March is officially in full swing, and although this month is familiarly known as March Madness, it is also Women’s History Month. Women’s History Month was established in 1981 as a national celebration after Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28, which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week starting March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week." Since 1995, Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama, through a series of annual proclamations, have designated the month of March as “Women’s History Month." As the U.S continues to struggle with gender parity, our country is currently ranked 98th worldwide in female political representation. It is clear that there is an under-representation of women at every level of government.
However, there has been some progression. For the first time in American history, a woman may be a major party’s nominee for president. Although Hilary Clinton has become a household name, there are other phenomenal women progressing in the federal, state, and city levels of government. In celebration of Women’s History Month, here are five leaders who are making major strides and breaking barriers on behalf of other women.
1. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch
Lynch is the first African American woman to hold the post of the nation’s top cop after having previously served as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. During her tenure as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Lynch's office prosecuted Republican congressman Michael Grimm, as well as Democratic politicians Pedro Espada Jr. and William Boyland, Jr. As Attorney General, Lynch has pressed for police reform in Chicago, Baltimore, Ferguson, and other cities, as well as assuring the public that criminal justice reform would be a top priority for her Justice Department. During one of her speeches last year, Lynch stated, “America is a land of second chances, but it must also be a land where we give opportunities to young people who haven’t gotten a chance at all."
2. Representative
Tammy Duckworth
Duckworth is the first Asian American woman to be elected to Congress in Illinois, and also one of the first female Iraq War veterans to serve in Congress. Duckworth lost both her legs and damaged her right arm while serving as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot during the war. She has led the fight for the rights of individuals with disabilities throughout her time in Congress. Duckworth is currently challenging Illinois Republican Mark Kirk for his Senate seat.
3. Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby
Mosby is a young chief prosecutor, who shortly after her election was assigned to investigate the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American man who died while in police custody shortly after her election. In May 2015, Mosby announced charges for six police officers in connection to the death of Freddie Gray, and while the case is still ongoing, Mosby has impressed the country with her tough, no-nonsense approach to the case. Community outreach is important to Mosby, and she has started several initiatives to engage the Baltimore community. These initiatives include Aim to B’MORE, Junior State’s Attorney, Community Day in Court, and Community Liaison Program.
4. Federal Chair Janet Yellen
Yellen is the first woman to lead the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and is also one of the most powerful people in the world, according to The Huffington Post. Yellen started her career as the only woman in her doctoral class to receive her Ph.D. in economics from Yale University in 1971. She continues to tackle male-dominated centers like the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Yellen was responsible for overseeing the Fed’s decision to raise interest rates for the first time in almost a decade.
5. Seattle City Council Member Kshama Sawant
Sawant sits on Seattle’s city council as the first socialist in more than a century. She states in one her speeches that “The job of socialists is to point the way forward, and we are not shy about it. We invite people to debate with us on ideas of socialism. But we are not shy and we have been proven, resoundingly correct, that we should not be shy, because there is no excuse for being shy or reticent when you are talking about such serious issues as fighting against the enormous misery that capitalism unleashes on us, all over the world. So let's be clear about it, let's not be shy. This is not a time for modesty; this is a time for boldness and courage."
Sawant was fundamental in Seattle’s fight for a $15 minimum wage, which was successful. On January 27, 2014, she announced that she would accept only $40,000 of her $117,000 salary, and she places the rest into a self-administered political fund that she uses for selected social justice campaigns.
