The start of March brings with it Women’s History month. This year’s theme is, Women Who Tell Stories. My first reaction when hearing this theme was “huh, interesting” and to be honest I started to question its meaning.
When phrased this way it’s easy to think about the made-up stories that we all (yes men you too) make up in our heads. The fictional stories that may or may not have some truth to them. And don’t get me wrong the stories we tell ourselves are incredibly important as they shape our reality.
After some time to think I realized this Women’s History month puts a greater focus on the person telling the story rather than the story itself. Just a few short months ago we lost arguably one of the greatest female story tellers of our time, Barbara Walters. And let’s not forget those still living like Oprah, Reese Witherspoon, or J.K. Rowling.
To go further it’s about more than just the those who have the big platforms and stages to share these stories. We ALL have a voice. We are all the women who tell stories. The stories of our mother and grandmothers who lived during times when they couldn’t even have a bank account without a male cosigner. The women who had to take on the “mans” job during World War II when all of the men were being sent overseas to fight. Or the woman that works a full time job and is also a proud mom.
And what about the storytellers of the future? The ones who encourage us to dream and continue to make progress as a society. This next generation sharing these visions through newer platforms on social media. These new methods of communication allowing us to connect with women from different countries and cultures. Expanding our story telling capabilities in ways we never could have imagined.
During March, we celebrate so much than just Women’s History. This is a time to remember how far we’ve come, who got us here, and where we plan to go. I encourage you this month to share your story.
