Women’s History Month 2021 Part 2
This is Part 2 of 2 blog posts celebrating amazing women for Women’s History Month. To read Part 1 click here:
Time for Round Two of inspirational women from Texas in honor of Women’s History Month!
Ann Richards was born on September 1, 1933 in Lacy Lakeview, Texas.
Oh man, as a kid of the 80’s/90’s growing up in Texas I sure remember this sassy, no nonsense, spit fire!
She was the governor of Texas for only one term, and when asked if she would have done things differently knowing she only had one term she replied, "Oh, I would probably have raised more hell.”
When she got into office the Texas economy was terrible. She quickly took action and it rebounded by 2% while the rest of the U.S. kept getting worse.
She introduced the Texas Lottery, which actually helped supplement school funding.
To continue her educationally focused efforts she put into place more equal funding across all school districts.
What’s amazing about Ann Richards is her balance of masculine and femine. She had a remarkable way about her where she expressed traditional feminine traits such as relationship building and nurturing. However, she also had a traditionally masculine side to her, speaking with assertiveness and strength. She was an inspiration to women that they could hold a feminine side to themselves, while also holding their ground and having a voice.
I think her most famous quote about this is, "If you give us the chance, we can perform. After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels."
Barbara Jordan was born on February 21, 1936 in Houston, Texas.
This woman was a first for so many things!
In college she majored in political science and history and was a killer in debate. She received her law degree and opened up her own practice in Houston.
Here’s where it starts to get good! In 1966 she won a seat in the Texas Senate, becoming the first African-American state senator since 1833 and the very first woman ever to hold that office.
In 1976 she delivered the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention, the first ever African-American woman to do so.
What really propelled her into the spotlight and left a lasting impression was when she presented an opening speech during the hearings that were part of the impeachment process against Richard Nixon. It was a 15-minute televised speech in front of Members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. Jordan stood by the Constitution during this speech and defended the checks and balances that are put in place to prevent corruption of power. She never once said that Nixon should be impeached but rather weaved her words to be subtle and clever, only implying such a thought.
This famous statement on the articles of impeachment was listed as #13 in American Rhetoric's Top 100 Speeches of the 20th Century.
Now, there are several statues commemorating Jordan and her legacy. One such statue is, ironically, on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin, where she wasn’t allowed to attend in her youth due to segregation. She did, however, serve as an instructor there for several years until her death.
This blog was written by Kristina Kury, Founder & CEO of Sprout Creative. We work with small business owners and entrepreneurs who are busy running their business, overwhelmed with marketing and whose growth has plateaued to turn their marketing into a more manageable, automated marketing machine.
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