Today is International Women’s Day. As an old white guy, let me put my spin on this. I’ve met a lot of strong women in my life. Some as tough as nails and yet still so fragile in stature. A few are worth spending a little time talking about. First is my mother. Broken down with Arthritis her whole adult life, she carried on. Volunteered at Swedish Hospital on weekly bases, and never complained. She convinced me to stay in college for just one more quarter until the end of my freshman year. She knew I’d have to register for classes and would probably continue on. College wasn’t easy for me, but she’s the one who made me graduate.
Second is a woman doctor I met in Ethiopia in 2004. She was old then and still treating women at her hospital, the Fistula Hospital. She was only going to stay for three years, but is still there more than forty years later. Close to ninety, she still operates one a week. She has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize twice. She also looks like my mother.
The third is a young woman I met in Ethiopia. She was around twenty years old and a junior in college with a major biology. That was 2010 and she was my translator as we did polio immunizations. When I returned in 2012 she had graduated and was working on her master’s degree in biology. Today she’s in her second year at Penn State working on her doctoral degree in biology.
I spent a lot of time working in the construction industry where women were having a tough time entering and doing all the different tasks required. A few got through this challenging times and some are still working. It’s not easy work, but each one proved they could. I still remember one woman’s t-shirt. “Yes I am a rocket scientist.”
So to all the great women I’ve had the privilege to meet, work with and for, it is your day and you deserve it.
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