FROM THE EDITOR
International Women’s Month
During March the world honors women and celebrates their social, economic, cultural and political achievements.
Growing up surrounded by women, it never ceased to amaze me their unique capacity to handle so many things simultaneously, and that intelligence defying books and formal learning. My mother was not a doctor, but diagnosed with precision what ailed her children, and provided the first cure. My grandmother was not a writer, but every night her twists and inventions rendered age-old stories brand new.
When collaborating with a magazine directed by Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez, I heard him said that history in Latin America advanced on the shoulders of women; too often men grabbed their guns and off they went looking for glory. Women stayed behind, caring for the family, the farm, the economy.
President Carter concurred in a message to the nation designating March 2–8, National Women’s History Week: “From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America is as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.”
And a woman speaking of women, Margaret Thatcher, said it best: If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.
History Begins at Home
Accordingly, this editorial honoring women must include our local colleagues, representatives, our women from all walks of life. The cleaning lady whose hands beautify our existence, a relentless county commissioner, a construction supervisor in a men-dominated industry, the lawyer who opts for a community organization over a juicer paycheck, and the lawyer who opted for the juicier paycheck, the activists protecting our environment, improving our educational system, defending our parks, creating parks, fighting for gender and racial equality, and our journalists, police officers, historians, business executives, teachers and health promoters. In these pandemic times, a special salute to our health promoters. And here are but a handful of names that enrich us imperceptibly, as Saint Francis said of flowers, Amal, Beatriz, Daniella, Eileen, Islara, Matilda, Meg, Pam, Rebecca…
On a personal level, a posthumous salute to an aunt, Ligia Guerrero, a pioneering suffragist, and the current seven women in my life, in alphabetical order: daughter in law, granddaughter, niece, three sisters, and wife.
The Pioneer
A special place in any celebration, of course, is reserved for Julia Tuttle, the Mother of Miami. Reporting on the unveiling of her statue in Bayfront Park, Kelly House wrote: “As a woman, Julia couldn’t vote. But it was her 644 acres of land, and her plan, that made Miami a reality. And the late historian Arva Moore Parks added: “Miami rose as if by magic. Here’s the magician.”
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