editor’s letter
by her entrepreneurial prowess. I was moved to tears after reading Fairmont State University President Mirta Martin’s story of fleeing Cuba as a child to live in a convent with her grandmother and sister
Thanks to some past wonder(ful) Women—Deb Hartshorn, Joan Browning, and Tricia Kingery—I’ve been appropriately suited up!
before immigrating to the United States. She says, “I will never forget my roots, nor where I came from, because the challenges of the journey have given me strength.” We may long for pre-pandemic days but, as President Martin so poignantly says, the challenges of the journey will give us strength. Strength to be better than before. We’ve been given an opportunity to shed the sometimes suffocating cloak of comfort that leads to complacency. I remember years ago when, as the editor of Mississippi Magazine I was interviewing shrimpers after Hurricane Katrina had decimated their economy and their town, and they said, “Are we upset? Sure. But this has also given us a great opportunity to rebuild a better town and a better life. There’s too much work to do to feel sorry for ourselves.” I think about that lesson often. We need to use this time to see our weaknesses and challenges for what they are and identify not just what we’d like to change, but what we must change. And then work together planting those seeds. This year we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. The effort that led to women’s right to vote didn’t happen overnight. The seeds were planted decades and decades before. It just took time and the right conditions to germinate. In fact the suffragist movement could have been derailed by a pandemic: the Spanish Flu. Instead, because the flu pandemic affected a disproportionate number of men because of World War I, it necessitated women joining the labor force— and with that came change. So a hundred years ago a pandemic led to social changes, health improvements, and better economic opportunities for women. I think we should find great comfort and opportunity in that lesson, knowing that the seeds we sow now will produce the fruit of the future.
I findmyself craving positive stories. I want to disconnect and connect at the same time. I miss traveling. I miss hugging people. I miss common sense and kindness. I find myself not trusting what I hear, what I read, and what I even know. I long for a routine that doesn’t change weekly. I miss when red and orange were simply colors found in a box of crayons. I crave inspiration. And I crave chocolate. I bet you do, too. Well, this issue of WV Living magazine is the heaping serving of positivity I needed. Our annual West Virginia Wonder Women issue is packed with inspirational stories. Stories about women who left West Virginia but returned, bringing vision, passion, and dedication to building a better state. Stories about women who’ve moved away, but whose West Virginia upbringing gave them the strong foundation to live impactful lives on a national scale. We honor women who’ve never left the county in which they were born, who’ve worked tirelessly to champion their communities. And we share stories of women who’ve chosen to call West Virginia home, who’ve become vested in helping our state and our people be the best possible versions of themselves. All stand tall and proud—and they have made us healthier, smarter, more educated and better informed. 100-year old Mildred Fizer, the first woman in the nation to direct a state 4-H program, has positively impacted generations of children. Tammy Jordan’s company Fruits of Labor lifts up at-risk populations. And if you are lucky enough to know Diana Barnette, you never leave her presence without being mesmerized
NIKKI BOWMAN MILLS, Editor
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8 wvl • fall 2020
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