Dr. April Hartman was voted as the winner of the Women’s Equality Day Writing contest sponsored by Women of Color in Leadership (WOCIL). See her poem below.
To All My Sisters
By April L. Hartman, MD
To all my sisters,
Who have come so far,
Who have fought the fight,
And bear the scars.
To all my sisters,
Forced to make a choice,
Who filter their strength,
And mute their voice.
To all my sisters,
Who give their all,
Who shoulder the burdens,
And answer the call.
To all my sisters,
Who are pushed aside,
Who are often ignored,
And not allowed to rise.
To all my sisters,
Whose pay is low,
Who are denied basic rights,
And are tired of the status quo.
To all my sisters,
Who hold their anger under control,
Who swallow their pride,
And do as they’re told.
To all my sisters,
Who serve without restraint,
Who learned to put others first,
And continue without complaint.
To all my sisters,
Your time has finally come,
Hold your head up, join hands,
And we will stand as one.
To all my sisters,
Gather from far and near,
Unmute, turn up the volume,
It’s time to make them hear.
To all my sisters,
You can have the victory,
You can be recognized for your strength,
And respected for your story.
To all my sisters,
Celebrate as never before,
Your intelligence, your successes,
When they thought they closed the door.
To all my sisters,
Let our voices unite,
Diversity, equity, inclusion,
Our fight. Our Right.
