Who will pave the path?

I created these three women to honor the feminist voices who have helped shape the world I have lived in and are no longer with us. Women like Gloria Steinem, Dolly Parton, Diane Keaton, Robin Morgan and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Each, in her own way, stood up, spoke out, pushed against expectations, and refused to accept that a woman’s life should be smaller simply because she was a woman. 

I think about the paths these women paved for me. Doors were opened that might once have been firmly closed. Because of their courage, I grew up believing I could have a voice, make my own choices, build a life on my own terms, and expect to be treated as an equal. And I think about what they helped make possible for my daughter. She has walked a path that is wider because these women, and so many others, were willing to walk into the resistance before her. 

But then I think about my granddaughters. And the question that stays with me is: Who will pave the path for them? 

Because the work is not finished. There are still doors that need opening, voices that need to be heard, and places in this world where women and girls are still fighting for the freedom, dignity, safety, and equality they deserve.

These three figures are my reminder that progress is never something we can simply inherit. We have to carry it forward. We have to keep speaking, keep standing, keep pushing, and sometimes, simply refuse to give up. The women who came before me paved a path. I am walking on it. My daughter is walking on it. And now it is our turn to make the path wider, stronger, and more welcoming for the granddaughters who will come after us.

Their spirit does not end with them.
It is ours to carry.