September 28, 2017

When we moved to Rochester 15 years ago, my husband told me about this amazing event that takes place every two years in Seneca Falls.

The National Women’s Hall of Fame Induction ceremony is all about lessons in both women’s history and women in leadership. So I decided to go with him just to see what this small town in the Finger Lakes had to offer. Well, that year it offered up none other than Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Yup, the notorious RBG.

She actually sat next to me, wearing lace gloves, as we enjoyed the hors d’oeuvres. I’ll never forget it.

As I’ve returned to the event over the years, I’ve met people like Bernice King, Lilly Ledbetter, and Katherine Switzer (the first woman to run the Boston Marathon).

Each time I’ve taken the time to attend, I’ve learned about women from the past and women who lead today — and I grow hopeful. In this time of wildly differing opinions and politics, the Hall is all about the celebration of purpose and vision. 

Where else could you see members of the Hall such as activist Gloria Steinem, retired Air Force Brigadier Wilma Vaught, and astrophysicist Judith Pipher sit next to each other?

This year, we had a personal connection in Aimee Mullins, who we had come to know when she spoke at a leadership conference my husband chaired. Aimee, at 41, is the youngest inductee yet — a trailblazer as a double amputee who is a world-class Olympic athlete, model and actress (on the Netflix drama Stranger Things).

This year’s event, on Sept. 16, filled me with inspiration after hearing the stories from inductees and also those represented posthumously by family members. I gained the kind of perspective you can get only from being present in the room and hearing how each woman made their way.

Victoria Jackson, makeup entrepreneur and medical activist, was being honored for her contributions to business, philanthropy and medicine. Her passion to find a cure for her daughter’s rare auto-immune disease and how she changed medicine is captured in her new book, The Power of Rare.

But it was her authenticity and humility that struck me most when I personally asked her to describe her greatest failure. She answered instantly: “My lack of self-esteem.” Seeing her strength that day reminded me that so many women, even those who change the world, have to overcome much to find their voice and gain the confidence required to pursue their mission.

Sherry Lansing spoke about her path to becoming the first female CEO of a major motion picture studio and how it was paved by her mother, a true force of nature, and a survivor of the Holocaust.

Temple Grandin displayed her energy with an outspoken cry for education to serve all kinds of learners. And then there was the soft-spoken eloquence of renowned chef Alice Waters, a visionary in the organic food and school lunch reform movements.

Some of the lessons I learned are really useful at my age, such as Clare Boothe Luce’s advice to her granddaughter and namesake: “My dear, as you get older, your jewelry should get bigger.” 

Do yourself a favor and plan to be in the room next time it happens. But also, visit the Hall now. It sits in a small store-front for the moment, but right across the street is its future home in the 1844 Seneca Knitting Mill building. There is a vision that two years from now, the induction ceremony will take place in that building. 

As I consider the work of the Hall and its supporters, I can’t help but think of the famous quote from Margaret Mead, inducted into the Hall in 1976: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

Want inspiration? Join the Hall. Visit the Hall. Support the Hall.

www.womenofthehall.org

As first published in the Democrat and Chronicle and USA Today Network.