By Shamecca Brown-Granite State News Collaborative
Every March, we see the same names. The same famous faces. The same polished quotes. The same highlight reels of women who made history. Don’t get me wrong, they deserve their flowers, but who decided that Women’s History Month is only for the famous? What about the woman who covered your shift when your back gave out? What about the friend who picked up your kids when you were overwhelmed and didn’t make you feel small about it? What about the co-worker who whispered, “You got this,” when the room felt heavy?
History isn’t only made in Congress. History isn’t only written in textbooks. History is being made every single day in living rooms, shelters, schools and workplaces by women who may never trend but are transforming lives quietly.
One of my favorite women in history is Shirley Chisholm. She once said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” That quote isn’t just bold, it’s sisterhood in action, because how many women do we know who didn’t wait for permission? Who didn’t wait to be invited? Who didn’t wait to be validated? They built their own tables. They pulled up chairs for other women and made room..
But sometimes that table isn’t a boardroom. Sometimes it’s a kitchen table with bills spread out and kids doing homework nearby. Sometimes it’s a group chat where women share job leads. Sometimes it’s a co-worker protecting your name in a room you’re not in. Sometimes it’s a woman sending you a few dollars and saying, “Pay me back whenever,” knowing you might not be able to.
There’s this narrative that women compete with each other. That there isn’t enough space. That if one wins, another loses. But I don’t believe that.
I’ve seen women hold each other up in ways that don’t make headlines. I’ve seen women sit with survivors and remind them they are not broken. I’ve seen grandmothers raise babies again without applause. I’ve seen women navigating predominantly white spaces, carrying professionalism in one hand and authenticity in the other, refusing to shrink. I’ve seen women build sister circles when the environment didn’t naturally offer one.
We don’t talk enough about the emotional labor women carry for each other. The texts asking, “Did you make it home?” Or “call me when you get a minute,” “I’m proud of you,” “You’re not crazy,” “You’re not alone.” Those are lifelines.
In a world that already tries to divide us, by race, by class, by politics and by identity, choosing to support another woman is radical. Especially for women of color. Especially in spaces where we may be the only one. Especially when we are told to tone it down, smooth it out, quiet it up.
Sisterhood says, “Stay you. I got you.” You don’t have to be famous to be foundational. The woman braiding a little girl’s hair and teaching her to love her texture is shaping history. The woman teaching her children Black history every single day, not just in February, is shaping history. The woman who refuses to let bitterness harden her heart is shaping history. And sometimes it’s women like me.
A single parent again. Getting life back together. Grieving, rebuilding, restructuring and still standing. I don’t always give myself flowers – in fact, I rarely do. But I am now. Because I am strong. I am willing to fight, even through the struggles. Because even when life shifts in ways I didn’t plan, I don’t fold. I adjust.
Shirley Chisholm brought her folding chair to tables that didn’t expect her. Women today are still doing the same thing, in offices, shelters, classrooms, courtrooms, and quiet moments no one sees.
My life – rebuilding, loving, mothering, working, healing – is me making history. Not the kind that makes headlines, but the kind that makes legacy. You don’t need followers to be historic. You don’t need a stage to be powerful. You don’t need fame to matter.
This March, I’m not just celebrating famous women. I’m celebrating the women who hold other women up. The women who don’t compete, but collaborate. The women who aren’t trending, but are transforming lives every single day.
Shamecca Brown is a New Hampshire-based columnist who is family-oriented and passionate about serving underserved communities. These articles are being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.