Leading Dallas women gathered at City Hall last week to honor women who have paved the way for themselves and those who have inspired other women in the community.
While half the women on the City Council were upstairs listening to a delayed briefing on the high-speed rail plan, Dallas City Councilwomen Janie Schultz, Kathy Stewart and Pro Tempore Deputy Mayor Carolyn King Arnold addressed the women gathered downstairs, wearing purple and hugging city officials and residents.
“The great thing about being a woman on the City Council is that we’re always covering for each other,” Schultz said, adding that she would be reading remarks for her colleague, Councilwoman Paula Blackmon, who was upstairs. Stewart read remarks for Councilwoman Gay Donnell Willis.
“It was a moment where I felt like I wanted to be in two places at once,” Stewart said. “I think any woman can relate to that. As a mother or a working woman, there are times when you feel the urge to be in two different places at once.”
During Women’s History Month, we looked back on the work of women in public office, nonprofits and business to help women overcome the systemic barriers that still remain.
“We stand on the shoulders of those who paved the way for us to dream bigger, aim higher and fight harder for the rights, achievements and recognition of women around the world,” Schultz said.
According to Hattie Hill, resident executive director at the Texas Women’s Foundation, women often face setbacks in their economic well-being due to a lack of affordable child care, health care, housing and education.
“COVID-19 has proven that one of the biggest problems we have is child care,” Hill said. “We found that 2.2 million mothers in Texas are working and need some form of child care. For a Texas woman who makes the average income and needs full-time care for an infant, child care can cost up to 21% of her income. The costs are out of control.”
Since 1985, the Texas Women’s Foundation has invested more than $78 million through programs aimed at improving economic mobility for women and girls in the state.
According to the Texas Women’s Foundation, women are more likely than men to experience poverty because they are more likely to be raising children alone, and they are also more likely to work in low-wage jobs.
Hill, one of six sisters raised by a single mother, grew up on a farm in Arkansas, and the business leader says she has fought for women her whole life.
“I’ve always been an advocate for women because I saw my mother work so hard,” Hill said. “I’ve been involved with these organizations for many years with just one goal: to leave things better than when I inherited them. That’s what my mother taught me.”
Hill said despite these advances, communities still have work to do to ensure women receive equal pay and are more equally elected to business leadership and public office.
Schultz said there has been a slight increase in the number of women in leadership and city staff positions, including six women on the City Council, and she wants to encourage more women to run for public office.
“The dynamics of Congress are shifting dramatically,” Schultz said. “We’re moving toward more cooperation and less competition.”
Blackmon and Willis launched a program to distribute more than 11,000 30-day packs of menstrual products to city libraries for use by women in the community.
“There are so many women and girls across Dallas who can’t afford all the things they need during their period,” Schultz said, “and it’s so hard on them that they miss school and they have to take time off work.”
Schultz looked into the number of female city employees, including the city’s new top official, Interim City Manager Kim Tolbert.
“Her groundbreaking achievement is an incredible act of inspiration and hope, and demonstrates her commitment to championing diversity and empowering women around the world to break down barriers and pursue their dreams with courage and determination,” Schultz said.
Of Dallas’ 13,242 employees, 3,997 are women and 3,129 are women of color, according to city data. Of Dallas’ 1,455 managers and leaders, 793 are women and 604 are women of color.
Tolbert told the crowd that gathered to pay tribute to the women that they are the beneficiaries of dreams and have a responsibility to make others’ dreams come true.
“We all help each other out,” Tolbert said, thanking her fellow women for their support throughout her career.
Tolbert said he had a similar dream in his heart when he walked into Dallas City Hall as an intern 30 years ago.
“I always told myself that one day I would be mayor,” Tolbert said, “The story of women’s fight for equality belongs to each and every one of us. And it is our privilege to work together to create positive change.”
