INSPIRE, EMPOWER & EDUCATE
THE CATALYST
The very first Women’s March on Washington in 2017 was the catalyst that motivated me to start my company, Marching In Their Footsteps. My company’s designs and products celebrate 19 women civil rights leaders who have come before us, fighting for social justice and forging paths so that we can make strides they could only dream about. We are part of a continuum and that’s what our company celebrates. We are marching in their footsteps…
HISTORY
As a commercial artist and CEO of Marching In Their Footsteps, my original design -- nearly identical to my current design -- was carried in the form of banners, posters and t-shirts in six state marches and in the National March in Washington, D.C. Due to enthusiastic responses to my work, I launched my business in 2018 in order to spread my positive messages and to inspire others to continue fighting for social justice.
ARTWORK DESIGN & SYMBOLISM
It was difficult for me to finalize my choice of 19 women to include in my design, as there are so many remarkable women who have fought for women's rights and civil rights in our country. Of the many goals I tried to achieve, one was my effort to create a group of women who represent a diversity in backgrounds, races, religions, and sexual orientations. Although 19 women cannot fully represent all forms of diversity, I wanted my design to celebrate the fact that in order to bring positive changes in our world, it requires impassioned people who have a wide range of experiences, knowledge and strengths to come forward over the course of time.
There are 19 women depicted in my company's artwork. The number 19 symbolizes the 19th Amendment that passed in 1920 that gave women the right to vote. However, even with the passage of the 19th Amendment, many states practiced discriminatory voting practices by deliberately preventing minorities to vote. It wasn't until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 that outlawed this discrimination. But in 2013, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case (Shelby County v. Holder) gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, opening gateways for voter discrimination such as voter-ID laws, redrawing district lines, and purging voter rolls. The fight to ensure equal voting opportunities for all American citizens is not yet over.
The large colorful bands with text in my designs make reference to billboards, symbolizing the headlines and controversies these women created through their tireless work on behalf of social justice. The scratched and textured background symbolizes the grit and determination of the activists and the pain and triumphs they endured. The names next to each portrait give recognition to each individual and are there for educational purposes.
THE 19 ACTIVISTS
The women depicted in the artwork include: Bella Abzug, Shirley Chisholm, Septima P. Clark, Angela Davis, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Dorothy Height, Julia Ward Howe, Delores Huerta, Coretta Scott King, Wilma Mankiller, Patsy Mink, Rosa Parks, Syliva Rae Rivera, Eleanor Roosevelt, Gloria Steinem, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, Edith Windsor
ACCESS to MORE INFORMATION
To learn more about the contributions of the 19 women in our designs, as well as information on voting, other remarkable women, and more, please visit our website: www.MarchingInTheirFootsteps.com
DEDICATION
My business is dedicated to all progressive women activists who have come before us -- both the famous and the unknown.
