June 13, 1937 -- Birth of Eleanor Holmes Norton, Delegate to U.S. Congress Representing D.C.

Representative Norton demonstrates her support for the LGBT community, taking a stand against bullying and discrimination by participating in the NOH8 On The Hill photo shoot in February 2012. 

"The only way to make sure people you agree with can speak is to support the rights of people you don't agree with."

"I defended the First Amendment, and you seldom get to defend the First Amendment by defending people
you like ... You don’t know whether the First Amendment is alive and well until it is tested by people with despicable ideas. And I loved the idea of looking a racist in the face—remember this was a time when racism was much more alive and well than it is today—and saying, 'I am your lawyer, sir, what are you going to do about that?'"

"I have not been animated in my life to fight against race and sex discrimination simply because of my own identity. That would mean that one must be South African to fight apartheid, or a poor white in Appalachia to fight poverty, or Jewish to fight anti-Semitism. And I just reject that conception of how struggles should be waged."

"The question has been asked, 'What is a woman?' A woman is a person who makes choices. A woman is a dreamer. A woman is a planner. A woman is a maker, and a molder. A woman is a person who makes choices. A woman builds bridges. A woman makes children and makes cars. A woman writes poetry and songs. A woman is a person who makes choices. You cannot even simply become a mother anymore. You must choose motherhood. Will you choose change? Can you become its vanguard?"

Representative Norton reminds us to exercise our right to free speech, to fight oppression where we find it (even when that means defending the rights of those whose opinions we don't agree with), and to look our enemies and oppressors in the eye with confidence in our own strengths. As women, we have the opportunity, the power, and the responsibility to choose what we do with each day, and we can in turn be empowered by our choices. Representative Norton challenges us to join her by consciously choosing to commit ourselves every day to creating a more equitable society--even when that means putting ourselves in uncomfortable situations. In doing so, we make our communities healthier, happier, more civilized places in which we, too, will thrive. Today, we celebrate Representative Norton's courage to speak out against injustice and to participate directly in the political process in order to propagate change.

June 12, 1942 -- Anne Frank Receives Diary for her 13th Birthday

“Women should be respected as well! Generally speaking, men are held in great esteem in all parts of the world, so why shouldn't women have their share? Soldiers and war heroes are honored and commemorated, explorers are granted immortal fame, martyrs are revered, but how many people look upon women too as soldiers?...Women, who struggle and suffer pain to ensure the continuation of the human race, make much tougher and more courageous soldiers than all those big-mouthed freedom-fighting heroes put together!” 
― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

Anne's claim that women deserve respect and recognition as soldiers who serve the cause of perpetuating humankind is a powerful reclamation of the language of warfare; while men are engaged in killing, women's labor focuses on the preservation and continuation of life. Although Anne's statement above focuses on women's ability to perpetuate life in the literal sense--an opportunity taken away from Anne by the Nazis--her insistence that, "in spite of everything," "people are really good at heart,"makes Anne a soldier of humanity. In the context of the persecution of Anne's family and other Jewish families during World War II, Anne's faith in the human potential for goodness is life-giving. Today, we celebrate Anne Frank's unforgettable contribution: her courage to hope.