MADETOLEAD
MADEXXX
see that there is a way out and that they do not
have to fall into the patterns set by generations
of women before them. One of the places these
young women can turn to see women making
great strides is in the current political climate,
both on a local and national level. For decades
women have been fighting not only to get a
vote but to make their voices heard through
representation in the political spectrum. Even
though the 19th Amendment was passed in
1920, women of color did not get the right to
vote until 1965 when the Voting Rights Act
was passed. Much like the laws, women of color
and minority women were not able to make a
place for themselves in politics until much later
than their Caucasian counterparts. For example,
the first woman was elected to Congress in
1916 and the first minority woman wasn’t
elected until 1968. Similarly, the first woman
was elected to the Senate in 1932 while the first
woman of minority status was not elected until
1992, almost 60 years later. Without proper
representation, young girls of colors had no one
to look up to and inspire them to be the driving
force of change to create equality in a political
space for themselves and other minorities.
Fast forward to 2018 and women of color and
minorities are still fighting to shift the number
in their favor and to be a positive role model
to youths. After the midterms, not only did
women claim for seats in both the House and
Senate, but the number of black women and
minority women rise as well. Of the 127 women
in Congress, 22 are black women, 86 women are
in Statewide elected offices, four are black and
14 are minority women and of the 456 women
of color out of the 1,875 state legislators, 275
are black women including 112 Senators and
344 State Representatives. These numbers give
young girls a wide range of women, who may
or may not visually represent them, role models
that show them that with perseverance and hard
work they are capable of creating and facilitating
change.
While having a visual representation to look
up to, another way for young girls to learn from
their role model, political or otherwise is to
write to them. Learning first hand from the
women who came before them can help create a
blueprint of sorts of traversing the rough terrain
of obtaining your goals. The lesson they teach
may not always be a straight forward plan to get
there but rather the knowledge of the challenges
they faced, how to circumvent failure and how
to stay strong in the face of adversity.
Although role models are often linked to a
younger generation, women of all age can
benefit from role models and the support of
their fellow females. It is never too late to pursue
one’s passion or follow a dream because society
has denoted that they are unobtainable. Not
to sound cliché, there are plenty of powerful
and successful women who did not even begin
to chase their dreams until later in life. For
example, Toni Morrison, who was a single
mother working at Random House Publishing,
published her first novel at 40 and later went on
to become a Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winner.
Well known bridal and fashion designer, Vera
Wang was 40 years old when she opened her
flagship store that helped launch her million-
dollar brand.
Inspirational women come from all walks of
life, have unique and individual stories and
prove to be motivational figures to not just
young girls but adults as well. In a time where
everyone seems to be at conflict with others, it is
pivotal that women continue to come together
and uplift and inspire. The more women make
waves in society, the more access young girls
have to a range of role models regardless of the
communities they come from or their societal
backgrounds.
#mademaven
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