By Cheryl Mattox Berry
While the 2016 presidential election will go down in history for who was elected president, it will also be known as the year women roared – from the first woman to run for the highest office in the nation to many firsts in the U.S. Senate.
All should be celebrated as we observe Women’s History Month in March.
Let’s start with the 115th Congress, where a record 21 women (21%) serve in the Senate and 83 women (19.1%) in the House of Representatives. In addition, five women delegates represent U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.
Both senators are women in three states – Washington, California and New Hampshire.
This session of Congress is being described as the most diverse in history. There are 38 minority women in the House and Senate. Of that number, 35 are Democrats.
The Senate’s freshman class includes many firsts for women. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) is the first Hispanic senator. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is the first Indian-African-American senator. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) is the first Thai-American senator. They join Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii,) a Japanese-American senator.
We can expect more female lawmakers in the future. Fueled by the shock of Donald J. Trump’s victory last November, women are laying the groundwork to run for local, state and federal offices.
There’s too much at stake (healthcare, reproductive rights, equal pay, etc.) to be left in the hands of men, many of whom are making decisions under the influence of a delusional president. As former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said, “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.”
I’ve been inspired by the grassroots movement that has sprung up since the election. Moving forward, I hope that there is a larger participation of women of color (from millennials to baby boomers) in the planning and execution of events. The issues on the women’s agenda affect all of us.
We’ve come a long way, but we aren’t even close to the finish line. Trump serves as a bitter reminder that hard fought gains can be easily overturned by whoever sits in the Oval Office and Congress. We’ve got the power to put our supporters in office. Let’s use it!