Kathy Kroening

The Power of Women

On this day we celebrate our independence as a country.  The preamble of our Constitution states: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure [sic] domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence [sic], promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”  (U.S. Const. preamble) Sadly Justice, Tranquility, Welfare, and the Blessings of Liberty are in danger from decisions being made by our own government.  These decisions affect many aspects of our lives including education, health care, housing, and economic stability.

Like many Americans, I find myself worried about the loss of rights earned by the hard work and sacrifice of our descendants as they advocated for equality.  Feeling especially concerned about the rights of women, on International Women’s Day this year I sent the following text to my circle of women friends and colleagues:

Happy International Women’s Day.  I am so grateful for you and all the other strong, resilient, and amazing women in my life!  Let us continue to strengthen our bonds and build our community of women who share their wisdom and mentor the next generation.

It was a simple message that seemed to resonate deeply with the recipients.  The response I received inspired me to start a blog dedicated to encouraging women to come together as a community, provide support to each other, and generate creative ideas to preserve our rights that are being threatened by the current administration.

I am a fairly private person and would not normally take such a public risk but I don’t feel I can sit this one out.  There is too much at stake.  I want to discuss our rights that are in danger of being eliminated, acknowledge and validate the many strengths we share as women and our contributions to society, pay tribute to those who came before us, and explore possible pathways to preservation.

Before I move on, I would like to share a few thoughts about language.  Language matters.  It is what allows us to communicate and share information, thoughts, and feelings.  It can be breathtaking, conveying beauty, warmth, acceptance, humility, and love.  It can be destructive, spreading blame, guilt, humiliation, and hatred.  It can also be deceptive, distorting truth, deflecting blame, and distracting readers from what is right in front of them, much like a magician’s use of misdirection to create illusions.  While it is important for the writer to be thoughtful and responsible in their use of language it is equally important for the reader to think critically about what they read, check facts, and analyze language for clarity, accuracy, and congruity.  My goal for this blog is to present information for the reader to reflect on, discuss with others, and ultimately form their own conclusions.  While I believe humans are incapable of complete objectivity, I will strive to be as objective and apolitical as possible in my delivery and write with integrity. 

While many Americans are and will be negatively affected by decisions and policies the current administration implements, I have chosen to focus exclusively on women.  My commentary is not meant to demean or diminish men in any way.  There are many men who support our rights as women, and I am extremely fortunate to have a husband who champions my independence, career, and life choices.  But if we as women want to protect and preserve the rights we have, and advocate for those we have not yet achieved, we need to stand united.  The impetus for change needs to come from within our own community.

Exactly what is at stake? Plenty.  Project 2025 is a document created as a guide for the next conservative President. (Dans & Groves, 2023) Project 2025.  It was published in 2023 by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C.  I have read this document in its entirety, all 920 pages of it.  Although the current President dismissed Project 2025 during his campaign, since taking office many of his decisions are consistent with the recommendations of this transition plan.  For example, Project 2025 states “The next conservative President must make the institutions of American civil society hard targets for woke culture warriors.  This starts with deleting the terms sexual orientation and gender identity (“SOGI”), diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”), gender, gender equality, gender equity, gender awareness, gender-sensitive, abortion, reproductive health, reproductive rights, and any other term used to deprive Americans of their First Amendment rights out of every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, regulation, and piece of legislation that exists.” (pp. 4-5) On January 20, his first day in office, the President signed an executive order to end DEI programs.  (Exec. Order No. 14151, 2025) Project 2025 states “Over the past 45 years, Medicaid and the health safety net have evolved into a cumbersome, complicated, and unaffordable burden on nearly every state.” (p. 466) On January 20, 2025, his first day in office, the President revoked a number of executive orders from the prior administration including 14009, Strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. (Exec. Order No. 14148, 2025) Project 2025 also states “Federal education policy should be limited and, ultimately, the federal Department of Education should be eliminated.” (p. 319) On March 20, 2025, the President signed an executive order to close the Department of Education. (Exec. Order No. 14242, 2025) These are just a few examples of steps taken by the current administration that align closely with Project 2025.

Recommendations made in Project 2025 that may limit or eliminate women’s rights, some of which the President has already enacted, include: changes to healthcare, including reproductive health (Dans & Groves, 2023, pp. 457-476); changes to programs like Medicaid and Social Security that would affect economic stability for many women (pp. 462-473); changes to equality in the workplace (pp. 4, 62); and changes to childcare and education (pp. 331, 476-487).  Some of these rights have already been restricted by decisions made during this President’s first and current terms.  Some may not come to fruition.  Regardless, this administration has created an agenda that if approved and enacted would set women’s rights back decades if not centuries.

It’s a lot to think about, daunting really.  But women are resilient by nature, we have to be.  When I think of my foremothers here in the Pacific Northwest, I admire and respect their courage and resilience.  They left their families and friends, many as very young women, to accompany their husbands into unknown territory and dangers in hopes of owning land, farming, and becoming self-sufficient.  On this journey that took months, these women gave birth, mothered children, lost children to disease and accidents, slept and cooked in primitive conditions, endured weather extremes, and feared the unknown.  Despite this, they made sure that everyone else was all right, putting their own needs aside.  Although the scenery may have changed and the conditions improved, women today are still mothering, shopping, cooking, cleaning, working, caretaking, and making sure everyone else is all right.  While these sacrifices are admirable, they are often not acknowledged or appreciated and come at a great price, compromising the health and mental health of the women who are taking such good care of everyone else.  Perhaps it’s time for a perspective shift, one that includes women prioritizing their own health and well being as they continue to care for others.

For centuries humans have referred to our planet and nature in the feminine.  Mother earth/mother nature, the giver of life.  She provides much in the way of sustenance as long as we respect and protect her.  When she is threatened, she is unapologetic and often ferocious in her attempts to return to homeostasis.  This is not revenge, it is self-preservation.  The many gifts we as women give to society should not be defined or limited by men.  These gifts are ours to develop and utilize freely as we desire.  Our attempts to protect this freedom have been viewed through the lens of retaliation and perceived as a threat.  I believe, like mother nature, we are merely engaging in acts of self-preservation.  If American society as a whole is not ready to accept this alternate point of reference, can we as women unite and validate prioritizing our own health and wellbeing.

There is tremendous hatred in the world right now that infiltrates women’s rights, driving a wedge between proponents and opponents, and causing fragmentation in the unity of women. Fighting hate with hate tends to escalate rather than placate which is necessary for dialogue and compromise.  Are there creative ways to come together as a community and advocate for our rights?  Can we put our political, cultural, and socioeconomic differences aside and create a strong and vibrant community of women who embrace our strengths and our differences?

When I think about the power of women creating a strong and united community I return to nature for inspiration. I think there is much we can learn from trees.  These ancient and beautiful beings are incredibly resilient.  Living in the Pacific Northwest I have the opportunity to spend time in old growth forests and marvel at the collective life experience and wisdom contained there.  In his book The Hidden Life of Trees (Wohlleben, 2016), the author describes tree friendships (p. 3).  In order to utilize limited resources, trees share space, provide protection for one another, and connect root systems in order to build healthy and thriving communities.  They do whatever is necessary to make sure the entire community has what it needs to survive.  Often the most resilient trees are not those that grow the tallest, or the widest, or monopolize resources, they are the ones that grow their roots deep and wide, forming strong bonds with others.

Photo by Kathy Kroening. Quinault Rain Forest, WA. June 2021.

You may be wondering where you fit in and what you can do.  You may want to participate but don’t know how or feel you don’t have the personal, social, or economic resources to contribute.  What can you do?  Get together with your women friends.  Reach out to others to join your group.  Make new friends.  Discuss issues.  Discuss strategies for preserving women’s rights.  Enjoy being in the company of women.  Celebrate each other.  Hold space in your heart for women and women’s rights.  Now is the time for us to come together to support each other and promote change.

Next week, I’ll take a deeper dive into the Project 2025 recommendations and Presidential actions that specifically threaten women’s rights.  Until then sisters stay safe, be well, be kind to yourself, support each other, and spread the love.

Photo by Kathy Kroening. Seattle, WA. May 2025

References:

Dans, P., & Groves, S. (Eds.). (2023). Project 2025 Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise. The Heritage Foundation. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24088042-project-2025s-mandate-for-leadership-the-conservative-promise/

The United States Constitution: Full Text. (n.d.) National Constitution Center. Retrieved from https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/full-text

Trump, D. J. (2025, January 20). Executive Order 14151: Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing. The White House. 

Trump, D. J. (2025, January 20). Executive Order 14148: Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions.  The White House.

Trump, D.J. (2025, March 20). Executive Order 14242: Improving Education Outcome by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities. The White House

Wohlleben, P. (2016). The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World. Translated by Jane Billinghurst. Vancouver: Greystone Books.