Op-Ed Featured in The Baltimore Sun

Op-Ed Featured in The Baltimore Sun

3/26/19—[Excerpt from The Baltimore Sun op-ed by Executive Director Megan Murphy]

“You don’t need to look much further than recent headlines to see that women today are making a historic impact. Before the 116th U.S. Congress was sworn in, never had more than 84 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives been filled by women. Now that number is over 100.

The number is worth celebrating, but it’s also worth considering the broader context as we recognize Women’s History Month. Despite those gains, women still make up just 25 percent of the U.S. Senate and 23 percent of the House of Representatives. It was just 100 years ago — which may feel like a long time, but it really isn’t — that some women were on the front lines fighting for their right to vote in this country. And it wasn’t until even later, in the 1960s, that women of color were able to freely exercise that right.

Elsewhere, we continue to see women underrepresented in leadership roles. Women make up only 5 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs. And among the largest non-profit charities in the world, a slim 18 percent are led by women. Yet these recent gains remain vital. As girls and women across the globe face new obstacles and challenges, the existence of fearless, visible role models is invaluable. For the next generation of women leaders, girls and young women must ‘see it to be it.'”

Read the full story as it appeared in The Baltimore Sun.