The Nineteenth

A leader in an American community that is commonly overlooked, Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz is a growing, strong woman that will insist that Puerto Rico is not forgotten. She may bring Puerto Rico into statehood, and I hope to see that day with her at the helm. Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States of America. Serving as the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico since 2013, Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz has dealt with significant issues within her country, and she is the current candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico. Mayor Cruz graduated Cum Laude from Boston University and received a Master of Science in Public Management and Policy at the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University. Her service and contributions were a significant part of her life, earning the Spirit Award. She quickly went into politics of her country, winning her first election in 2008, and elevating her to the Ranking Member of the Woman Affairs Committee. She gained support for each of her elections and w...

Washington D.C. may not have official statehood, nor do they have representation in Congress or the Senate, but they are a wealth of revolutionary women with stories to tell. Noor Al-Hussein, Queen Dowager of Jordan, has two degrees of separation from me! Can you believe it! If I met her, I could say, "Do you remember Jon Pettit?" She may say no. But I could ask.  Washington D.C. is not a state, but the actions of the country in this year during our quarantine has moved the needle more than ever before. Per Wikipedia, " On June 26, 2020, the House of Representatives passed the D.C. Statehood Act 232–180 largely along party lines; ...  It is not expected to pass the Republican-controlled Senate.  It was the first time statehood was ever approved by either chamber." Maybe we will be entering a time when we have a union of 51 states. After we talk again next week, maybe we can convince the Country to be 52. Born Lisa Najeeb Halaby, her father was an aide to the US Secr...

The organization that brought women together 100 years ago has continued to grow and develop over the past 100 years. Today, I am officially a member of the LWV Seattle - King County chapter! Let's make some change in 2020! In 1920, the League of Women Voters was founded to help women be more active in public affairs. Its goal was to support women to be strong voters. Today, the organization has been opened to men (since 1973) and operates at local, state, and national levels. It does not support candidates or parties, but it does advocate for public policy decisions. Their current platform includes health care reform, education, increasing voter registration, the environment, and immigration. The organization was conceptualized by Emma Smith DeVoe in SEATTLE! (WOOT!) at the National American Women Suffrage Association convention in 1909. They were fighting for education about the voting system and lobby for women’s issues. It did not take hold at the convention, and she w...

This week's woman is more than a woman in many people's legacies. She is more impactful than I ever registered or gave credence to. And it is unfortunate, because reading about Katharine Hepburn shows an image that I can relate to. She paved the way for me to be me. Connecticut is the first state after the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. They are the 37th state to ratify the 19th Amendment on September 14, 1920. Ms. Hepburn represented the image of cinema throughout the 20th Century. Beginning acting after graduating Bryn Mawr College, she jumped into an acting career on Broadway and then to film. She declared her worth and fought for contracts she deserved. She started in film in 1931 with major hits, jump starting her career, winning the first of four Academy Awards. In the growing height of her career, she was shut down for a few years due to her “haughty behavior off-screen” and refusal to fold into the typical Hollywood type. She wore her notable style of...

WASHINGTON!!! My home and native land. This is where I have spent almost all of my life. Years 1-18, 22-24, and 29-present ... home. I tell people I will travel and explore, but forever now Washington will be my home. I feel accepted here. I feel like I am like minded and respectful in the way my home should be. It is filled with beauty, exploration, diversity, and political debate. It is filled with my family and friends that have all helped shaped me over my life, and also not shunned me when I changed my views or became more independent. I love you Washington! Every one of you. Dixy Lee is an interesting person to portray here. She is vocal, brassy, and blunt. She is intelligent and passionate. She is herself above and beyond everything. That is a Washingtonian to me. Washington was the 35th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment. There were many attempts for Washington to permit women voting before the national amendment, but they failed, mostly in issue with the liquor vo...

I made a last minute switch, which hadn't happened yet. But when I found out Katherine Johnson was born in West Virginia made me thrilled to see it wasn't too late to highlight such a wonderful woman. West Virginia is the 34th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment on March 10, 1920. A concise description of Mrs. Johnson’s work included “calculating trajectories, launch windows, and emergency return paths for Project Mercury spaceflights, including those for astronauts Alan Shepard, the first American in space, and John Glenn, the first American in orbit, and rendezvous paths for the Apollo Lunar Module and command module on flights to the Moon. Her calculations were also essential to the beginning of the Space Shuttle program, and she worked on plans for a mission to Mars.” Mrs. Johnson was sent out of County for high school because her aptitude for mathematics was evident, and her home County did not offer public schooling for African-Americans past eighth grade. She...

I have enjoyed the "Queens" of many things in this blog. Today is the "Queen of Country" with Reba McEntire. You should go to her concert of 2020. I think I may try to. She is a legend that I missed before. Oklahoma is the 33rd state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment on February 28, 1920. Ms. McEntire elevated her career as a sophomore at SE Oklahoma State University catching the ear of artist Red Steagall by singing the National Anthem at the National Rodeo in Oklahoma City. A year later in 1975, she signed with Mercury Records, releasing her first of 29 albums in 1977. In 1984, Ms. McEntire took control of her album to build a more traditional country sound, bringing breakthrough success. She released a total of 29 albums. Of these sixteen, hit number one, 28 were certified gold, platinum, or multi-platinum by the Recording Industry of America, and 42 number one singles. Crowned “the Queen of Country”, she is one of the best-selling artists of all time wit...

My first pick for New Mexico was unfortunately ruled out as she was not born in New Mexico, so I had to start from scratch (the original person to make it on a intermission week). Finding Carolyn Shoemaker brought to light the comet of 1994 that I remember with interest in my high school. New Mexico was the 32nd state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment on February 21, 1920. Ms. Shoemaker joined her husband, Eugene Shoemaker after meeting him, riveted by his work. She was not a trained or educated scientist, but her patience and “stereoscopic vision” were assets that made her welcome to California Institute of Technology and his team. She met Eugene as her brother, Richard’s, roommate in college when he served as best man at Richard’s wedding. As pen-pals, he finished his post graduate work at Princeton, and they married in 1951. They had a family with her as a teacher and mother. People that knew her recognized she was driven to be more than a teacher. Once her children left the...

My mom, winter resident of Arizona, helped me select my Arizona woman of note. Gabby Giffords is a woman my mom encouraged as a strong advocate for her beliefs and perseverence. And I couldn't agree more. Arizona was the 31st state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment on February 12, 1920. Ms. Giffords, the third woman to sit on the US House of Representatives from Arizona, resigned following a severe brain trauma from an assassination attempt in 2011. Early in her business career, she returned to Arizona as the CEO of her grandfather’s tire company “El Campo Tire Warehouses”. Following that, she moved through the Arizona politics until being elected to the US House of Representatives. Starting her third term, she was shot in the head during an event with constituents in a mass shooting and assassination attempt. Eight months later, she regained her ability to walk, speak, read and write, and returned to the House floor to a standing ovation. She returned on last time to Oba...

I am taking the opportunity to break between states to share my experiences voting. I have grown to be an avid voter, every ballot. It is my voice, my right. Regardless of the outcomes, speaking out does matter. I registered to vote in 1995 in Washington State, and have been a voter for this state for now 25 years! My photo is of me voting while in graduate school in 2004. I was excited to register to vote in 1995. Not because of the legacy that was behind me. I didn’t feel political when I was 18. I didn’t have strong views. I didn’t talk about current issues because I didn’t spend the time listening or learning about why our country is the way it is. What happened to grow us into a country of freedom. It was just a new right at 18. The first major election I voted in was for Clinton in 1996. It was a stable election that I likely voted more for consistency than anything. It was four years later in the vote in 2000 that showed me the need and stress of voting. The vote between ...

One movement of history that changed my own path is the history of photography. The photographers of the Farm Security Administration, led with Dorthea Lange, changed how information was offered to the public. People changed their understanding of current events, questioning what they were previously allowed to know and demanding information. Our world today is different because of photo journalism. New Jersey was the 29th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment on February 9, 1920. Learning in high school that she was destined to be behind the camera, she attended Columbia University for photography. Trying to explore the world, she traveled with a girlfriend until stranded in San Francisco. At that point, she started a career and connected with the local photography scene. In the 1930s with her second husband, she began documenting rural poverty and migrant workers. Joining the Resettlement Administration and Farm Security Administration, Lange’s portraits brought the reality...

Design is frequently about creating a space, image, culture, impact, or impression that changes a person's day. It defines what people experience. Huge developments, widespread distributions, down to the smallest impacts. Betty Willis designed a sign that has stood for 60 years, welcoming and initiating an experience for all in Las Vegas. Nevada is the 28th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment on February 7, 1920. “It’s a powerful combination of symbolism, kitsch and mythology,” said Hal Rothman, a history professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. “It embodies the casual hipness of Las Vegas, nostalgia for the Rat Pack minus Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop.” “It’s a call to arms for our city because ‘fabulous’ is what we do best,” said Richard Hooker, the city’s senior cultural specialist. “Classic neon artists like Betty are the design heroes of the city, giving the place an image in the public mind. Their signs are like music to the eyes.” The neon lights were t...

Mother to one of our current Associate Justice of the Peace, Anne Gorsuch Burford was the first Woman Administrator to the Environmental Protection Agency. Unfortunately and regardless of being a leader to a lot of similarities to what we are experiencing right now, she was a pioneer. Wyoming is the 27th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment on January 27, 1920. In 1981, Ronald Reagan appointed Ms. Gorsuch Burford to Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). She moved through school quickly, graduating University of Colorado Boulder at 19 and receiving her Juris Doctor (law) degree at 22. She received a Fulbright Scholarship to study criminal law in Jaipur, India for one year with her husband David Gorsuch. She served most of her representation in Colorado before joining Reagan’s transition team. Her nomination was unanimously agreed upon in 1981. Her “New Federalist” approach to the EPA pushed to downsize federal agencies to the states and cut the budget of...

Breaking of the half way point of the blog (!!! I know right?!?!), I bring a singer that brought R&B, soul, and gospel music to the masses. The "Black Butterfly" Deniece Williams. Indiana was the 26th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment on January 16, 1920. Ms. Williams came to a career in music, leaving her goals of being a nurse, showing that the schooling was not her strength. Her career soared quickly resulting in being called many things including “one of the great soul voices” and “the Black Butterfly” to name a few. Through her life she has received four Grammy’s and twelve nominations. Her R&B and soul music includes partnerships in the early 1970s with industry leaders including back up singer for Stevie Wonder Streeta Wright, Minnie Riperton, and Roberta Flack. Signing with Columbia Records in 1975, she began her streak of seventeen albums. By 1986, she was able to turn her soul music to her true life passion of Gospel. Instead of limiting to o...

I found this webpage that documents a lot about women's rights in countries around the world. Where we have advanced over the past 100 years, there are still countries all over that struggle for the bare essential rights we have already started to take for granted. We need to remember that the fight is not over for the world. Vatican City Vatican City is the only remaining country that women cannot vote. And, at this trajectory, never will. As the centre of the Roman Catholic Church, the only people that can vote at all are the cardinals, operating on a religious doctrine. There is a story, fact or fable, that a woman was once about to be ordained as Pope when she delivered a baby on her way. Yet to be confirmed ... or debunked. Afghanistan Ruled by Shi’a Family Law, since 2009, women are not permitted to leave the home. In 2014, women did turn out in record numbers to vote and run for office. Through protests and threats of exile and persecution, they stood together to mak...

One of my most favorite authors of my youth, a centenarian at 103 years old, Beverly Cleary. Oregon was the 25th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment on January 13, 1920. Ms. Cleary’s children’s and young adult books sold worldwide more than 91 million copies since 1950. As a pioneer in children’s literature, she brought emotional realism to her characters. Well awarded with top honors throughout her career, she also is the namesake of a Portland public school and statues of her characters in Grant Park in 1995. As a young student, she struggled to read and was placed in remedial groups until opening up with the help of the librarian. This person’s care inspired Ms. Cleary to receive a Master’s from the University of Washington for library sciences. Her first book, Henry Huggins, with his dog and two friends Ramona and Beezus, shared ordinary stories of neighborhood growing up. Five years later she focused on Ramona and Beezus. She has also written two memoirs later in her...

Rhode Island, such a small state, but still filled with the history and women we see everywhere in the country. They pushed for equality and brought great voices to the forefront. Rhode Island was the 24th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment on January 6, 1920. Ms. O’Neill left her large family of thirteen children to attend Boston College of Drama and Oratory, kick starting her career on stage and film. She founded a school of elocution in 1900. The students frequently performed at the Providence Opera House. Concurrently, she started her own career for two decades in summer stock and vaudeville shows. By 1915, she entered silent films with the Providence-based Eastern Film Corporation. By 1910, she joined the suffragist movement and campaigned for the Democrats in Rhode Island. Her skills in elocution were essential to beginning a career in politics. In 1922, two years after the right to vote was ratified, she was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives as th...

Kentucky reaches a model of fashion for my blog in honor of my sister Jenn. She is my personal fashionista and socialite, keeping us both informed and entertained with a life of shows, parties, traditions, and excitement. Kentucky being one of her favorite traditions with the Kentucky Derby, an annual event we celebrate in full dress. Kentucky is the 23rd state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment on January 6, 1920. We are now in the '20's! Mona von Bismarck is an American socialite coined as the “first American muse of fashion” and noted as the most fashionable woman in the world. Her life in Kentucky was always a part of her life regardless of her elite lifestyle spread throughout New York City and Paris. She was painted by Salvador Dali, revered in her day and known as one of the most celebrated socialites. A panel including Coco Chanel recognized her as the best dressed woman in the world. Marrying her first of five husbands, she had one son, Robert Henry, raised by h...

This week, as I start my new project with the Joint Base Lewis McChord in Washington, I am proud to tribute Carol Mutter, the first woman to be a Lieutenant General, the highest rank held by a woman. Colorado is the 22nd state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment on December 15, 1919. Ms. Mutter is the first woman in the history of the U.S. Armed Forces to be a appointed to a three-star grade as a U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General. For commissioned officers in the Marines, this is the second highest rank ever given. The only rank higher is the General, and a five star could be given, but no one in the U.S. military holds that rank. When graduating from University of Northern Colorado in 1967, she was commissioned a second lieutenant (nine steps below her final role) with a major in Mathematics, she also earned a M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in Rhode Island. Her basic training at Quantico led her to multiple programs that trained h...

Falling on December 3, 2019 we have South Dakota that ratified on December 4, 1919. This is a celebration of the 100 years. Celebrating another woman that jumped up for getting something done and being a leader of her times. South Dakota ratified the 19th Amendment on December 4, 1919. Ms. Clement’s love and aptitude for sports was carried through her career, becoming the first woman to be paid to umpire a baseball game. Born in South Dakota, she followed her brother and family around to their sporting. In 1904, her knowledge of the game paid off when she was brought in to cover for a missing umpire, being hired ongoing because her talent was so well regarded. For six years, she traveled the Mid-West states, known for her fair calling and serious style. The crowds grew for games that she was known to be officiating. Her salary of $15-25 per game funded her college education at Yankton College and then University of Nebraska. Her own sporting strengths included being the captain ...