Inspiration and Empowerment for Women for Election Day

Wednesday Wisdom and Inspiration for Women Entrepreneurs and Females

November may be seen as a month with less light, thoughts of pilgrims and Indians gathering together at a meal and the beginning of the holiday shopping season; but it is also the month women and men vote. I remember Election Day falling on my birthday in 1972 and being disappointed the only shows on television were about President Nixon’s election. I also remember November 7, 2000 when George Bush’s win against Al Gore was being contested. It’s no wonder I have some political blood running through my body.

Parents do not have any idea when they give birth to their children who they’ll become. Children are affected by heredity, society and familial influences. I remember gazing in my sons’ eyes wondering who they would be one day and how much my influence would play in their lives. Well I get to see the fruition of that wonder next Monday on the eve of another birthday election year when I meet Governor Cuomo and Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul at a special private centennial celebration in New York City with my sons at my side.

In my story “A Golden Glow” published in the 2009 Chicken Soup for the Soul: Power Moms – 101 Stories Celebrating the Power of Choice for Stay-at-Home and Work-from-Home Moms, I detail my entrepreneurial passion, dedication to my sons and determination to promote women entrepreneurship in New York State. The story highlights my entrepreneurial beginnings, my commitment to inspiring women business owners, and my desire to raise two sons who understand the powerful choices women make in their lives to improve their families and the world.

Fast forward 8 years from the publication and today Women TIES has evolved into a company with an overall mission of “women supporting women in business, sports, equality and life.” The inequalities that still plaque women today in the work place with pay inequality, in sporting arenas with less fans, and under representation in elected offices, has inspired me to have a larger dialog and place in our community.

Today’s Wednesday Wisdom is meant to inspire you to not forget the efforts of our foremothers on this year’s Election Day – November 7, 2017. Ensure you mark your calendar to vote for any elections in your city or state. If you can, please read up on the women running for office and see if they should get your vote. I believe we need more women in elected positions making decisions for women so equality in all areas can permeate our country and help not only our generation of women but the girls and women to follow us.

Be inspired by stories of suffragettes by also going online and looking up the suffrage history, visiting Susan B. Anthony or Matilda Joslyn Gage houses this weekend or joining me in Albany on November 4th to celebrate New York State’s Centennial. As Susan B. Anthony said, “I declare to you that women must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself and there I take my stand.”