International Women's Day 2016--Where We Have Been, Where we Are Going

As my story goes, I was too busy celebrating International Women's Day with my multitude of daily activities that my focus on finishing my post for the day wasn't completed.(I went to my first Book Club experience, and what an experience it was!) So I had to go into Day 2 with my thoughts and feelings for how my day progressed. One thing I noticed was my life was filled with information left and right and I attempted to absorb it all to the best of my ability. As women today we try and process things from every direction, gather it all together and at the end of the day hopefully process all that was given. Having said that.......

Well it is 2016. We are deep into the political arena for the race for a new President. Yes, we are down to one female candidate. The litany of mudslinging gets worse as the time gets closer. We have come a long way from the day when American activists such as Alice Paul, Susan B. Anthony and hundreds of other women throughout the world paved the way for the women of today. Yes we have made some changes in the last ninety plus years in not only the United States and the world, but we still have a long way to go baby!

Today, March 8 is designed International Women's Day. In a time we designate each day something new: National Donut Day, National Grandparent's Day, National Eat Your Green Vegetables Day (I don't know if that day is actually designated but I am sure someone will add it to the list) Every day is an important day for one reason or the other. Personally, my day was filled with snippets of just about everything imaginable.

Women today have a plate full of duties that seems to never end either by choice or by life's requirements. Looking back at women's history, especially reading many articles over the past 24 hours many words come to mind but my favorite is--resilience. When at a point in history you think it may be lost on deaf ears it comes back with a vengeance.

A post on the Times Magazine Facebook page reflected on how March became Women's History Month. Although February 28, 1909 was one of the first notable dates, in more recent history Former President, Jimmy Carter signed a proclamation declaring March 2-8, 1980 Women's History Week. A variety of sites such as The Women's Rights National Historic Park, Alice Paul Institute and the National Women's History provides a vast amount of information about women's history and insight into the thousands of women who have made a difference in the world today because of struggles they experienced.

I randomly came across a poem called "A Strong Woman vs. A Woman of Strength by Luke Easter. Take a moment to read it. I am sure you might find something in it that either you believe, you have witnessed or maybe something you aspire to in your life.

I compiled this list several years ago as an informational sheet while in charge of a women's organization speaker event. When you take the time to look at just these 100 women you can add so many more to this list of inspirational females. Many of these women broke barriers and the new generation will break down even more. Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson and Patricia Arquette are just a few recently in the news and I am sure you can come up with your own 100 List of Ladies who are an inspiration.

This is the thing about women our lists are endless in what we have accomplished and can accomplish, don't be silent--In this situation, "silence is NOT golden".

100 Influential, Famous and Infamous Women in History

1. Esther (Bible)
2. Amelia Earhart
3. Anne Frank
4. Helen Keller
5. Anne Sullivan
6. Mother Theresa
7. Martha Washington
8. Susan B. Anthony
9. Rosa Parks
10. Joan of Arc
11. Sonja Henie
12. Lilian Gish
13. Kate Smith
14. Ella Fitzgerald
15. Martha Stewart
16. Maribel Vinson  (figure skating)
17. Eleanor Roosevelt
18. Danielle Steel
19. J K Rowlings
20. Madonna
21. Annie Oakley
22. Peggy Fleming
23. Jackie Kennedy
24. Barbara Walters
25. Charlotte Bronte
26. Helen Gurley Brown
27. Geraldine Ferraro
28. Babe Didrickson Zaharias (sports, track, golf)
29. Oprah Winfrey
30. Danica Patrick   (auto racing)
31. Diane Sawyer
32. Esther Williams
33. Alice Paul
34. Nancy Pelosi
35. Betty Grable
36. Lucille Ball
37. Bonnie Parker
38. Marie Pasteur
39. Dorothy Hamill
40. Clara Barton
41. Shirley Muldoney  (first female drag racer)
42. Marie Antoniette
43. Gloria Allred
44. Gloria Steineim
45. Liu Yang    (first Chinese astronaut)
46. Louisa Mae Alcott
47. Shirley Temple
48. Libby Riddles  (1985 First Iditarod Champion)
49. Wilma Rudolph
50. Madeline Albright
51. Mary Kay Ash
52. Debbi Fields  (Mrs. Fields Cookie founder)
53. Carrie Chapman Catt
54. Christa McAuliffe
55. Queen Noor of Jordan
56. Pocahantas
57. Sally Ride
58. Sara Blakely  (Spanx founder)
59. Bethanny Frankel
60. Josephine Baker
61. Angela Merkel  (German Chancellor)
62. Indira Gandhi
63. Cathy Rigby
64. Billie Jean King
65. Deborah Simpson (first female military service)
66. Dilma Rousseff ( first Brazil president)
67. Deila Hasket Rawson (first female letter carrier)
68. Mary Kies (first woman receive U.S. patent 1809)
69. Lettie Pate Whitehead (first to serve on board of directors Coke)
70. Betty Ford
71. Hillary Clinton
72. Florence Nightingal
73. Dolly Madison
74. Marissa Meyer  (Yahoo CEO)
75. Marie Curie
76. Elizabeth Taylor
77. Grace Kelly
78. Charlotte Cooper (first Wimbeldon winner)
79. Norma McCorvey (Roe vs. Wade)
80. Cleopatra
81. Anne Boleyn
82. Clara Boothe Luce
83. Susanna Madora Salter(first woman Mayor KS 1887)
84. Marie Ruoff Bryum (first woman to vote 1920 MO)
85. Molly Williams (first female firefighter 1815 NY slave)
86. Mabel Fairbanks      (1^st Black Professional Figure Skater)
87. Emily Dickinson
88. Sandra Day O’Conner
89. Jane Goodall
90. Hedda Hopper        (Hollywood Gossip Columnist)
91. Eva Peron           
92. Alice Stebbins Wells   (1910 1^st Los Angeles Police Officer)
93. Margaret Thatcher
94. Erin Brockovich
95. Lady Diana Spencer
96. Katie Couric
97. Hazel Palmer  
98. Arabella Mansfield  (1869 First Female Law School Graduate)
99. Mary Katherine Goddard (1777 Postmaster)
100.  Phyllis Diller