By Jessica Gonzalez (originally published on 3/1/2013)
Today marks the first day of Women’s History Month and as a new mother I feel more inclined than ever to celebrate the important role that women have played and continue to play in shaping this country. Of course many of these amazing women never were and likely never will be in the public eye and will be celebrated only by those that surround them in their personal and professional lives. Others still, have contributed by serving this country in elected or appointed government positions, and those are the ladies that I will focus on today.
This week the White House announced that President Obama plans to appoint Edith Ramirez as the next Chair of the Federal Trade Commission. This is exciting news for everyone that knows about Commissioner Ramirez’ record on consumer protection and prevention of anti-competitive business practices. And at NHMC, we are excited to see a Latina taking the reins at this very important agency!
I hope this is the first of many diverse appointments for the President. So far this term, the President’s appointees have failed to reflect the diversity of the people that he was elected to serve. Women’s groups and Latino groups have criticized the President for his failure to appoint women and Latinos to high ranking positions despite that these two groups were pivotal in his reelection. This, in light of already low levels of these two groups in high ranking government positions, makes me feel like I am in Washington, D.C. in another era, not in 2013.
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