"There is Too Much Work to Do" Keep Marching On!

“People say, what is the sense of our small effort?
They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time,
take one step at a time.
A pebble cast into a pond causes ripples that spread in all directions. Each one of our thoughts, words and deeds is like that. No one has a right to sit down and feel hopeless.
There is too much work to do.”
~ Dorothy Day

Yes, it's been a week! and Yes, emotions, anxiety and simple dread are filling every inch within us and around us.   

Through the fog of where we are, and the blow to our hopes, however, comes clarity-get back to work!

True, it may not be as simple as "pick yourself up, dust yourself off..." but history shows us that is exactly what we need to do. Women did not just land in a space where a woman could receive over 70 million votes in her bid to be President of the United States.  It was the work, the determination, the persistence and the resistance of generations of women, and men who believed in those women and their rights, to get here. Setbacks, no matter their dimensions or seismic proportion, are a part of that history, and a part of every girl's journey to stand where she wants. 

With each turn of history,however, we get to do it differently, see it differently, listen differently, and move forward differently.  While the lessons of this week are still to be understood one thing is certain-we don't stand still.

So, what can this girl do? 

At This Girl Can! Change the World nothing that happened this week changes anything except to strengthen our commitment to girls everywhere.

Our mission has always been about inspiring every girl to know their own power.  We want every girl to understand she has a voice and the right to walk into any room she chooses at any time. 

We want to support every girl to have the confidence that grows with her, an unshakeable confidence and sense of self that allows her to believe in her own power to realize her dreams.

We know what happens to young girls as they enter their tween and teen years.  All the amazing confidence, the girl spunk, they have erodes, and many girls simply fall off the confidence cliff.  

We do not want to see any girl lose her belief in her own power.

We do not want any girl to question her place or her voice.

We do not want any girl to ever feel she does not belong...or that she can't...because we know This Girl Can!

We know that positive role models, mentors who support and show the way, learning about women's history and telling women's stories, and amplifying affirming portrayals in popular culture and media are all key to helping every girl see what is possible.

So how do we help our girls understand this week when we as adults may not yet understand. How do we help them with the hurt and disappointment that we all are carrying? How do we create the path for them to soar?

We start with acknowledging it hurts but also looking at what there is to celebrate. We point to all the women throughout history who got up the next day and kept moving forward. Though the potential was not realized THIS TIME, stepping back, sitting down, giving up, giving in will never be the way to build lasting change. These are lessons that are not about one woman, one election, but rather about how every girl can navigate her own personal journey and achieve her own goals.

To do this,however, she needs us to show her we believe in her! and help her to believe in herself.

"The important thing is don't ever give up. Don't ever give up. Don't ever stop trying to make the world a better place. You have power. You have power. And don't you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before."

~Vice President Kamala Harris

Now more than perhaps ever before we need to support girls understanding of what is possible.  No, it may not always work out, but we need to foster their confidence to get up and most especially try again and again and again.  

Progress is not instant soup and learning about women's stories throughout history will show that well. Our kids are from an instant gratification culture...a two minute tik tok is about the extent of their investment of time.  So teaching them that justice is slow but worth the work is essential as is showing every girl that no matter the moment, no matter the current outcome, This Girl Can! Use Her Voice...This Girl Can! Choose Her Own Path...  This Girl Can! Walk into Any Room...  This Girl Can! Do Something... This Girl Can! Change the World.

Keep Marching On!

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
— Harriet Tubman

This Little Girl is Me

This year’s theme for the United Nations #IDG is ‘Girls’ Vision for the Future’

This started me thinking about what my vision of the future was when I was little.

What did I imagine I could BE when I got older?

On the eve of #InternationalDayoftheGirl Inspiring Girls International is once again celebrating with their #ThisLittleGirlIsMe campaign, asking the question..."What advice would you give to your younger self?" Well, not enough space here to put everything I want to say to that 8 year old me...but

Once upon a time…don’t all good stories start that way? I was a 40-year-old in a 4-year-old's shoes.  I had a lot, and I mean a lot! to say.  I wanted to fix everything and everyone. I wanted to redecorate every room I walked into and change the world overall.  I was never content with the status quo and could never figure out why… why… why…Very little has changed!

There were so many things that never made sense to me. Why were all the doctors men and the nurses women?  How come only boys went to the MathLab?    Why were all the girls put on different teams from the boys?  Why didn’t I ever see boys at ballet class? SO many questions!

I grew up at a time of huge change for women in this country. So much was happening and women were becoming more and more a part of the national conversation.  Yet, the pushback and backlash was huge. The messages were very conflicting.

Women could “Bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, and never let him forget he’s a man. Because I’m a Woman…W-O-M-A-N…”  The fact that I remember that advertising jingle pretty much sums up the media we consumed and the mixed messages we received as girls and women.  We will give you an inch…but don’t think about the mile.

I never once thought I couldn’t do it all or have it all.

I was going to go where I wanted, say what I wanted, do what I wanted…I was an 8-year-old Feminist!

I would soon discover, however, that the “real world” was not always in favor of opening a door for me, hearing my voice, or letting me join in.  So as too many young girls continue to experience today, the confidence and absolute sense of “I can do this” got chipped away as I encountered “Nos” and “Do Not Enter” signs.  That seedling of a little voice inside who said “You aren’t good enough” “You aren’t what they want.” “What are you doing here?” …always remained. While I never lost my belief in myself, I would always question whether others believed I could, and stubbornly, not always successfully, did what I could to “show them”.  But fear and self-doubt grew from that seedling and a sense of “what am I getting wrong?” and “No way can I do this” could stop me in my tracks at any moment.  I thought I had to not only climb the hill but carry that hill with me.

Life takes twists and turns, mountain climbs and cliff falls and along the way, I would design a brand that allowed me to create a character who could do and say and BE what I wanted for every girl. In many ways, my character Jane was little me!

The idea for This Girl Can! Change the World percolated as I walked through an overcrowded show floor eons ago at The Super Show. I was not seeing anything designed for or marketed to women and girls. This.a good 25  years after Billie Jean King took out Bobby Riggs,

I saw no positive representation or product identity for women and girls. So I jumped in. The plan was to reach all the little girls on soccer fields, courts, ball fields, tracks, ice rinks…and their moms and grandmoms too.

What began as a brand to fill a huge hole in a male-driven sporting goods industry quickly grew to a line to celebrate and cheer on all girls and women well beyond the field and the court.   I created a character with sass and gumption who could represent every girl with cartoon-esque wit and a “don’t let them tell you no” message.   Little girls needed -still need!- models and stories of Sheroes to inspire and help them see who they could become.

Life, the retail planet, and I all moved on in time.  If you weren’t a major you couldn’t play in the big leagues. My girl “Jane” had her sparkle time, but Jane and I were not about to be benched forever.

I never felt that I was finished or that the brand had fulfilled its reach… or its mission.  I knew what happened to young girls as they entered their tween years, they were falling off the confidence cliff. I have never lost my belief that every girl needs a cheering squad, that every girl needs to be able to see what is possible, and that every girl needs to be celebrated.

I wanted to ensure that all girls could have the confidence and unshakeable sense of self to never fall off that cliff and to always believe they could change the world, even if that world was just outside their front door.

In 2018 I attended an organizing event for a congressional candidate who would become the center of the “Squad”.  I knew she would be inspiring but what I did not anticipate was a crowded room filled with young women not yet of voting age who were there to make a difference, to support, to speak their stories, and to change their communities.  That night I knew Jane and I needed to get back to work!

According to the United Nations

• Over 120 million girls are out of school.

• 90 percent of adolescent girls do not use the internet in low-income countries.

• Globally, girls aged 5-14 spend 160 million more hours every day on unpaid domestic work than boys.

• 1 in 4 married/partnered adolescent girls aged 15-19 have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner at least once in their lifetime.

This Girl Can! Change the World relaunched on a mission…to believe in Every girl and help her know the confidence and permanent sense of self to allow her to understand in every moment, in every room, in front of any challenge or obstacle that-

• This Girl Can! Use Her Voice

• This Girl Can! Walk in anywhere she chooses,

• This Girl Can! Speak Her Mind,

• This Girl Can! Believe in her own power to realize her dreams…

• and Yes! This Girl Can! Change the world

On this #InternationalDayoftheGirl, and on every day, we want to support all girls to see what they can BE! This generation of girls is disproportionately impacted by a plethora of global crises from climate, global and regional conflict, poverty, violence, and the erosion of human rights and gender equality. Far too many girls are denied their basic human rights, impacting their freedom, their choices, and their futures.

It is our goal to partner with organizations around the globe working to ensure all girls are protected, supported, educated, empowered, and respected.

As the UN says so well,

”With the right support, resources, and opportunities, the potential of the world’s more than 1.1 billion girls is limitless. And when girls lead, the impact is immediate and wide-reaching: families, communities, and economies are all stronger, our future brighter.”

We need, to invest in girls-full stop.

We need to believe in every girl so she can believe in herself.

Ensuring she has role models, sees positive representation in media, and has access to mentors who can help her believe in who she Can! BE is essential.

We want to help foster girls' confidence,  and ensure their access to the education and security that will help them grow into amazing women who can change not only their own lives but their neighborhoods, their communities, and … their planet!

So what would I say to my younger 8-year-old Feminist self?

• Trust your dreams.

• Use your fears

• Know you will fall down, maybe a lot, and that’s OK-a few scrapes and bumps can open new ways of looking at challenges.

• Look in All Directions. Find That Other Way, Take That Other Path.

• Don’t get stuck in a "my way" vision-always be open and always listen and learn

• Believe in your right to fly!

• Don’t Be Afraid to Say Yes! Opportunities Can Appear From Anywhere at Anytime.

• Know You Just Have to Try to Climb that Hill...Not Carry It With You.

• Always remember Don’t Wish Upon A Star…Reach for One!

#IDG

#BelieveinEveryGirl

#ThisGirlCanChangetheWorld

Raising Boys Who Believe in Girls

We talk a lot about ensuring that every girl has the confidence to know #ThisGirlCanChangetheWorld but what about our boys?

We need to be sure that we never leave our boys out of the conversation-ever!

For girls to always have the strong sense of self, and unshakeable belief in themselves to grow and thrive and never question their place, they need to be able to move through their world surrounded by men who also believe in them!

Men who not only see women as equals but also support their rights and goals.

Men who know that every girl, every woman, has the right to use her voice, walk into any room, work side by side with them, and stand on that equal playing field.

• Help our boys see positive role models-male and female

• Be sure our boys' media consumption portrays strong women and girls alongside supportive boys and men

• Model equality

• Educate our boys about women’s history

• Help our boys understand what equality means

• Teach our boys to respect every girl 

• Help our boys understand and support every girl's rights

• Support our  boys in developing their emotional awareness and intelligence

• Help our boys know it is OK not to win and OK to be vulnerable

• Point out instances of bias and sexism 

• Have  conversations about what images and portrayals  they see on social media and popular media 

• Help our boys be kind and supportive friends

• Celebrate strong confident girls and women

• Celebrate strong supportive men

👏to all the Moms and Dads raising boys who know that the girls in their world can do anything they can do...and that is not only OK but really cool!

These boys will be the Fathers, friends, soulmates, best pals… every girl needs.

#NationalSonsDay

#EmpoweringGirls

#GenderEquity

#SmartBoys

#ThisGirlCanChangetheWorld

Keep Marching!

"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex"
Thanks to the courage and determination of so many women over 70 years of protest and perseverance on this day, August 18, 1920, the Constitution was amended to ensure that the right to vote cannot be denied on account of sex. It would be another five decades before the vote was secured for ALL, and the fight continues, but…
This Girl Can Vote!…and She Will!

“The vote is the emblem of your equality, women of America, the guarantee of your liberty.
Women have suffered agony of soul which you can never comprehend, that you and
your daughters might inherit political freedom.
That vote has been costly. Prize it!
The vote is a power, a weapon of
offense and defense, a prayer.
Understand what it means and what it can do for your country. Use it intelligently, conscientiously, prayerfully.”

— ~Carrie Chapman Catt

"Am I Good Enough? Yes! I Am!"

Taking positive risks. Moving outside your comfort zone. Imagining yourself in a space that you don't feel you belong in. Falling on your cute nose and having the confidence to take the ride again. Understanding that "failure" is actually important and that rather than running back to your rabbit hole on the couch, embrace it, learn from it, and soar with it. Kicking the "perfect" elephant out of your way and trying new things. These are all really really hard, especially for young girls!

“When girls fail, they tend to internalize it,” says Professor Francesca Borgonovi, author of the largest-ever study of girls and fear of failure. “But when boys fail, they are very comfortable attributing it to circumstances.”

This piece from Lean In Girls on "How to Help Girls Embrace Failure And Take Positive Risks" is a great guide on the ways we can create safe spaces that support and foster every girl's sense of self and confidence so she can know that it is OK to mess up, it is OK to try, to flip the thinking -"what could go right" if you try?

When we do not do this, girls hold onto that elephant-"I am not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough popular enough..." That elephant will literally stop them in their growth and their journey.

We need to empower every girl to know to her core that she can learn from not getting it "right", understand "failure" does not define her, and see this as an opportunity to know "stuff happens" and that she can! move forward and she can! follow her dreams and she can! fly. #thisgirlcanchangetheworld

"I've repeated the same words to myself many times now, through many climbs: 'Am I good enough? Yes I am.'"

~Michelle Obama

History is Happening-100 Days to Show This Girl Can! Vote

With just 100 Days til #ElectionDay What can YOU do?
Even if you are not yet eligible to vote YOU can get involved!
This Girl Can! Use Her Voice
This Girl Can! Help to Register Voters
This Girl Can! Learn About the Issues
This Girl Can! Knock on Doors
and if you are old enough then...YES! This Girl Can! Vote
Learn more About How YOU Can Make a Difference in 2024.
Visit:
@whenweallvote
@rockthevote
@iamavoter
@ignitethevote
@votesaveamerica
@vote411
#ThisGirlCanUseHerVoice
#ThisGirlCanRegistertoVote
#ThisGirlCanHelpRegisterVoters
#ThisGirlCanLearnAboutIssues
#ThisGirlCanKnockonDoors
#ThisGirlCanVote
#ThisGirlCanChangetheWorld
#Election2024
#YourVoiceMatters

This "Daddy's Girl" Can! Change the World

“It’s up to us to say to our daughters, don’t ever let images on TV tell you what you are worth, because I expect you to dream without limit and reach for those goals.”

~Barack Obama

We talk so often about the importance of girls having role models to look to, and to see that there are women who were once girls just like them, who followed their dreams. We want every girl to know about women’s stories from history, to learn about the women who kicked open doors so that now they can walk through and pursue their own paths and kick some of their own doors for other girls to follow.

For every girl, it is equally important for them to know to their core that they have a cheering squad, the people who love them, who believe in them, and who always help them pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and get right back in that race. Sound familiar? If you are lucky enough this cheering section starts with your Dad. For a girl, a Dad can be a hero, but he is also her foundation. Her Dad can be her greatest ally, coach, teacher…Her Dad is the one who slays the dragons under the bed, and the one who instills in her a sense that there is nothing she cannot do and that she can in fact slay her own dragons when she needs to. And when she falls, and she will, he is there to make sure she doesn’t quit.

While ensuring that every girl has access to mentors who can show her the way and help build her confidence we need to be sure that we are also looking to the men and boys in her life. When we talk about gender equity we cannot exclude the men and boys in a girl’s world out of that important conversation. For a girl to believe in her own power she needs to see and to know that the men and boys in her life believe in her too. Knowing they are there for her journey and stand with her as she pushes her walls and grows her confidence is essential to holding on to that confidence as she grows and tests her powers.

A girl’s Dad is also a model, the model of what a man can and should be for her, supporting, listening, encouraging, and loving. Knowing she can try her wings with a safe landing can start with her Dad. Understanding the positive and supporting role a man can, and should have, in her life, begins with her Dad as well. The relationship a daughter has with her Dad helps her to gain a sense of empowerment from the love and encouragement she receives. She will be rooted in the knowledge that she is strong, she is smart and she can do anything! She will carry the confidence to not only use her mind but speak her mind. She will grow to be independent and walk her own path knowing that if she encounters obstacles or roadblocks she can overcome them. This can all start with a Dad, a Dad who knows that every girl can and should have the same opportunities as the boys on the field, a Dad who sets the bar for how girls view the role men will have in her life.

“She did not stand alone, but what stood behind her, the most potent moral force in her life, was the love of her father.”

~ Harper Lee

While every man a girl encounters and interacts with in her journey may not always provide or demonstrate the same attitude and positive support as her Dad, a Dad instills tools of how to handle the nay-sayers. With confidence and a core belief that she belongs in the room, she can handle her own emotions in situations of disrespect and conquer those dragons who want to dismiss her simply because she is a girl.

“Being a daddy’s girl is like having permanent armor for the rest of your life.”

~ Marinela Reka

The term “Daddy’s Girl” very often has negative connotations, but it shouldn’t. It doesn’t matter if you are your Dad’s Princess, that just means he has given you the power to be, to go forward with strength, and confidence, and to believe in your own power to follow your dreams.

A girl’s Dad is the one who leaves his daughter a gift to be opened whenever she needs it, long after he is gone...the gift that she is loved, the gift that there is always someone who believes in her, the gift that helps her stand on her own feet and move forward knowing This Girl Can! Change the World.

Reading with your Dad is a special gift. Visit A Mighty Girl! to find great books about Dads and Daughters.

Why Do We Study Women's History?

“Well behaved women rarely make history”

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Why do we study women's history? The lives and the stories of women, their role in, and their impact on, our history have mostly been hidden.

We say it all the time, ” We cannot be what we cannot see.” We need to know women's stories, we need to look to them as models, as beacons of inspiration to follow as we build our goals and pursue our dreams. Learning about the lives and experiences of those trailblazing women who defied expectations and often risked their lives to achieve their goals will help us envision who we can become.

History is filled with the stories of women and girls just like YOU! What makes their experiences important? These girls and women found their own way, they defied societal norms and commands, and they bravely and independently pushed down doors, ignorance, harassment, and even threats to their lives and well-being.

Ensuring that every woman's story is heard and respected provides all little girls, and not-so-little girls, with the opportunities to understand and to know they too can realize the power of their dreams because there was someone who came before them who lived a life and showed that Yes! This Girl Can! Change the World.

As we wind down this #WomensHistoryMonth we share our hope that every day EVERY girl will believe that Yes! She can make #HERstory. We are dedicated to celebrating the hidden history of all women every day, not just in March. We cheer the rule-breakers, the trailblazers, the fearless, and the indefatigable who said Yes! #ThisGirlCan! Change the World. Now it is your turn-and we cannot wait to see YOU make HERstory.

Celebrating The Women of Math on Pi Day

Happy #PiDay This may be the birthday of #AlbertEinstein but we are celebrating 3.14 by recognizing the important and transformative role women have had in Math. A huge gender gap still exists for Women and Girls in #Stem and #stemeducation In 2023, women comprised only 28% of the STEM workforce
All the more important to spotlight women who defied expectations and social "norms" to show that Yes! This Girl Can! Change the World.

1. Hypatia (370-415 AD) was an Egyptian mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher. After her father's death, she took up his work and became the world’s leading mathematician, astronomer, and teacher known for her number theory. She is considered the earliest female mathematician. Her teaching was considered pagan and she was killed by a gang of zealots. Her life and work became a beacon for other women to pursue studies despite prejudice.

2. Mary Somerville (1780–1872) was a Scottish mathematician, scientist, geographer, and astronomer. She began to study algebra on her own at 15 in secret because her parents disapproved. It wasn't til after the death of her first husband, who also disapproved of her studies, that she could study mathematics and astronomy openly and won her first medal for her work in 1811. Her work researching celestial mechanics brought her great acclaim. In 1833 Mary Somerville and Caroline Herschel were the first two women to be named honorary members of the Royal Astronomical Society.

3. Ada Lovelace (1815–1852) was encouraged by her mother to study science, logic, and mathematics. She was fascinated by the new machines of the Industrial Revolution. Her mentor was Mary Sommerville who introduced her to Charles Babbage, known for his plans to make giant calculating machines. Ada was excited by his plans for a machine that combined calculating gears with a punchcard system, the components of the modern day computer. Babbage asked her to write an article on the “Analytical Engine” which included what are thought to be many early computer programs, as well as her views on how the machine could be used.. Ada Lovelace’s notes were vital to Alan Turing’s work on the first modern computers in the 1940s. She is considered to be “the first computer programmer.”

4. Euphemia Lofton Haynes (1890–1980) was an American mathematician and educator, She was also the first African American woman to earn her doctorate in mathematics. Euphemia founded the mathematics department at Miner Teacher’s College, an institution in Washington dedicated to training African American teachers, She dedicated her career to battling racial discrimination and pushing down roadblocks to educational access and equity. She co-founded the Catholic Interracial Council of the District of Columbia and received a Pro Ecclesia medal from Pope John XXIII for her work in 1959. Euphemia fought racial segregation in the D.C. school system supporting a lawsuit to desegregate the school system.

Discover more about trailblazing women in Math and STEM and you can get involved in Stem at The National Women’s History Museum and Girls Who Code.

"Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress" #InternationalWomensDay

On this #InternationalWomensDay we celebrate the lives, stories, work, and leadership of the women who blazed so many trails for girls and women all over the world.  We honor their work and legacy by committing to advance gender equity, ensuring that EVERY girl can live in safety, unlocking access to education denied to so many, and fulfilling the promise that all girls can live in a world that fosters their potential. It is vital that girls everywhere have access to the education, security, and well-being that will help them grow into amazing women who can change not only their own lives but their neighborhoods, their communities, and … their planet! 

We need to commit to opening any door that any girl wants to enter, and guarantee her the future of her choosing with every opportunity possible to realize the power of her dreams because This Girl Can! Change the World! ...and she will.

We honor the work of Girls Opportunity Alliance, UN Women, Room to Read, Razia's Ray of Hope Foundation Foundation, Malala Fund, and all the amazing organizations working to support girls around the globe.