Equality, Equity, and Our Stories
Soon it will be spring; you know what that means; March is here! St. Patty's day and Mardi Gras may be the first holidays that come to mind as the flowers bloom and days grow longer. Did you know March is also dedicated to recognizing Women's contributions to history and achievements? Let's celebrate!
Women’s History Month and Women’s International Day
Every March since 1987, Women's History Month has been observed nationally. And March 8th, named Women's International Day (IWD), has been celebrated worldwide since 1911. But you'll find IWD has a surprising past. Because of this, it wasn’t until after 1975 that the United Nations began recognizing the day, with the United States following soon after. Here is a fun local Northern California fact: Women's History Month evolved from Women's History Week, a celebration born from the Education Task Force of Sonoma County created on (you guessed it) International Women's Day, March 8th, 1978.
Celebrating Women - March 2023 Themes
Each year, the month-long and day celebrations focus on specific themes you can participate in. This year's International Women's Day theme is #EmbraceEquity to "...get the world talking about Why equal opportunities aren't enough. People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action." And the National Women's History Alliance (NWHA), headquartered in Santa Rosa, has designated Women's History Month 2023 for "Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories." Both campaigns encourage and provide a list of ideas on how you can celebrate women, and it doesn't have to only be in March.
How Will you Celebrate?
Support women by following the themes or choose to celebrate your own way to acknowledge and celebrate women of the past and the women of today. The IWD site states, "IWD belongs to everyone, everywhere. Inclusion means all IWD action is valid." and NWHA "...encourages discovering stories about our mothers, grandmothers, and great grandmothers to help us better understand their lives, the challenges they faced, and ultimately, ourselves and our own times."
With my business focused on empowering and challenging women 50+ entrepreneurs to Become and Be Seen and build their confidence through portrait photography, I get to meet and partner with amazing women almost daily - women leading, educating, and challenging the status quo in our world today. Together we decide how and when to celebrate, recognize, or participate in making change.
Women Supporting Women Spotlight
In celebration of Women's International Day and Women's History Month, I’m introducing you to these three wise, creative, and business-savvy leaders. They have all inspired me with their stories and achievements.
Sallie went from corporate marketing to running her own business around something she loves and believes in - she wants women to feel confident, save time and look their best. I love that Sallie was a client first, and now she is a colleague and collaborator. We both believe in women supporting other women in business. Our values align, and our skills complement so well that future partnerships and collaborations are inevitable.
Vernā Myers
VP, Inclusion Strategist at Netflix
I met Vernā about 6 years ago and was inspired by her personal DEI mission and business goals. So much so that I became the brand design consultant for her online education company and her lifestyle portrait photographer. She is now the VP of DEI at Netflix. Vernā continues to amaze me with her positive, educational, and humorous point of view on the many opposing realities we encounter in the world of DEI.
Since the day I met Janis at Organic, Inc in the ‘90s I was in awe of her smarts, self-reflection, and purpose. She was the first female Chief Creative Officer of a pure Digital Marketing Agency and I was a budding graphic designer. She leads by digging deep into how people think and what they believe, what they need to grow and shift, and how to communicate with them. She is a rolling stone, and her achievements include founding several companies, including Zenapse, Brite Catalyst, and Lucid Navigation. It was a real joy to have Janis’ good company for a creative full afternoon photo session!