Today is International Women's Day, a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity .
I was blessed to be raised by parents who were #woke, way before their time. My mom was an only child, so she did the typical post war activities a young girl did, but also spend a good amount of time rooting for the NY Giants Major League Baseball team with her dad. Other men took their sons to the Polo Grounds, but my Grandpa took his daughter!
My dad was a Depression-era baby. Shuffled from home to home, as his chronically ill mother ailed, and his father struggled to make ends meet. This instilled a keen sense of family, and while we were growing up, he was much more hands-on that other fathers. Being a victim of #antisemitism , had also extraordinarily strong feelings about #civilrights, and provided many opportunities for African American men to work in his business.
I grew up in the era of the Vietnam war and was encouraged to express my views. I wore a POW bracelet, wrote letters to congressman and was a news junkie. Early on, I recognized my desire to write and specifically about sports. Not the typical career goals of a woman of those times.
It was my dad who took me to college as freshman. As we drove up to the dorm to unpack, he said these very progressive words, "if you are here for your Mrs. Degree, leave now. I expect you to be able to have the tools to support yourself!"
In the two years at Emerson College, I became the first female sports director for WECB Emerson College Broadcasting and wrote for the newspaper. I hung with the sports guys and the ladies who sat on the "wall" outside of 132 Beacon.
But one of my professors had other ideas and suggested I transfer to a more competitive institution, with Division 1 sports. I applied to a NY Ivy League School and several topflight schools in NJ, and eventually got the acceptance I wanted- Rutgers University.
Again, I pioneered, working shifts on the radio station (WRSU-FM Rutgers Radio), writing for the newspaper, and eventually getting a paid gig with a local Gannett | USA TODAY NETWORK newspaper. (The first female sportswriter there as well.) I also worked as an RA and made Dean's List. I was super-motivated to make my parents proud.
Upon graduation, I landed a role as a print journalist for the local newspaper (now lohud), again in sports, and again the first of my gender. Mind you, in was never aware at the time that this was an achievement, as my parents led me to believe I could do the same job as any man!
After five years, and the death of my mother, I had my first awakening to the gender divide. How could I combine my desire to be a mother with a profession that required such difficult hours? I decided to use my talents in a more family-friendly sector; so, I thought. I would use my writing skills to improve my community.
Early in my career, I saw the bias against women; lower wages and assumptions which were wrong. I even left a job when my newborn child was sick, and the "family-friendly" agency expected me to leave him home and come to work.
But I heard the message of my dad loud and clear; make sure you could support yourself. I developed a voice, not always confident, which said, "I will give you 120%, but if my kid gets sick, I am out of here and the rules don't change!" I went on to have three fabulous boys and replace the need to be home when they were sick with the need to rearrange hours for baseball, football, and of course, Wrestling.
I also became the more consistent provider for my family and while my kids are now grown, one in college and two at beginnings of their own careers, I am still juggling the needs of family and finance and have once again had to defend my needs vs. money-saving attempts by employers.
When I ascended to a leadership role, I allowed my staff to be with children for illness, sports, and school conferences, as well as tending to the needs of elderly parents or chronically ill spouses.
Today, I thank my parents for being the real visionaries. They raised their children to be blind to precepts that the rest of society were not. I proudly did the same with my children. So, Happy International Women's Day 2022 to the ladies who have achieved in areas of academics, Vocation, Athletics, and Family; and congratulations to the fellow women and men who have encouraged and supported them.
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