You Go Girl!

Today happens to be the National Day of the Girl Child and I can’t help but think how important this is amid everything that is happening in our country. According to the Washington Times, “Twenty-three women — 15 of them Democrats — will be running for seats in the Senate; 239 women, 187 of them Democrats, are contending for seats in the House; and 16 women, 12 of them Democrats, are a step away from being governor. Those are all new highs, as are the 3,379 women running for state legislative seats, surpassing the previous record by a whopping 730 candidates.”

Additionally, according to the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, of the top 500 films of 2017, movies with

at least one female director employed greater percentages

of women writers, editors, cinematographers, and composers than films with exclusively male directors.

We have had the Women’s March, Time’s Up and MeToo. Sadly, we recently experienced the retching and unforgettably brave testimony of Christine Blasey Ford who reminded us that we still have a long way to go in this male-dominated world.

But we must remain hopeful and steadfast in our efforts to build a better place for the young women in America and around the world. We must continue to break down barriers for them and to show them how to do it for themselves.

We must protect their freedom of choice no matter what their choices may be.

I have a beautiful 24-year-old daughter who is beating her own path. I cannot help but think of her and be flooded with memories of the many challenges she set for herself growing up. Take a moment today and think about how you can influence a young girl and to remind her that she is equal to anyone and capable of achieving anything she sets her mind to.