By Dr. Elizabeth King, LCSW, CHt
Women have always been a powerful driving force across the globe. When we are able to put aside our differences and embrace intersectionality, we become a force to be reckoned with! The concept of women standing up for and with other women isn’t new. History is full of fearless, determined, compassionate women who reached out to others around them to accomplish mighty things.
Women have power in solidarity. While the Amazons may be only a story, there’s a reason why the idea is so appealing – women as self-sufficient and powerful beings, relying on each other in order to live fulfilled, independent lives. While certainly much of the mythos surrounding the “tribe of warrior women” is fictitious, the idea of being stronger together lives on.
However, verifiable ancient and recent history has plenty of women who bonded together to achieve great things:
- Harriet Tubman engineered the escape of hundreds of slaves (many of them women) by – working in conjunction with others (many also women) on the Underground Railroad.
- The “iron jawed angels” of the women’s suffrage movement ultimately gained women the right to vote.
- 40 years ago women in Iceland banded together and went on strike to fight gender inequality –
country came to a halt and the gender pay gap in Iceland is now one of the smallest in the word.
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The famous actress Tippi Hedren (well known for her role in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”) changed the face of Hollywood’s nail salon industry by empowering female Vietnamese refugees to learn the trade and open their own businesses.
- Malala Yousafzai became one of the strongest global advocates for the education of young girls in the third world – even after being shot in the head.
- Women dairy farmers in Missouri and Pennsylvania are banding together to make each other’s lives easier and find support in a traditional male field.
- Six lawyers banded together to create an all-woman firm that makes sure all of the women’s needs are met, and that they can balance family and work.
Countless feminists, suffragettes, trailblazers and more have changed the face of the world. Kiva, one of the world’s fastest growing organizations, allows people to give loans to people in other countries – over 82% of them go to women, and the lenders are also a female majority. Women helping other women works!
It should be no surprise that an enormous part of being SASSY is about giving back and helping other women be stronger, happier, braver, healthier, and more fulfilled. When women join hands and goals with other women, they become an unstoppable force.
What will you do to change the world for women? Join the SASSY Revolution today and find out!
