Posted by There are so many female heroes in history. My heroes mostly come from watching television. Here are just a few of mine:
Carol Burnett, the legend herself, created a variety show when women weren’t supposed to leave the kitchen, let alone be the head of their own company. She made us laugh while paving the way for the next generation of women. “Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.”
Maya Angelou, who grew up in the old south and witness first hand the hardships of poor black people, over came diversity to write thought provoking poems and books. “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
Billie Jean King, world tennis champ, paved the way toward pay equality for women in tennis by accepting the challenge to a Battle of the Sexes match with champion Bobby Riggs. Billie Jean won all three sets. Watching that match was exhilarating and made me feel like I could do anything. “Be bold. If you’re going to make an error, make a doozy, and don’t be afraid to hit the ball.”
Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura on the original Star Trek series, was the first black woman to have a starring roll as an intelligent, vital high ranking officer in an otherwise all male crew. Nichelle was also the first woman of color to kiss a white man on television. She inspired so many girls to pursue their dream. “I’ve grown up just thinking that what people refer to as powers are natural extension of our lives, of our abilities, and are hidden somewhere in that 90% of our brain that even Einstein hadn’t used yet.”
Helen Keller was born both blind and deaf in a time when most children with those afflictions were institutionalized. She was completely out of control and her parents were desperate. Enter teacher Anne Sullivan who tamed Helen’s anger by finding a way to communicate with her. The transformation was truly a miracle. Helen became an advocate for the handicap. “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.”
Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly a solo transatlantic flight and the first person to fly from Hawaii to the continental U.S. What a gift her bravery gave to girls reading about her exciting adventures. “Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.”
J.K.Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, is my hero more for the way she handles criticism than for the books she writes. Plus, she, through her character Hermione Granger (aka Emma Watson another hero for young girls), are showing girls that it’s okay to stand up for themselves. “It is our choices…that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
And my new hero is…
Ruby Rose, aka Kate Kane in Batwoman. Bad ass, gorgeous, tough, tender, and complicated. I know that’s her character, but I get the feeling Ruby is much the same way. The first lesbian to have her own show playing an out lesbian superhero is incredibly important to those young and old who haven’t come out yet. “If you want to succeed you must never stop learning, never stop trying and just keep being yourself. You are your own person. You make the choices in life that affect you.”
Mairsile 