Several months ago, I was invited to give the keynote address for the Worcester Women’s History Project’s 20th Anniversary Celebration on Thursday evening,
October 22, 2015.
I’ve been a fan of this volunteer organization for many years, and I’ve been im-pressed with their relentless dedication. We reconnected a few years ago when their annual bus trip brought them to Salem, Massachusetts, and they asked me to show them some women’s history sites. We had a marvelous time together. Memo-rable, even, because we were all committed to the same thing. We all loved to learn about and share women’s history.
And so when they called me a few months ago with their invitation to speak, I was incredibly honored. I thought and thought about what they wanted to hear, and what I thought they needed to hear.
I’ve been in their shoes for many years, giving my time to history projects I cared very much about whether or not financial compensation was involved — usually not!
I know what it’s like to feel wrung out and tired and wondering, Why am I doing this?
I KNOW that some of you reading this know exactly what I mean!
I thought these smart, hard working, dedicated women needed a shot in the arm from someone who truly “gets it.”
The result is below [in the next column], and I hope you enjoy it!