A Love Letter to America’s First Leading Lady

Dear Lady Liberty,

First, thank you for standing in New York Harbor for nearly 140 years without complaining once. Honestly, most of us can’t make it through a two-hour road trip without asking, “Are we there yet?” and yet there you stand—graceful, steadfast, and somehow making oxidized green look iconic—though rain, sleet and snow, which we all know makes for the worst hair days.

For 250 years, America has been imperfect, ambitious, messy, hopeful, sassy, savvy, and bold—and in many ways,
so have her women.

You watched as women fought for a nation they weren’t yet allowed to vote in. You stood tall while pioneers crossed unknown frontiers, nurses cared for wounded soldiers, suffragists marched for equality, and generations of mothers raised dreamers, leaders, and change-makers. You witnessed women become police officers, doctors, pilots, inventors, astronauts, CEOs, governors, Supreme Court justices, and Vice Presidents.

And through every victory, every setback, and every hard-fought step forward, you reminded us that liberty isn’t handed out—it’s pursued.

Thank you for teaching American women that strength can wear pearls or combat boots. That patriotism can look like raising children, running companies, serving our country, curing diseases, fighting for justice, or simply showing up every day with grit and grace. Like you, so many women stand tall every day o protect their beliefs, values, and loved ones. And without women to serve our communities, there would be so many who would go hungry, live in abusive situations with nowhere to turn or simply fall through the cracks.

Thank you for proving that women don’t have to choose between being kind and being courageous. We can be soft and strong. Compassionate and determined. We can wave the flag with one hand and shatter ceilings with the other.

We’ve come a long way from “Remember the ladies” when, in a letter written March 1776, Abigail Adams urged her husband, John Adams, and the Continental Congress to grant women legal rights and protections in the new American legal code. Yet, perhaps the greatest part of America’s story is that we’re still writing it.

Two hundred and fifty years later, we are daughters and dreamers. Entrepreneurs and educators. Soldiers and scientists. Farmers and first ladies. Wives and winners. We are women who laugh loudly, love fiercely, support one another, and occasionally hold the entire family together with dry shampoo and a prayer.

And somehow, despite everything, we remain hopeful.

Because that’s the thing about America—and the women who have shaped her—we always believe tomorrow can be better.

So here’s to you, Lady Liberty.

Thank you for holding the torch high enough for generations of women to see what was possible.

And thank you for reminding us that freedom isn’t just something we inherit.

It’s something we honor, protect, and pass on.

 

With gratitude, pride, and just a little lipstick,
The Women of America
(Particularly the Lowcountry)