Although we would not teach children math using only the odd numbers, as schoolgirl I was taught history (his-story) learning only about men. One of the joys of my adult life has been reclaiming “herstory” by learning about the lives of my foremothers.

Two of my favorite women are Sarah and Angelina Grimke, sisters from South Carolina born into a white wealthy slaveholding family who rejected that life and moved north to became abolitionists and women’s rights advocates.

Unfortunately, my early attempts to add women back into the historical narrative were very whitewashed. My current effort is learning about the amazing contributions of women of color. For example, an early feminist of North America is a Mexican woman named Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648-1695). She was a poet, writer, philosopher, and Hieronymite nun who advocated for the education of girls.

I’m grateful that Women’s History Month gives us an opportunity to learn about these important women and their remarkable stories. We stand on their shoulders.