Dear Followers, Today I'd like to introduce you to a woman who broke lots of barriers long before Americans were ready to accept racial or sexual emancipation. If you've seen the movie Lincoln, you might be familiar with the name Elizabeth Keckley, who was the dressmaker (or "modiste") for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. Born in 1818 in Dinwiddie, Virginia, Keckley was the daughter of a house slave (Agnes, known as Aggy) owned by Mary and … [Read more...]
175: The Self-Empowered Woman: New Hampshire
January 3, 2013 By
Dear Followers, Tomorrow will mark a milestone for American women in politics. Why? Because that's when New Hampshire will become the first state in our nation's history to send an all-female delegation to Washington, D.C. AND, the state's new governor, the speaker of the State House, and the chief justice of the State Supreme Court are also women. Talk about a first! Pictured above from left are Maggie Hassan (governor), Ann McLane … [Read more...]
173: The Self-Empowerred Woman: Sally Field
December 9, 2012 By
Dear Followers, The new movie "Lincoln" is already receiving a lot of Oscar buzz, and Sally Field's performance as the troubled Mary Todd Lincoln (for which she gained 25 pounds) has been called "unforgettable." So what better time to take a look at one of Hollywood's legendary Self-Empowered Women? Sally Field was born in Pasadena, California, on November 6, 1946. Her mother (Margaret Morlan Field) was an actress in B movies, and her … [Read more...]
172: The Self-Empowered Woman: Malala Yousafzai
November 23, 2012 By
Dear Followers, I hope that everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving Day, whether it was a huge gathering or only a quiet one-day vacation from the normal stresses of modern life. One of the things that I was most thankful for was the fact that I grew up in a country that enabled and encouraged me to enjoy the fruits of an advanced education. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the pretty little girl pictured above. Malala Yousafzai is the 15 … [Read more...]
171: The Self-Empowered Woman: Rachel Carson
November 3, 2012 By
Dear Followers: The next time you shop at Whole Foods and/or buy organic produce, you'll be honoring the legacy of the woman pictured above, Rachel Carson. Born in 1907, in Spingdale, Pennsylvania, she was a shy (but brilliant) nature advocate and award winning author. She grew up on a small (65 acres) family farm, and spent much of her childhood exploring the outdoors. An avid reader, she wrote her first animal story when she was eight … [Read more...]
170: The Self-Empowered Woman: Daniele Delpeuch
October 31, 2012 By
Dear Followers, Last month the Weinstein company bought the American rights to a French film that is receiving a lot of attention on the other side of the Atlantic. Titled "Les Saveurs du Palais" ("The Tastes of the Palace" in French, but movie titled "Haute Cuisine" in English), it is based on the story of the first female chef to work in the Elysee Palace, and prepare food for French President Francois Mitterand.Today, Daniele Delpeuch is 70 … [Read more...]
169: The Self-Empowered Woman: Elizabeth Warren
October 14, 2012 By
Dear Followers, The picture above was taken on September 5th at this year's Democratic National Convention, when Elizabeth Warren spoke just before Bill Clinton delivered his 48-minute speech. She told the audience that this was the first National Convention she had ever attended, and that she'd never dreamed that she would be the "opening act" for President Clinton (13: More Than Meets The Eye). Elizabeth Warren is receiving a lot of … [Read more...]
168: The Self-Empowered Woman: The Glass Ceiling
October 7, 2012 By
Dear Followers, Stephanie Coontz recently wrote an article in The New York Times about the "Myth of the Male Decline," which argued that a variety of new "females today have all the power" books (with titles like The Richer Sex and The End of Men) are both misguided and misleading. Below are some of the arguments she makes regarding "the glass ceiling" and financial (i.e., professional) progress for women in America today: Women make up … [Read more...]
167: The Self-Empowered Woman: Harriet Tubman
September 22, 2012 By
Dear Followers,I recently read an item about a new movie project that will profile the life of Harriet Tubman, legendary Abolitionist and Civil War spy. The actress Zoe Saldana has been chosen to portray the woman who helped so many slaves reach freedom via the Underground Railroad, but several critics felt that Saldana is too light-skinned and pretty to accurately portray the brave woman who had been given the name "Moses" because she'd "never … [Read more...]
