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"Go Where No One Else Will Go"

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"Go where no one else will go. Do what no one else will do."

These daring words did not fall from the lips of some sinewy, towering warrior; they were the clarion call of a woman "rather under the medium height," who would nonetheless prove herself a conqueror.

Her name was Mary Lyon. In 1837 (a century before American women could vote), she founded my alma mater, the women's college that would be known as Mount Holyoke. It was the first of the Seven Sisters, the female counterpart to the then predominantly male Ivy League, and through its gates strode Emily Dickinson, Frances Perkins, Dr. Virginia Apgar, Ella Grasso, Gloria Johnson-Powell, Suzan-Lori Parks, Kavita Ramdas, and countless others besides.

Each of these women won her luminous place in history by going where no one else would go, and doing what no one else would do.

The conclusion implicit in Mary Lyon’s words is “so that others may follow.” Today and every day, let us throw open more gates for our sisters, our daughters, our mothers, our friends.

Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it's done.” That means there will be times when you must go – or do – it alone, because at a certain time, only you can summon the courage and muster the will to overcome a challenge. So, #GoAlone.

But there are some places to which we must journey together. As the African proverb goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” So, #GoTogether.

#GoAlone or #GoTogether, but go. "Go where no one else will go. Do what no one else will do."

#BeBoldForChange and #GoThere – not only on International Women’s Day (#IWD), but every single day.

Share with #BeBoldForChange, #GoThere, and/or #RightlySaid, if you agree.

Connect with me at CherylKlufio.com or follow me @CherylKlufio.


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