9 Marvelous Marys

March is National Women's History Month. Mary J Blige made musical history this month, by being the first to win the Soul Train Music Award for "Best R&B/Soul Album by a Female Artist" for the 4th time. She also recently won 3 Grammy Awards, as well as Billboard and American Music Awards. This may not seem like an extraordinary accomplishment, unless we study a bit of herstory.

Mary had a bad start in life. Her parents divorced and she was sexually molested at 5 years of age. The combination of being raised by a single parent, living in a dangerous neighborhood, and dealing with her trauma led to some bad years. She became involved with drugs and dropped out of High School. It's rare for a person facing those odds to overcome them. Mary did. She used her talent to build a successful music career. The Billboard award is based on popularity of record sales, whereas the American Music Awards is based on votes of the people. The Grammy is a measure of popularity among peers in the industry. Winning so many of these awards makes her quite a Marvelous Mary.

Ms. Blige follows in the footsteps of many historical women, including these 9 Marvelous Marys:

1-(Mary) Elizabeth Lange saw a need and filled it by opening a school to educate poor, immigrant children. This work led her to becoming one of the first African American Nuns to join the Catholic Church. She changed her name to "Mary", founding the "Oblate Sisters of Providence", becoming Mother Superior. (1789-1882)

2-Mary Young Pickersgill was President of "Impartial Female Humane Society", a business women, and maker of 30x42 foot flag that inspired Francis Scott Key's poem that became the National Anthem. (1776-1857)

3-Mary Katherine Goddard was a newspaper publisher/Editor and first Postmistress in the United States. (1736-1854)

4-Mary Dixon Kies is said to be the 1st woman to receive a patent in the US of A for her technique of weaving straw with silk. (1752- 1837)

5-Mary Ann Shadd Carey opened a school for refugees. She was the first black woman publisher in North America, launching a weekly newspaper, "The Provincial Freeman". (1823-1893)

6-Mary Lemist Titcomb was a librarian who not only organized new libraries, but also created the first Bookmobile (1857-1932)

7-Mary Davenport Engberg was born in a covered wagon, growing up to be the 1st woman to conduct a symphony orchestra. (1881-1951)

8-Mary Eliza Church Terrell parents were born into slavery. She worked to end discrimination based on gender and race. She was one of the first African American women to graduate from college and the 1st President of the "National Association of Colored Women". (1863-1954)

9-Mary Morris Burnett Talbert was the first African American high school principal in Arkansas. She was one of the founders of the "Phyllis Wheatley Club of Colored Women". Among her many achievements, she was a nurse for the American Red Cross during World War I. (1866-1923)

Without the contributions made, through out history, by people like these marvelous ladies named Mary, contemporary artists like Mary J Blige might not have the marvelous opportunities available to women today. Mary J Blige has gone on to acting, and is an activist for causes relevant to our era. National Women's History Month is a time to celebrate women's contributions to history, and celebrate the marvelous ways they've made a positive difference in the world today.

Resources:
Author unknown, "Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange, OSP" Oblate Sisters of Providence, http://oblatesisters.com/
Author Unknown, "Mary Young Pickersgill", Maryland Women's Hall of Fame, http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/educ/exhibits/womenshall/html/pickersgill.html
Author Unknown, "Mary Katherine Goddard", Maryland Women's Hall of Fame, http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/educ/exhibits/womenshall/html/goddard.html
Mary Bellis, "Mary Kies - Patenting Pioneer", About: Inventors http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blkeis.htm
Author Unknown, "Mary Ann Shadd (Carey)", African Canadian Community, http://www.windsor-communities.com/african-writer-ahadd.php
Author Unknown, "Mary Lemist Titcomb", Maryland Women's Hall of Fame, http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/educ/exhibits/womenshall/html/titcomb.html
Peter Blecha, "Mary Davenport-Engberg revives Seattle Symphony Orchestra in concert at Metropolitan Theatre on April 24, 1921", History Link.org. http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=3882
Philip B Davis, "Mary Church Terrell", Black Excellence in World History, http://www.csusm.edu/Black_Excellence/documents/pg-m-c-terrell2.html
Author Unknown, "Mary Morris Burnett Talbert", Uncrowned Queens, http://www.buffalo.edu/uncrownedqueens/files/talbert.htm
Various Authors, "Mary J Blige", Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_J._Blige
Various Authors, "Soul Train Music Awards for Best R&B/Soul Album, Female", Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_Train_Music_Award_for_Best_R%26B/Soul_Album%2C_Female