March 8, 2013

Women's History Month Salute to the unknowns...


March 3rd marked 100 years since suffragists marched on Washington. In my historical novel, Forty Years in a Day, which I coauthored with my cousin Dianne Vigorito, one of our characters is a young Italian immigrant woman named Catherina who becomes passionate about the progression of the women’s rights movement. Standing up for her beliefs and advocating women’s rights, she puts her life in danger by handing out flyers on street corners and attending rallies. She communicated her reasoning quite eloquently when she said, “If there’s to be true democracy, there needs to be changes. Why, it’s an American right to vote, denied only to criminals, lunatics, and women. How ridiculous is that?”

There are many famous women in history who have fought against convention for justice and equality, and there are also millions of lesser known women from all walks of life who have faced incredible obstacles in pursuit of freedom and opportunity. In the end, all women, no matter how famous or unknown, who have helped change the course of history for the betterment of all should be remembered and saluted.