March celebrates Women’s History Month

By Felicia Farnsworth

The month of March is “Women's Month.” March celebrates Women’s History Month, which happens to have several female-gendered holidays within it. International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8, we celebrate National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on March 10 and Girl Scout Week is the week of March 12. March also celebrates Endometriosis Awareness, National Cheerleading Safety, and Expanding Girls Horizons in Science and Engineering.

Women have come a long way since being told to stay home, cook, clean, and take care of the children. Thanks to women such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, who stood up for women's rights in the workplace and our rights to have more educational opportunities. They wanted to be able to run for office, speak in front of Congress, and vote. Women started to stand up for other women as far back as 1848.

Because of their persistence and bravery, women in today’s modern society can have equal pay opportunities, voting rights, and the right to run for a political or government office. Without our ancestors standing up for what they believed, Vice President Kamala Harris wouldn't be in office today.

Many of our businesses in Union Springs wouldn't exist because they are owned and operated by a woman. Josephine Arts and Coffee Shop is owned and operated by Joyce Perrin. FPH Bakery is owned and operated by Amber Money. Nazareth Reynolds-Thornton owns City Sophisticate. Ashley Green owns Taylormade Boutique. Kim Graham owns and operates Adams Pecans LLC.

Nazareth Reynolds-Thornton, owner/operator of City Sophisticate Boutique.

Tamicca Rodgers owns Cocktail Lounge. These are just a few businesses owned by local women entrepreneurs that otherwise wouldn't own their businesses if it wasn't for the women of our past fighting for our rights in their future. International Women's Day is celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement. The earliest celebration was purportedly a “Women’s Day,” organized by the Socialist Party of America in New York City on February 28, 1909, at the suggestion of Theresa Malkiel.

This holiday brings attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. With March being National Women’s History Month, we must honor and celebrate the brave women who stood up for women's rights because look where they have taken us over the last couple of generations. We’ve had women in the Senate, Congress, police forces, and the military as officers. We have had women astronauts, as well as women moguls in the fashion industry.

Women’s rights have come a very long way.

Kim Adams Graham, owner/operator of Adams Pecans LLC.