Celebrating Women: A Note from Senator Blanche Lincoln

This entry is part of a series in celebration of Women's History Month.

Every year during the month of March, we honor the women who have made a lasting impact on our country’s history. During my tenure in the U.S. Senate, I have witnessed firsthand the progress that women have made in the public service arena. When I entered the Senate in 1999, I was one of nine female Senators. Today, there are 16 women serving in the U.S. Senate. I am proud to serve alongside my good friend, Hillary Clinton, and even more proud that Hillary is leading the charge for all women as a candidate for president.

Hillary and I have worked together on issues affecting children and families since we both went to Washington in 1993. Long before our days in the Nation’s capital, Hillary was hard at work in Arkansas as our state’s First Lady. Drawing on her own experience as a working mother with various demands on her time, Hillary created one-stop shopping centers so that Arkansas’s neediest families could collect their benefits all in one location. For a single working mother, this time-saving initiative meant all the difference. Arkansans showed their gratitude for her service to our state in our February 5 primary, which Hillary won with the support of almost 70 percent of voters.

This month, all Americans should celebrate the contributions made by women in public service. Hillary and I both know that without the sacrifice and dedication of the women who came before us, none of the progress we see today would be possible.

In Arkansas, we have been blessed by a number of great women who have served our state with dignity and pride. Hattie Caraway of Jonesboro, Arkansas, is recognized as the first woman ever elected in her own right to the U.S. Senate. Elected to two terms in 1932 and again in 1938, Hattie was the first woman to preside over the Senate and chair a Senate committee. I feel a special bond with Hattie, not only because we are the only two women to serve Arkansas in the U.S. Senate, but also because I continue to use the same desk she used during her tenure.

Daisy Bates of Little Rock, Arkansas, is remembered as a great activist during the Civil Rights Movement. Daisy was the first woman to serve as President of the Arkansas Chapter of the NAACP. Daisy and her husband, L.C. Bates, were instrumental in supporting and mentoring the students known as the “Little Rock Nine” at the time of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School in 1957.

As we pay tribute to these and other prominent women, we know that the women behind the scenes are just as critical as those who we know by name. The countless women—the mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and mentors—who have provided guidance to those who have served in public life are just as important as those they have mentored.

Arkansans proudly count Hillary as one of our trailblazing women leaders. Hillary’s campaign in Arkansas and across the country shows that she is an effective and strong leader committed to the priorities of America’s working families. During Women’s History Month, we celebrate the role Hillary is playing in our nation’s history and know that the next chapter—that of first female President—is on the horizon.