Middle Township Declares March ‘Women’s History Month’

COURT HOUSE — Middle Township Committee Monday, March 15 designated March “Women’s History Month” asking township residents to pay tribute to the generations of women whose commitment to nature and the planet have proved invaluable to society.
Pictured here are a group of women representing & honoring all the women of Middle Township past & present.
Left to right: Sandra Novick, Annie Watson, Carole Mattessich, Cathy Johnson, Janet Vance, Helen Graham, Quanette Vassar, Barbara Cresse, Annie Farrow, Jen DeLanzo, Torie Powell, Jackie Russell, Patricia Anderson and Mayor Susan DeLanzo.
Each of the women made a few comments regarding who they represented and Powell read a poem entitled “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou.
Below is the text of the resolution:
DATE: March 15, 2010
Subject: RESOLUTION DESIGNATING MARCH AS “WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH”
Introduced By: Seconded By:
Vote-Aye:
Nay:
WHEREAS, American women of every race, class and ethnic background have made historic contributions to the growth and strength of our Nation in countless recorded and unrecorded ways; and
WHEREAS, American women have played and continue to play a critical economical, cultural and social role in every sphere of the life of the Nation by constituting a significant portion of the labor force working inside and outside of the home; and
WHEREAS, American women have played a unique role throughout the history of the nation by providing the majority of the volunteer labor force of the Nation; and
WHEREAS, American women were particularly important in the establishment of early charitable, philanthropic and cultural institutions of our Nation; and
WHEREAS, American women of every race, class and ethnic background served as early leaders in the forefront of every major progressive social change movement; and
WHEREAS, American women have been leaders, not only in securing their own rights of suffrage and equal opportunity, but also in the abolitionist movement, the emancipation movement, the industrial labor movement, the civil rights movement, especially the peace movement, which create a more fair and just society for all; and
WHEREAS, despite these contributions, the role of American women in history has been consistently overlooked and undervalued in the literature, teaching and study of American History; so
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Township Committee of the Township of Middle, State of New Jersey, County of Cape May that March be designated as “Women’s History Month” and we ask the residents of Middle Township to join us in paying tribute to the generations of women whose commitment to nature and the planet have proved invaluable to society.Below is the text of Maya Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Woman.”
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
‘Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Maya Angelou