Women Make History Every Day

Dear Friends,

Before we close out the month of March, the official National Women’s History Month, I wanted to send out one more message about the intergenerational power of women and girls.

On March 8th, the world celebrated International Women’s Day, uplifting the undisputable way women and girls have undergirded our world. On that day, I wore red for my grandmother who was the first DREAMER in our family. She had a strength that rivaled that of any man’s. I wore my mother’s earrings for her because she was as fabulous as she was fierce in her advocacy for social justice. And, I wore the tremendous pride in my daughter, Mika, for the intelligent, thoughtful, uncompromising, and beautiful young woman she has become.

Women’s work is the backbone of the world. We make history every day of every month all over the world. We stand taller on the shoulders of all the women who have forged the way forward before us; our descendants will stand even taller on our shoulders as they build new pathways and disciplines of feminism that speak to the totality of who we have been, who we are, and who we will become.

There will be a day when we do not face violence, harassment, hate, exploitation, and misogyny but that is not today. There will be a day when we earn equal pay for equal work but that is not today. There will be a day when we are equally and effectively represented in all branches of government, education, and in the economy but that is also not today.

Today is the day we recommit our selves to eradicating external and internalized oppression. Today is the day that those of us who can speak more freely elevate the voices of women and girls who are not so free to do so. Today is the day that we celebrate the vast contributions and courage of all the women who came before us and the brilliance of the young women and girls whose power we dedicate ourselves to nurture for the future.

Today and every day, I am thankful for the incredible women in my family, the talented women I work with every day, and the inspiring women and girls we serve each year. In solidarity with women all over the world, we cannot wait for social justice, we must push forward with all our collective power until all our dreams are realized.

 

In Service,
Josefina Alvarado Mena, Esq.
CEO
Safe Passages