The Power of Persistence - Celebrating Women's History Month 2021

One year into the pandemic, it’s been a tough year for women.  Fewer women are now in the workforce than at any time in the past three decades. But many are persisting, juggling increased work loads both in the office and at home. They are an inspiration.

The theme of this year’s Women’s History Month is “Women Who Have Made History” – and there are many of them.  Notably, this year the US inaugurated its first female vice president, Kamala Harris.  I recently read a story in The Female Lead, posted March 25, 2021 on LinkedIn, in honor of Women’s History Month, and felt I had to share this compelling story of Dorothy Height, a woman who clearly helped pave the way for the success of Ms. Harris and others.  Her story also exemplifies that determination and persistence are powerful - and critical to achieving success:

When Dorothy Height showed up at Barnard College in 1929 with her admission letter in hand, she was told by a college dean that they had already reached their quota of “two Negro students per year.”

Height, who had just graduated with honors from an integrated high school in Rankin, Pennsylvania, says that she was crushed, recalling, “I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep for days.” Unwilling to defer her dreams, she visited New York University with her Barnard acceptance letter and they admitted her on the spot.

It was this determination that would drive Height through the following decades as she became, as President Barack Obama observed, “The only woman at the highest level of the Civil Rights Movement – witnessing every march and milestone along the way.”