Celebrating Women in Our Community

Mother Nature is often used to describe the air we breathe, the ground we walk on, the sun that shines, and the elements that sustain life. Nature, personified as a woman, a source and guiding force of creation.

Women carry life, shape it, and help guide what it becomes. They build families, strengthen communities and hold things together in ways both seen and unseen. When given ingredients, a woman makes a meal. When given a house, she makes a home. It is often the grandmother who keeps the family rooted and connected.

Women have long influenced social, political and economic change. Their presence is undeniable. Their impact is immeasurable. In this moment, we pause to honor that.

March is Women’s History Month. Today, we uplift Black women who are often the unsung heroes of our homes, communities, workplaces and institutions. Black women continue to demonstrate resilience while navigating the dual realities of race and gender. They are among the most educated groups in the country, yet often face disparities in pay, promotion and employment. Still, they continue to lead, create, innovate and enhance the spaces they occupy.

In 1978, “Women’s History Week” was started in Santa Rosa, California, and grew into a national movement. By 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first proclamation recognizing the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week and by 1987, Congress expanded the observance, officially designating March as Women’s History Month.

Today, that recognition continues as a national observance, and in local communities.

This year, Our Times invited our readers to take part in a simple but powerful act: Say Her Name. Through this call, we asked members of our community to share the names of women who have made an impact in their lives: mothers, mentors, educators, leaders, and friends. Some names are widely known. Others are spoken most often within families, classrooms, congregations and gathering places.

Each one carries a story that matters and deserves to be remembered, spoken, and honored.

The names included here reflect just a portion of the women who shape this community every day through leadership, service, creativity, and love. Woman to woman, we honor you.

Alberta Boyd

Alice Brooks

Ann Cabell

April Cook

Aretha Graves

Ariah Leary

Arlinda Payne

Arveneda McDonald

Avril Miller

Bobbi Sue Jarrett

Bobbie Jean Barnett

Bonita Stewart

Carmelita Stewart

Cassandra Hurse

Cheryl Dudley

Chissa Madison

Cindy Chester

Clara Jackson

Clara Roberts

Claudia Matthews

Connie Robinson-Blair

Danielle Anguish

Danyelle Granger

Darlene Ware

Debbie Calhoun

Debra Wagner

Deiona Clayton

Destiny Gunn

Donna Wagner

Dorothy Black

Dr. Antoinette Caldwell

Dr. Shayla Calhoun

Dr. Sheila Huff

Dr. Talitha Washington

Dr. Trinisia Brooks

Edmonia Pringle

Elaine Jackson

Elexica McAlister

Elizabeth Haskins

Elizabeth Lynch

Ella Watson Johnson

Elsie Cabell

Emily Parker

Francille Baker

Frankie Calloway

Fronshea Walker

Garnetta Esters

Gayla Gilbert

Geronica Hazelwood-Connor

Heather Armstead

Imogene Lowery

Irene Saucer

Ishaiah Williams

Jackie Neal

Janice Hale

Jeanette Benton

Joann Hunter

Juanika Moore

June Simms

Kareese Peebles-Johnson

Karen Ragland

Karma Green Johnson

Ke’Ara Rankin

Kim Wren

Larissa Martin-Madison

Lauretta Wills-Tyler

Leia Darden

Leta Summers

Lillian Green

Linda White-Wagner

Lisa Allen

Loretta Fields

Lori Sannners

Louise Butler

Louise Williams

Lucille Stewart

Lucy Williams

Lydia Green

Lyric Stanfield

Marie Finch

Mary Etta Taylor

Mary Northington

Mattie Miller

Mckenzie Brooks

Melanie Albert

Melanie Preston

Melissa Duneghy

Melissa Moorehead Moore

Michelle Chappell

Nadia Wall

Nanny Walker

Natalie Ward

Ophelia Haygan

Ora Lee Cabell

Pamela Decker

Patricia Watkins

Paulina Washington-Bruin

Priscilla Amstead Huff

Rachel Judge

Rebecca Brooks

Rev. Lorinda Taylor

Rev. Shirley Payne

Rhonda Drake

Sarah Mobley

Serita Cabell

Shannon Wilson-Sherman

Sharon Brooks

Shateka Bard

Sondra Matthews

Sonia Knight

Sophia Sharp-Brewer

Stacey Norman

Sue Johnson

Sylvia Saunders

Tamika Goines

Taneasha Torain

Tanisha Carothers

Tanisha Smith-Dodson

Teresa Carter

Terry Brooks

Tijuanna Tolliver

Tracey Williams

Trudy Rascoe

Valencia Redding

Vickie Rouse

Wendy Chinn