidence to take action.  Girls find that empowerment in the Girls’ Empowerment Zone summer and school year programs.

Join us for GEZ and immerse your daughter in the empowering experiences that allow her to write her own story and to make history!