Advocates, Activists, and Penguins

I have always been inspired by the people that I call “the penguins”. Really, I should call them the “first penguins”, because it relates to the idea that penguins are always alert to threat. They gather together at the edge of the ice and peer into the dark water, tense with uncertainty about the dangers that may lie beneath. However, there is always one – the first penguin – that jumps into the water. The first penguin to take the risk - to jump - without certainty of the result, but eager to experience the future. It is that first penguin that clears the way for all of the rest.

“It is that first penguin that clears the way for all of the rest.”

I want to honor those female “first penguins”, and particularly those who are young, who exist in our midst right now. I am writing this article on the very day that Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to prison. I find this to be significant, because it took those first few women to speak up and face consequences to begin what is now called the #MeToo movement (founded by Tarana Burke) across the United States and the world. I know that my own daughters will benefit from the bravery of these women activists, the risks they took, and the difference they have made in our society. 

I believe we are currently living in a unique time in women’s history, when young women are risking their comfort, privacy, and safety in order to effect change that they believe is important. For example, Malala Yousafzai fights for education for young women around the world, Greta Thunberg advocates for action related to climate change, and Emma Gonzalez joined others to start a youth movement related to gun control. More and more, we are seeing young people, but significantly, young women, pick up the mantle of leadership for the issues important to them.

This not only inspires me, but it truly moves me. These young women are able to see themselves as leaders because so many women have been jumping into the icy waters before them, helping them see their way. Those prior “first penguins”, from Rosa Parks to Marie Curie to the five women who ran for president of the United States this year, have brought us to this important time when more and more young women see themselves as leaders because, to quote one of those presidential hopefuls, “that’s what girls do”.

I am personally surrounded by women activists and advocates. Strong women, young and old, are doing amazing things in our world right now. On my street alone I know of three women healthcare workers who are on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic, and are somehow seeing to the needs of their children during quarantine. I honor them, and all of the other women activists and advocates that are currently making the way for future generations. We regularly celebrate those who have some historical context, but I encourage all of you, right now, to take a look around you. I bet you will see someone you want to honor before Women’s History Month is over. For this women’s history month, I honor all of those first brave penguins.