By: Sondra Nunez, NFBPWC Secretary 2022-2024 Hello fellow NFBPW sisters! 

As the end quarter of the 2022-2024 term approaches, I sometimes feel overwhelmed and frustrated because there is so much I want to do, and don’t know how to make the time to do it. When these feelings wash over me, I turn to one of my favorite poems, as it reminds me that ups and downs and twists and turns are a natural part of the journey of life. If you are feeling lost or unsure, may these words bring you hope.  

Don’t Quit by Edgar Guest  

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, when the road you're trudging seems all uphill, when the funds are low and the debts are high, and you want to smile but you have to sigh, when care is pressing you down a bit - rest if you must, but don't you quit. 

Life is queer with its twists and turns. As everyone of us sometimes learns. And many a fellow turns about when he might have won had he stuck it out. 

Don't give up though the pace seems slow - you may succeed with another blow. Often the goal is nearer than it seems to a faint and faltering man;

Often the struggler has given up when he might have captured the victor's cup; and he learned too late when the night came down, how close he was to the golden crown.  

Success is failure turned inside out - the silver tint of the clouds of doubt, and when you never can tell how close you are, it may be near when it seems afar; so stick to the fight when you're hardest hit - it's when things seem worst, you must not quit. 

By: Daneene Monroe Rusnak, 2^nd Vice President of Advocacy, NFBPWC 2020-2024 

Advocacy Committee Calls for Platform Proposals  

Our Biennial Assembly is fast approaching and we are looking forward to gathering together again. As a reminder, the Biennial Assembly is also the time for us to review and update our advocacy platform.  

Chapters/Affiliates/Federations 

interested in proposing changes have until May 25^th to submit their request(s) via our online submission form.  

Click the link or scan the QR code  https://bit.ly/2024AdvocacyPlatformProposalForm 

SCOTUS and Mifepristone

On March 26, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine (AHM), otherwise known as the abortion pill case. There appear to be reasons to be optimistic but we can’t take anything for granted in this “post-Roe era”.  

 

Some of the Justices’ lines of questioning appear to indicate there are concerns with: 

• a nationwide injunction of a medication 

• whether AHM truly has the right to sue 

• the lack of real examples of harm caused by the medication  

• whether this case could destroy the FDA’s drug regulating system for medications, vaccines, etc.  

View the replay of the oral arguments (with highlights denoted) here 

Discharge Petition Update

Representative Gabe Vasquez [D-NM-2] added his signature to HJ Res 25. We now have 211 signatures on the discharge petition and only need 7 more signatures. Please continue to spread the word and encourage other representatives to sign. 

Are you curious about which legislators have signed the discharge petition and which legislators we still need to encourage?  You can check this list to see who the current signatories are. 

Here’s some suggested verbiage when connecting with your representative about the Discharge Petition for HJ Res 25=>  

Suggested Verbiage for Discharge Petition Support 

Share this information with folks you know who are constituents of the representatives who have not yet signed. 

Reminders: 

• Don’t forget to use our digital advocacy platform to show your support for the ERAand Voting Rightswhile encouraging your MOC’s to do the same! You can complete these actions multiple times. Consider making it a weekly (or daily?????) habit. The more messages received, the more they listen…..and hopefully, take favorable action! 

• Sign up for our Advocacy Text Alerts oText the keyword “advocate1919” to the number 313131 

▪You should instantly receive a “Welcome” message oIf you do NOT receive a Welcome message, try texting the keyword “advocate1919” to the number 716-271-7872 

If neither of those options work, please email VP of Advocacy, Daneene Monroe Rusnak at vpadvocacy@nfbpwc.org 

Renewal, Transformation, and Growth

Each season brings us a new perspective. Spring, for me, has always been a time of renewal, transformation, and growth. All the seeds of information and empowerment that were planted through the winter months are ready to sprout. NFBPWC leaders work tirelessly to bring our membership engaging and intriguing content throughout the year with a focus on learning more in the downtime of the winter months. Our online meetings continue to attract new people and ideas. NFBPWC members utilize the darker times of the year to discover ways to improve themselves both personally and professionally and prepare for growth as the season changes to summer. Our organization has offered these opportunities for over 5 years, as we had already adopted the online meeting platform long before many organizations when the pandemic hit in 2020.

Our event, Global Collaboration to Tackle Period Poverty, at this year’s United Nations 68^th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) garnered more than 100 participants, over 70 people attended in-person. Congratulations to Young BPW Executive, Emily VanVleck, on a successful event and a huge amount of appreciation for all her hard work. A special thank you to BPW Canada, specifically Karin Gorgerat, for partnering with NFBPWC for this year’s event. Addition thanks to BPW Canada for including Past National President Sandra Thompson and President Megan Shellman-Rickard to receive delegate passes to the United Nations for this year’s CSW event. Congratulations to our Young BPW member, Djenabou Bah, for presenting on behalf of BPW International’s Young BPWs. NFBPWC had great representation at this year’s CSW event, and we look forward to including even more members in 2025!

Upcoming events for the National organization are not quite slowing down yet. In the month of April we have “Pitch Like a Pro” presented by the Entrepreneur and Small Business Committee on April 10^th (https://www.nfbpwc.org/event-5266589), “Earth Day Café” celebrating Earth Day presented by the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee on April 22^nd (https://www.nfbpwc.org/event-5592088), and the annual Heart of a Woman Conference in partnership with the Houston Methodist Hospital and the Health Committee on April 27^th (https://www.nfbpwc.org/event-5687048). Please take a moment to check your schedule and participate as a member. Supporting our committees and the hard work put into these events only serves to strengthen our organization now and in the future.

Our organization has the propensity to inspire, empower, and connect members as we work together for gender equity. We can nurture our connections by starting with compassion, grace, and active listening. Members of this organization motivate others by finding a path in BPW that makes this community a vibrant part of their lives. A simple spark of an idea can turn into an international project, a national initiative, or an influential local program. As business and professional women, we can nurture each other’s ideas and potential while acknowledging our limitations. Our network connects us to phenomenal people and unique opportunities. We have a community of members on which we can rely for both expertise on subjects and ears to listen.

Let us take a moment as we celebrate Earth Day, and this beautiful world in which we live, to remember that all of the members of this organization do their part to make a difference. We offer a community to each other, one in which we can find solace and solutions. And let us not forget to be kind and accepting of each member’s journey in this organization as we endure these extraordinary moments of history (and herstory).

Please remember, you have an opportunity to provide constructive input and to find your own unique path in this organization. This is a chance to develop your potential, and that of NFBPWC, in a safe and welcoming space. Please continue to bring your ideas, projects, and your own light forward. Let us celebrate our successes as individuals and as an organization!

NFBPWC is living our theme for this biennium: Cultivate Connections, Create Community. Sending personal wishes of celebration, health, and progress around the globe!

Kind Regards,

Megan Shellman-Rickard, NBPWC President (2020-2024)

By: Sandra Thompson, NFBPWC’s Immediate Past President  

I am sure you all know who Alice Paul is, but do you know much about her.   She was a suffragist, feminist, and political strategist.  I thought I would share a little about her since at our Biennial Meeting in July on Friday afternoon, we will be visiting her house.  This trip is included in your registration.  If you are like me, 

you enjoy visiting old houses and finding out about the people who lived there.   Especially ones who did so much to advance women’s rights. 

Alice Paul was the architect of some of the most outstanding political achievements on behalf of women in the 20th century. Born on January 11, 1885, to Quaker parents in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, Alice Paul dedicated her life to the single cause of securing equal rights for all.  

A leader in the fight to ratify the 19th Amendment in 1920 to extend voting rights to women, Alice Paul authored the Equal Rights Amendment 1923 and spent the rest of her life fighting for its ratification to ensure the U.S. Constitution protects women and men equally. 

Alice Paul attended a Quaker school in nearby Moorestown. She graduated first in her class in 1901.  As Paul said years later, “When the Quakers were founded…one of their principles was, and is, equality of the sexes.  So, I never had any other idea…the principle was always there.”  The Quaker belief that women and men were equal, something of an anomaly for the time period, undoubtedly accounts for the number of Quakers active in the fight for suffrage.  Both Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia Mott, leaders of the early suffrage movement, were Quakers whom Paul admired and considered role models. 

After spending some time in England, Paul returned to the United States imbued with the radicalism of the English suffrage movement and a determination to reshape and re-energize the American campaign for women’s enfranchisement.  She joined the National American Women’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA), one of the leading national organizations working for women’s suffrage.  

In 1912, Alice Paul joined her NAWSA colleagues Lucy Burns and Crystal Eastman in a move to Washington, D.C. With little funding and in true Pankhurst style, Paul and Burns quickly got to work organizing a publicity event guaranteed to gain maximum national attention.  The well-matched pair designed a massive and elaborate parade for thousands of women to march up Pennsylvania Avenue on March 3, 1913, the day prior to the inaugural parade of President-elect Woodrow Wilson. 

Although both NAWSA’s president Carrie Chapman Catt and Alice Paul shared the goal of universal suffrage, their political strategies greatly differed.  Where NAWSA concentrated a majority of its effort upon state campaigns, Paul wanted to focus all energy and funding to advance a constitutional amendment. 

The divergent strategies led to tension between Alice Paul and NAWSA leadership and in 1914, after initially forming a semi-autonomous group called the Congressional Union, Paul and those who supported the strategy for a constitutional amendment severed ties to NAWSA. Two years later, in 1916, Paul and her supporters formed a new party, the National Woman’s Party (NWP). The NWP moved quickly to organize public events to bring attention to their work.  In 1917, the NWP organized the first public picketing in front of the White House in the nation’s history. Until that moment, no one had dared to publicly protest the President of the United States in such a manner. 

 

Called the “Silent Sentinels” because they stood quietly, not speaking or interacting with passersby, groups of women stood outside the gates of the White House, six days per week no matter the weather. 

Over the course of weeks, 168 suffragists were arrested, and sent to jail or prison if they refused to pay the fines or admit guilt. While in jail, Alice and the suffragists demanded to be treated as political prisoners, in accordance with the English suffragette methodology. Officials ignored their request, leading Paul and several suffragists to begin a hunger strike. As she had experienced during her hunger strikes in England, prison officials began brutal forced feedings of the suffragists, sometimes done three times per day. 

Toward the end of 1917, President Wilson, facing increased pressure and growing criticism of the suffragists’ treatment in prison, reversed his position and announced his support for a suffrage amendment as a “war measure.” In the following months, Wilson met with members of Amidst growing support, in 1919, members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate voted to pass the 19th Amendment and sent it to the states for ratification.  

THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT 

Many suffragists left public life and activism after the 19th Amendment was enacted, but Alice Paul was not among them. She believed the true battle for legally protected gender equality had yet to be won. With an eye to championing another constitutional amendment, Paul pursued and earned three law degrees (LL.B., LL.M. and D.C.L.) to better understand how legislation and laws were drafted and passed. With this knowledge, she wrote the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in 1923. It was introduced to Congress the same year but has yet to be ratified to the U.S. Constitution.  Current efforts to ratify the ERA center upon passing legislation in both houses of Congress to remove the time limit assigned to the ratification of the ERA in 1972. 

Alice Paul’s life is a vibrant demonstration that one person can truly make a lasting difference. On July 9, 1977, Alice Paul died at the age of 92 in Moorestown, New Jersey, a short distance from her birthplace and family home of Paulsdale.  

On the centennial of her birth in 1985, the Alice Paul Institute (API) was founded to honor her legacy and continue the fight for equality for all. Headquartered at Paulsdale, which is now a National Historic Landmark, API is dedicated to preserving Paulsdale, advancing women’s history, and supporting the next generation of female leaders to develop their unique leadership style. 

The Alice Paul Institute educates and encourages women and girls to be leaders in their communities and leads national advocacy efforts to advance Alice Paul’s vision for constitutionally protected gender equality through the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. 

To find out more about the Alice Paul Institute visit their website alicepaul.org. 

By: Sondra Nunez, NFBPWC Secretary 2022-2024 

On April 2, 2024, I will turn 56 years old and fulfill a lifelong dream of flying to  Florence Italy on that exact date. In honor of all who are celebrating birthdays this  month, I offer the following wish for you.  

By: Daneene Monroe Rusnak, 2^nd Vice President of Advocacy, NFBPWC 2020-2024

#ShoutForEquality 

Thanks to a brand-new technology developed by the ad agency Ogilvy, ERA Coalition has

 introduced the Shout for Equality campaign to help increase the number of signatures received for the Sign4ERA initiative.  

This innovative approach is bubbling with “viral” potential and that is exactly what we’re all hoping for. Stay tuned for more details on how we, as NFBPWC members and friends, can show our support en masse. To learn more about the campaign, visit www.shoutforequality.com. 

HERstory On Broadway! 

Opening night on Broadway for Suffs the musical will be on April 18^th at the Music Box Theatre. Written by Shaina Taub and coproduced by Malala Yousafzai and Hillary Clinton, Suffs (the name that suffragists called themselves), is set in 1913 when support for the 19^th Amendment is gaining traction. View the Suffs websiteto learn more about this amazing production. 

 

 

Great Resource About the ERA 

Shout out to Virtual Chapter member Kathy Telban who, as a part of ERA-OH, helped to create an excellent ERA flyer with a self-test and loads of resources as a part of their Women’s History Month initiatives. View that creation here. 

Are you ready to “Get Educated, Agitated, and Activated?” 

Discharge Petition Update 

Representative Rep. Thomas R. Suozzi [D-NY-3] added his signature to HJ Res 25 on March 22, so we now have 210 signatureson the discharge petition. Only 8 more are needed!Please continue to spread the word and encourage other representatives to sign.  

Are you curious to know which legislators have signed the discharge petition and which legislators we still need to encourage?  You can check this list to see who the current signatories are.  

Here’s some suggested verbiage when connecting with your representative about the Discharge Petition for HJ Res 25=>  

Suggested Verbiage for Discharge Petition Support 

Share this information with folks you know who are constituents of the representatives who have not yet signed. 

Reminder: 

Don’t forget to use our digital advocacy platform to show your support for the ERA and Voting Rights while encouraging your MOC’s to do the same! You can complete these actions multiple times. Consider making it a weekly (or daily?????) habit. The more messages received, the more they listen…..and hopefully, take favorable action!

By: Kathy Kelly 1^st Vice President of Membership

Happy Springtime!

What do BPW and Easter Bunnies have in common? 

We’re multiplying like rabbits! 

WELCOME NEW AND RENEWING MEMBERS IN MARCH! 

STATUS	NAME	LOCATION	SPONSER
Renew	Margaret Kotzalas	Momentum - Maryland	N/A
New	Christina Tomacic	Colorado - Boulder	Barb Flood
New	Sarah Beukelman	Colorado - Denver	N/A
New	Amy King Allegra	Pennsylvania	Dr. Twila Wynn
New	Lorraine Dixon	Pennsylvania	Ella McElwee
New	Paula Himes	Pennsylvania	Ella McElwee
New	Celina Nemec	Pennsylvania	Ella McElwee
New	Tisa L. Vincent	Pennsylvania	Ella McElwee
New	Kara Jones	Virtual -Washington	Daneene Monroe Rusnak
New	Helen Yang	Colorado - Boulder	N/A
New	Gail Parle	Cali - Sacramento	Katherine Winan
New	Angela Pao-Johnson	Cali - East LA Montebello	Linda Wilson

We are on track to Double or More in ’24. Since January 1, NFBPWC has welcomed 46 new members toward our 2024 goal of 200.

Congratulations to Dr. Ella McElwee of BPW Pennsylvania for bringing in four new members, and Dr. Twila Wynn of BPW Pennsylvania with three. Both have enough new members now for one of the new BPW Bling pins – arriving shortly!

Do you love it? Want one? Be sure you’re getting credit for new member

referrals! We will list sponsors in the e-magazine each month.

We’ve also launched our Donation Gifts - BPW Bling! Please see our page on the

website donation page, or email Kathy Kelly at vpmembership@nfbpwc.org with

your order.

Suggested donation (includes shipping, minimum order of 5 or more please):

$10 each (classic gold NFBPWC, pin clasp)

$20 each (New BPW bling pin, magnetic clasp)

$25 each (NFBPWC scarf)

The National Membership Committee meets on the first and third Mondays of each month, holidays excluded.

In April we will meet on the 1st and 15th. We welcome all members to join us and learn more about the tools and events NFBPWC offers that can support your club to “Double or More in ’24!”

Contact Kathy Kelly, vpmembership@nfbpwc.org for more information.

Let’s DOUBLE or MORE in ’24!

Join us for our BIG membership drive! 

GOAL:  200 new members by December 31, 2024. Ladies, NFBPWC grew by 235 new members in 2022.  We can do it again (We’re already at 36 new members so far in 2024)!  We need strength in numbers to tackle the many advocacy issues facing women in the United States today.  And yes, Heritage sisters count! 

Chances to win BPW Bling. Check out our beautiful new lapel pin design below.  Prizes awarded mid-year at the NFBPWC Biennial Conference in July and again in January of 2025.

Rules of the contest:

• The Affiliate or Club President (or Membership VP/Chair) will verify and forward the information to the NFBPWC VP Membership before the first deadline of JULY 15, 2024  (vpmembership@nfbpwc.org).  Please do not have individual members forward the information.  It’s okay to send the information as you receive it.  We need it by Affiliate/Club so we can keep better records, verify payment by new members, and we will reconcile our information with yours before Convention and again during the January 2025 membership reconciliations.  Prizes will be given at Convention and/or mailed to Affiliate/Club contact for local distribution in July and January 2025.
  
  
• Example of entry (Excel spreadsheet, email or Word)
• • NEW MEMBER NAME, Club, sponsored by (current member) and date.
  • Ex: Dr. Jane Wonderwoman, Boulder, sponsored by Sharon Simmons, 2-14-24
    
    
• Prizes for Everyone!
• • 1 member           Small NFBPWC lapel pin ($10 value)
  • 3 members         Large NFBPWC Bling lapel pin ($20 value)
  • 5 members         Large lapel pin + NFBPWC scarf ($45 value)          
    
    
• Affiliate/Club levels awarded at July Biennial Conference:
• • Top prize:            Large Nike statue and NFBPWC Bling pins for executive team
  • Second prize:     Small Nike statue and small lapel pins for executive team
  • Third prize:         Small Nike statue

Our thanks again to Bessie Hironimus, BPW California, for the great idea! 

Celebrating Women and CSW68

March is Women’s History Month. On March 8^th, 2024, NFBPWC will celebrate International Women’s Day alongside the United Nations and countless other countries and organizations. This year the United Nations observance of International Women’s Day theme is ‘'Invest in women: Accelerate progress.” The Official UN International Women’s Day commemoration will be held in the ECOSOC Chamber and live streamed on 8 March 2024, from 10:00 am to 11:30 am EST.

The International Women’s Day Website has declared “Inspire Inclusion” as the 2024 campaign theme. As the president of an organization that values inclusion, I would like to share their statement:

Inspire Inclusion.

When we inspire others to understand and value women's inclusion, we forge a better world.

And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there's a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment.

Collectively, let's forge a more inclusive world for women.

Read more about a definition of what it means to inspire inclusion here.

(https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Theme)

“The 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, will take place this year from March 11^th – 22^nd, 2024 under the priority theme, ‘Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.’” (https://www.unwomen.org/en/how-we-work/commission-on-the-status-of-women) As an affiliate federation of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (IFBPW or BPW International), we participate annually in the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).  This session will be held as a hybrid event with activities being held both onsite in NYC, virtually, and simultaneously (hybrid). All NFBPWC members have an incredible opportunity to participate in the CSW experience either from the comfort of their own homes or in NYC… for FREE!

NFBPWC is honored to be accepted, for the fourth year in a row, to present a Parallel Event at this year’s Commission on the Status of Women 68^th annual event. We are thrilled to announce that our event will be a truly hybrid one, both in-person and virtually on Zoom. This marks our second in-person, hybrid Parallel Event. We are privileged to be hosting this year’s Parallel Event with BPW Canada Global Collaboration to Tackle Period Poverty on March 13, 2024 from 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM (Eastern Time). Our phenomenal Young BPW, Emily VanVleck, will be the Moderator at the event. It is important to recognize that her leadership elevated the Period Poverty Initiative to this level as she took the lead in executing the planning of the event and speakers with BPW Canada’s Immediate Past President, Karin Gorgerat.

In addition, NFBPWC is proud to be supporting a fellow Dina Fesler’s (a fellow NFBPWC and IFBPW member) event: Navigating Trauma: Empowering Adolescent Girls in Conflict Zones. Please click on this link to participate in this virtual event on March 13, 2024 at 12:30 PM (Eastern Time). Links to other BPW events can be found on our CSW Portal webpage and here: https://www.bpw-international.org/un/csw68-2024/csw68-parallel-events/. Thank you to all the members who are attending events in New York City for the IFBPW Leaders’ Summit and/or the 68^th annual Commission on the Status of Women event.

Your participation is key, and our success on this global platform at the United Nations depends on you. Please celebrate and share this event as widely as you can. Invite your friends, your neighbors, your social media connections, your family, and your work colleagues. This is our opportunity to help NFBPWC grow our membership and market our organization while celebrating women globally. Here is a link to this year’s CSW68 page: https://www.nfbpwc.org/UN-CSW.

What other support do we need to make this event successful? It takes a small village to make an event like this possible. For our members attending this year’s Commission on the Status of Women, it takes a huge commitment of time, funds, and expertise. Please consider donating to make these opportunities more accessible and feasible for all of our members: https://www.nfbpwc.org/Donate and indicate that it is for our United Nations CSW Fund (NFBPWC is a 501c3 organization).

Let us celebrate and honor one another throughout Women’s History month. Please remember, you have an opportunity to provide constructive input and to find your own unique path in this organization. This is a chance to develop your potential, and that of NFBPWC, in a safe and welcoming space. Please continue to bring your ideas, projects, and your own light forward. Let us celebrate our successes as individuals and as an organization!

NFBPWC is truly living our theme for this biennium: Cultivate Connections, Create Community. Sending personal wishes of celebration, health, and progress around the globe!

Kind Regards,

Megan Shellman-Rickard,

NBPWC President (2020-2024)

By: Sandra Thompson
NFBPWC’s Immediate Past President  March is National Women’s History month.    

About Women's History Month 

Women's History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as “Women’s History Week.” In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project (now called National 

Women’s History Alliance), Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the 

month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month.” Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, presidents have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s 

History Month.” These proclamations celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States and recognize the specific achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields. 

The theme this year is - 

“Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion”  

The National Women’s History Alliance provides the following information: 

The National Women’s History Month’s theme for 2024 celebrates “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.” The theme recognizes women throughout the country who understand that, for a positive future, we need to eliminate bias and discrimination entirely from our lives and institutions. 

Women from every background have long realized that an uneven playing field will never bring equality or justice. Many feel the critical need to speak up and work harder for fairness in our institutions and social interactions. 

During 2024, we recognize the example of women who are committed to embracing everyone and excluding no one in our common quest for freedom and opportunity. They know that people change with the help of families, teachers and friends, and that young people in particular need to learn the value of hearing from different voices with different points of view as they grow up. 

Today, equity, diversity and inclusion are powerful driving forces that are having a wide-ranging impact on our country. As members of families, civic and community groups, businesses and legislative bodies, women are in the forefront of reevaluating the status quo. They are looking anew at what harmful social policies and behaviors exist and, often subtly, determine our future. In response, women in communities across the nation are helping to develop innovative programs and projects within corporations, the military, federal agencies and educational organizations to address these injustices. 

It takes courage for women to advocate for practical goals like equity, diversity and inclusion when established forces aim to misinterpret, exploit, or discredit them. Throughout 2024, we honor local women from the past and present who have taken the lead to show the importance of change and to establish firmer safeguards, practices and legislation reflecting these values. Following decades of discrimination, we are proud to celebrate women who work for basic inclusion, equality and fairness.