I had a meltdown over the Trump administration’s revoking the 2009 “endangerment finding” that says climate change is a danger to public health. Trump is grasping at straws claiming that this would save Americans trillions of dollars. But research by organizations such as Nature Climate Change shows that climate risks, especially flooding, could wipe out almost $1.5 trillion in US home values by 2055. My climate activism DNA was activated big time when Trump declared climate change a ‘scam’. Even his small actions like promoting plastic straws over paper ones got me going. Dumping that crap into creeks, landfills and oceans was poison to this Bermuda island girl.
I started writing articles about the environment years ago, focusing on the ocean and the plastic dumped in it. My Aunt Polly, then 93 years old, explained how such activism ran through our family. Polly and her husband Erwin Strasmich left their Bermuda home and bought a home near Erwin’s cousin Irving Stowe in Providence, Rhode Island. But soon, the Stowes moved on and created planet-saving history.
Well, at least we as women have one of the longest commemorative months of the year. But equal pay and fair treatment would be preferable. That would be a measure of respect.
As of 2025, women earn less than men at all education levels, except that Asian women with a bachelor’s or advanced degree earn more than Black men with similar degrees. The gender pay gap is narrowest among individuals without a high school diploma. In essence, education only acts as an equalizer for those with the lowest level of schooling.
2025 Pay Inequality – See chart in headline
In 2003, serving on The Conference Board’s Tough Issues in Diversity panel, I showed that analyzing U.S. weekly median earnings requires considering gender, race or ethnicity, and education level. Over 20 years ago, gender had a greater effect on pay than race/ethnicity and that being a woman of color amplified the negative impact on pay. I found that higher education did not narrow the pay gap. Sadly, that remains true.
For woman of color the pay gap increases as they obtain higher levels of education. This remained true in 2014, when I analyzed the 2013 Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Harvard Business Review. Black women and Latinas vied for last place on the earning ladder for each level of education. By 2025, Black women were the biggest losers, earning less than any other group at each level of education, with the exception of Black women and Hispanic women/Latinas with bachelor’s degrees tying for last place in median weekly earnings.
Yes, equitable pay would demonstrate that women’s work is respected as much as men’s. However, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, even when women are performing the same jobs, women are paid less than men. For example, female computer programmers earn 34% less than their male counterparts, while female marketing managers make 23% less than male marketing managers.
Addressing respect for women should be a no brainer, since women are approximately 50% of the global population. However, mainstream media allow talk show hosts, guests, and scriptwriters to use the B-word for women. If the importance of censorship is recognized to censor the N-word for people of African ancestry and censors the F-word for gay men, why are women’s psychological safety and psyche disregarded?
Why do mainstream media, cable, or streaming/podcasts, tend to refer to women by their first name? Men are routinely referenced by their surname. Why are women’s titles rarely mentioned? While serving as Secretary of State, Kissinger was often called Dr. Kissinger in news coverage, especially when his official title was not mentioned. Secretary of State Rice was often referenced as Condoleezza rather than Dr. Rice in similar circumstances.
Even when women ran for president of the United States, there was a distinction between how men were referenced than women. This may have been partially due to political strategists or political consultants, who tend to be men, wanting the women candidates to be perhaps more relatable and approachable. But think about it. When former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Vice President Kamala Harris were running for president both in the primary and the general election, their campaign kept canvassing them as Hillary and Kamala. Former President Obama campaign did not promote him as Barack. Nor did President Trump campaign promote him as Donald.
While some may say that Hillary Clinton’s campaign focused on her first name because there had been a President Bill Clinton, George W. Bush campaigned as Bush even though President George H. W. Bush had been in office less than ten years, previously. He did not run as ‘George W’. Research has shown this name bias undermines creditability and authority. Surnames are indicative of a position of power and respect, first names are not, unless the first name is preceded by a royal title, à la, Queen Elizabeth!
Women’s History Month is a wonderful recognition of women’s achievement throughout history. Besides recognizing women for their contribution to society and culture, provide them respect and equitable pay. They earned it!
Okay, I’ll take my licks and apologize if anyone finds my headline repulsive; Sorry… Lo siento …Je suis désolé(e) …Es tut mir leid …or Entschuldigung …. 对不起. …..Now if I missed a sorry in another language, well here’s my blanket apology; I’m sorry about that too.
So, with that said and out of the way, how about we consider our “repulsiveness” in a historical context. Let’s talk about the lingering power of images that are burnt into our subconscious and remain buried there sometimes for a lifetime.
In 1816, 19-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin captivated her close friends with a story about a monster.Two years later, now married andknown as Mary Shelley, she stunned the reading world with her novel, Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus (1818).
Frankenstein’s monster was a man.It remained so in most film renditions.Notable exceptions were the 1935 “The Bride of Frankenstein,” who was actually created by Dr. Victor Frankenstein as a partner for his original male version, and the 2026 “The Bride”.
Frankenstein’s monster was not totally evil.He was big, strong, and often unaware of his ability to create havoc because of his size and strength.In some versions, such as Guillermo del Toro’s 2025 film, the monster’s human sensitivities figure prominently.
Today we are dealing with a monstrous new creation, artificial intelligence (AI).To the best of our knowledge, AI doesn’t have feelings.However, we know something else.AI is male tilted, and some of our fellow human beings are responsible.
Research increasingly links the erosion of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, alongside rising anti-immigrant rhetoric, to a significant decline in the mental health of immigrant populations (Lopez et al., 2017). This crisis is the direct result of a convergence of systemic hostility, and the withdrawal of institutional safeguards converge. The impact manifests as increased discrimination, reduced access to culturally competent care, and a pervasive fear of law enforcement intervention. As vital safety nets are dismantled, immigrants are left to navigate a landscape where institutional support is replaced by the constant threat of detention or deportation.
It’s March 2026. Women’s History Month has many people reflecting on progress. This year’s theme is “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future.” When I hear “sustainable,” I think about trust. I also think about keeping your voice alive in business.
If leaders do not record what they know, who will? How will the next generation learn? Your experience is an asset. It should not disappear in a calendar archive.
For years, women heard “lean in” and “break glass ceilings.” In 2026, the bigger shift is communication itself. Credibility is earned in long-form conversations. Your thinking becomes visible. Your standards become trackable. That is not “content.” That is executive presence, documented.
I remember as a kid telling my mom that I didn’t want to ever get old and drop dead. She told me to get over myself because humans are like flowers: we bloom, fade and die. So anticipating getting a shot in my left eye for AMD (Age-related macular degeneration), I had to get over my fear. I distracted myself with YouTube videos. I love watching Julie Andrews dancing on the mountain singing “The hills are alive with the sound of music”. Sighing blissfully, I watch her sing “Do Re Me” with the kids, and then, singing Edelweiss with the whole family just before they climb over the mountains to escape the Nazis. Andrews made The Sound of Music movie in 1965 and is now 90 years old. She doesn’t have AMD but did lose her voice during vocal chord surgery gone awry – a reminder that aging has many unanticipated consequences.
In the early 1990s, shortly after the Brundtland Report and before environmental education became the dominant focus, there was a strong movement for Global Education. I recall attending a UN conference in 1993 where educators from across the world gathered, and each of the seven UN education agencies presented their vision of global education.
As I listened, I was struck by the sheer volume of material—44,000 pages of information. When I stood to speak, I asked the 3,500 educators present: Has anyone here read all of these pages? Not a single hand was raised. My point was simple: how can we move forward meaningfully if no one has absorbed the totality of what has been produced? Conferences must find better ways to share knowledge and distill it into usable wisdom.
Resilience did not begin with us. It did not start on social media. It did not arrive with modern movements. Women have been resilient for centuries. Quietly. Boldly. Without applause.
Across time, women have carried families, built communities, and sustained economies. Many did so without recognition or compensation. They endured wars, poverty, discrimination, and loss. Yet they rose each morning and kept moving.
Resilience is not loud. It is steady. It is the woman who shows up when her heart is tired. It is the mother who stretches meals and hope. It is the entrepreneur who rebuilds after rejection. It is the leader who holds firm when the room doubts her.
To kick off March, Women’s History Month, I decided to write about Unita Blackwell and her place in both African American and women’s histories. Among so many great women of all backgrounds, among them Eleanor Roosevelt, Viola Liuzzo and Susan B. Anthony who advocated for civil and voting rights, I wish that Unita Blackwell was alive and with us today. More than ever, we need her out on the battlefield leading protests and knocking on doors extolling the urgency of exercising our right to vote. Lord knows we need her (and them).
