What do 48 women from a really hot state have to do with you?
I wondered the same thing as I wandered through the exhibit of a book by the same name in the Tempe History Museum, but within minutes of immersing myself in the stories of these women, the answer became abundantly clear. I feel compelled to share that same moment of impact with you in the form of my own story here.
There are seven billion people on the planet, but there aren’t seven billion stories. There are maybe seven stories, repeated throughout history with different twists and turns and different characters. However, we all grapple with the common threads in these basic human plots. Look for yourself in my story and in those of the 48 Intriguing Women of Arizona.
Transformative stories: Stories that change the perspective of a person at a deep, affective level after encountering them. The 48 Arizona women– each one with her own powerful story– are impacting the world in large and profound ways. Some are well-known public figures. Others, perhaps, are better known in their local communities.
Standing in Legacy Hall, I gazed around the corridors that formed the exhibit. It was nothing more than a photo of each followed by a few paragraphs describing their accomplishments, which earned them a place in this unique and privileged group. I began at the beginning, reading the first story, and then the second, moving more deeply into the struggles and triumphs that were theirs alone—and yet, all of ours.
Gerda Weissmann Klein, a Polish-born American author, humanitarian, historian, inspirational speaker, and Holocaust survivor; Nadine Basha, tireless advocate for Arizona’s children and their education; Jeri Williams, the first African American named police chief during her years with the Phoenix police; Cindy Parseghian, who established a medical research foundation dedicated to those with neurodegenerative metabolic disorders after watching Niemann-Pick Disease slowly claim the lives of three of her four children; Diana Taurasi, accomplished basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA and UMMC in Ekaterinburg of Russia.
These are five, and I have reluctantly whittled their life achievements down to a mere phrase.
There are 43 more.
They all play their part according to their passion and the challenges life handed them: arts, entertainment and sports; business and economics; cultural development and social change; education; family and community; government, law enforcement, and military; philanthropy; and science, medicine and technology.
These are the areas in which they answered life’s call. They answered with strong beliefs, relentless hope, and even doubt. They did so, and are doing so.
Being absorbed in such transformative story tends to drain a person.
Pausing to look up from the printed words at each photo and take in a broader view of the exhibit, I felt overwhelmed by the sudden realization of being surrounded by greatness, surrounded by faith and tenacity, by women—strong, confident, never-say-quit women whose “sole purpose of existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being,” as quoted by Carl Jung. I was surrounded by the overcoming of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, of the oppression of society, of ignorance or injustice.
They, in a moment, became my inspiration–colleagues, dear friends, and supporters. I had been blessed with a private audience with all of them. Their eyes fell upon me, and their voices whispered my responsibility: to continue on the path forward and become fully the person I was called to be, to serve. And I confidently looked back at them. My eyes scanned the room, and I agreed I would.
Education, government, community, and culture… they, each in their roles. And what would be mine, I wondered? What will be mine?
And just as importantly, what will be yours?
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