We cannot be what we cannot see.
With every election, there is always one candidate who doesn’t win. And this year, in 2016, it happens to be Hillary Clinton who comes up short with electoral votes. Her supporters were not expecting her to lose to Donald Trump and we’ve seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought, but we can’t give up on fighting for what’s right. We need to stay encouraged.
America’s democracy has been progressing for 240 years yet women have only had the legal right to vote since 1920. Many women grew up during this period where they never would have thought they would see a woman run for President, and this year’s election meant a great deal to those voting for the first female candidate. When women got the right to vote almost a century ago, it was a historic milestone thanks to leaders Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul, and it is amazing now to have the choice of voting for a woman to be President.
Our country’s policies may change with our new elected President, whether that’s for better or worse but President Obama said that “we are all rooting for his success…and those who are disappointed should not give up on their dreams.” Hillary Clinton, in her Concession Speech, reminded us that we “owe him an open mind and a chance to lead. Our Constitutional Democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power, and we don’t just respect that, we cherish it. So let’s do all we can to keep advancing the causes and values we hold dear…because the American Dream is big enough for everyone.”
Even though she didn’t win the presidency, Hillary still proved that girls can grow up and be anything that they want to be, even the largest position in politics- President of the United States. But as Clinton said, we must always fight for what’s right and to never think that we can’t make a difference.
We are proud that Hillary Clinton will be our featured role model in our curriculum for this week’s mentoring program. Over 1,000 girls will read her biography next week to learn more about advocacy and leadership. We will always be inspired by her work for women and girls and look forward to seeing where she goes next! She, like all of the girls in our program, will always rise.
At Strong Women, Strong Girls we will continue to embody our organizational values of fostering respect and building community. At a time when our nation feels very divided, we know that our work to connect women and girls from a variety of backgrounds helps break down bias and build more community. We invite our communities in Boston and Pittsburgh to become more involved with our work – and no matter how our national politics may change – to continue to be advocates for a safe, inclusive, and respectful community for all community members.
If you would like more information on how to become involved in our community, click here.
If you are interested in how to make a worthwhile contribution to our organization, click here to make a donation.