Happy International Women’s Day! 

On this day, we celebrate and honor women worldwide for their vital role in shaping and strengthening our families, communities, governments, and businesses. 

Gender has been a centuries-old hindrance in American society and across the globe. 

Women and girls have been denied an education, nontraditional employment, equal pay, merit-based promotions, reproductive freedom, the right to vote, and decide whether or whom to marry.

Even now in the 21st century, gender discrimination ensures that being a woman equates to inferiority, fragility, invisibility, and vulnerability. Our voices silenced and dreams deferred by those who chose what they believed was in our best interest. Every woman and girl has the potential to make immeasurable contributions. We have to chart a new course and change this perception, in our lifetime. 

International Women’s Day is a call to action that transcends language, borders, and cultures. It is a reminder of our collective mission to close the gender gap, #eachforequal. We, inclusive of all genders, can end the disparities and discrimination by taking a stand – every day. 

You can support the global movement to empower women and girls through advocacy, mentoring, and volunteering. We need legal protections that take us one step closer towards gender equity. 

The future is female, only if we create more opportunities for all to learn and earn, lead and legislate.