Sheroes

March is Women's History Month. I'd like to take a moment to recognize the women who've contributed to my life. Here's to my sheroes.

Mae West - this Brooklyn born, master of the double entendre and sex symbol is one of the women who taught me "too much of a good thing is wonderful." She was a woman well before her time. Arrested on morals charges more than once, she was a bawdy, sexy, racy woman who wrote her own material and more importantly, she was an independent woman at a time when most women were considered property to be controlled by a man.

Jackie "Moms" Mabley - The funniest woman I've ever seen who could make you laugh just by looking at her. Moms, like Mae West, was a woman before her time. Her comedy tackled all sorts of taboo subjects including ageism and racism but she was fearless. She was a proud lesbian who men's clothing when not performing and was addressed at Mr. Mabley when away from the stage. She was an original and there has been no one like her since.

Nikki Giovanni - I'm not a poetry buff but I love me some Nikki. She was one of the first people I heard embrace the term "Black" and after I heard her, I vowed I would never call myself colored or Negro again. To this day, I use the term "Black", not African American. Nikki made the phrase "Black is beautiful" means something to me in my formative years as the Civil Rights Movement sputtered to an end and I will always believe in my head and my heart that Black is absolutely, positively, unequivocally, unashamedly Beautiful.

Barbara Streisand - That voice, that phrasing, that clarity. I love to hear Streisand sing. Funny Girl is one of my favorite films and I still sing with Barbara when she's belting out Don't Rain on My Parade. That song gives me permission to tell anyone in my general vicinity that I won't allow anyone to get in my way. It's my theme song and nobody can sing it like Barbara.

Tananarive Due - Like poetry, I'm not a reader of science fiction or supernatural but Tananarive's African Immortals series have given me some great hours of entertainment, fear and speculation. She is a first rate writer whose worked simply cannot be confined to one genre. Her books are well worth the time and effort and shoud not be misssed if you like a good story well told.

Toni Morrison - There isn't too much left to say about this award winning, world renowned writer. Every so often, I re-read Sula or The Bluest Eyeor Song of Solomon and I remember why I wanted to write fiction (although I own up to the fact that I can't). Thank God she writes it so well. And thank God, she inspires me to continue writing even when I think I have nothing left to say.

Molly Ivins - This Texas columnist gave me the courage to write op-eds about politics. No one covered the winding road of dirty politics like Molly Ivins. She watched the underhanded bigwigs in Texas government like a hawk and had the guts to call them out when they were wrong. She's gone now but her spirit is alive and well. I hope to be as courageous as she was when some politician is lying, cheating and stealing.

Aretha Franklin> - That powerhouse of a voice moves inside and through me like nothing else in this world. No matter where in the world you are, when you hear Respect, you have to stop and sing along because everyone around you is singing it too. Only Aretha seems to understand how a woman feels desperation, sadness, humility and love. Only Aretha seems to share that pain. And Aretha can do it in different genres without breaking a sweat. She could sing the ABC song and you can feel it in your bones. Aretha's singing moves inside me like she has a map and that's why she is the undisputed Queen.

LuWillie Luster - My mother who died when I was six years old. I have only brief memories of her but they are as clear as day and remain with me. She came from Texas to study at Providence Hospital. She became a lab technician and worked on the original polio vaccine. Her dancing to the music of American Bandstand. Her singing to me at night. Her standing by the sink sticking vanilla wafers under the cold water as she ate them dripping wet. Her eating Jell-O with milk. Her walking me to kindergarten. Her stretched out in her coffin. I have these memories and although they are few, they help me to understand what kind of woman I could be. They hold the promise of what I can be.

Mary Liza Holmes Seavers - My paternal grandmother who taught me what a woman is supposed to be. She worked every day and came home to cook dinner and then start all over again. She taught me when to be a lady, when to be a woman and when to be a whore and to never get the three confused. She took me the Ice Capades and wrestling matches. She taught me to cook and do laundry. She encouraged my reading and my writing. She showed me everyday what a woman with little education but lots of drive could do. She was proud and strong and did everything in her power to make sure I was too. She loved me more than she could ever say but she showed me every day. The best of what is in me is because of her and I owe her everything that I am.

March is Women's History Month. Tell the women in your life that you love them. Take a moment to acknowledge your sheroes. The world is a better place because of them. And if you're like me, you're a better person because of them. Shine a light on them today!