By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Justin Ailes Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Public Affairs
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (NNS) -- The Multi-Cultural Observance Committee at Naval Station (NS) Guantanamo Bay hosted the Women's History celebration at the installation's chapel, March 27.
The Women's History celebration was held to remember and honor generations of women who pioneered advances in civilian and military life, while responding to gender conflict and gender segregation.
"During Women's History Month, we recognize that the pioneering legacy of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers is revealed not only in our history books but also in our lives at Guantanamo Bay and the free choices we make every day," said Carol Leaphart, NS Guantanamo Bay Multi-Cultural Observance Committee co-chairperson. "This great legacy is also in the fierce determination and limitless potential of our daughters and granddaughters. In our generation we must stand and defend the dream of freedom and justice for all genders."
The event featured educational skits and performances from the installation's W.T. Sampson school students, readings from female civilian and service members in the community, and a speech from keynote speaker Charlotte George-Foreman, outlining the important roles women have served throughout history.
George-Foreman worked full time for the Department of Defense (DoD) in various billets, but mostly as an educator with DoD schools for more than 29 years. Presently she is a full time secondary teacher at W.T. Sampson and has taught at the installation for the past 13 years.
"Women's History Month is about celebrating women who taught us how to move and make progress in the midst of adversity and difficulty; how to go beyond the gender borders," said Leaphart. "We are celebrating women who taught us how to walk fearlessly, beyond the limitation, beyond the restrictions and beyond the boundaries imposed by the traditions of society. In the face of perilous times, courageous women of history like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Soujoror Truth, Eleanor Roosevelt, Condoleezza Rice, and Michelle Obama, stood up against the storm winds of difficulties and adversities to shatter glass ceilings and open doorways of opportunities for all women, of every color and every creed, to be educated and develop to become all that they dream to be."
Proclamation 8780, signed March 1 by President Barack Obama recognizes March as Women's History Month and states, "As Americans, ours is a legacy of bold independence and passionate belief in fairness and justice for all. For generations, this intrepid spirit has driven women pioneers to challenge injustices and shatter ceilings in pursuit of full and enduring equality. During Women's History Month, we commemorate their struggles, celebrate centuries of progress, and reaffirm our steadfast commitment to the rights, security, and dignity of women in America and around the world."
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