In a tradition created by former Maplewood Mayor Nancy Adams spanning nearly a decade, current and former women elected officials from Maplewood and South Orange — and one non-binary former elected official — read a Women’s History Month proclamation into the record at the Maplewood Township Committee meeting on March 3.
The former and current women elected leaders present included Adams, South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum, Maplewood Deputy Mayor Malia Herman, Maplewood Township Committee Member Jane Collins-Colding; South Orange Village Council Members Patricia Canning, Olivia Lewis-Chang, Jennifer Greenberg and Hannah Zollman; former Assemblywoman Garnet Hall; South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education 1st Vice President Liz Callahan; Board of Education Members Shayna Sackett-Gable and Meredith Higgins; former South Orange Village Trustees Donna Coallier and Deborah Davis Ford; former Maplewood Township Deputy Mayor Jamaine Cripe; former Maplewood Township Deputy Mayor Deb Engel: former Maplewood Township Committee Member India Larrier; and former Board of Education 1st Vice President Shannon Cuttle.
Photo by Nelson Brinston, a CHS 12th grader who is working as a freelance reporter for Village Green through a grant from the NJ Civic Information Consortium.
Read the proclamation here:
PROCLAMATION
2026 Women’s History Month
WHEREAS, from Indigenous communities who stewarded this land to those who later settled here, women and men together shaped the foundations of this nation; and WHEREAS, too often the contributions of women went unrecognized, despite the leadership, courage, and strength of women being as essential to building America as those of the men whose names are more widely known; and
WHEREAS, The National Women’s History Month’s theme for 2026 Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future,” focusing on women driving sustainability, financial resilience, community, and innovation. This theme emphasizes long-term impact, intergenerational equity, and leadership across various sectors; and
WHEREAS, in 2026, we honor the women of Maplewood and South Orange who work to build a community that welcomes everyone and leaves no one behind in the shared pursuit of freedom and opportunity; and WHEREAS, they recognize the importance of teaching our children to value diverse voices, lived experiences, and points of view; and
WHEREAS, women of all races, classes, ethnic backgrounds, and sexual identities have played a vital role in shaping the United States; and WHEREAS, women from historically marginalized communities have been at the forefront of movements to challenge injustice and expand inclusion; and
WHEREAS, American women were particularly important in the establishment of early charitable, philanthropic, and cultural institutions in our Nation. And American women of every race, class, and ethnic background served as early leaders of the social change movement and also served our country courageously in the military; and
WHEREAS, in recent years, the governing bodies of both Maplewood and South Orange have achieved a majority of women; and WHEREAS, the experiences and perspectives of these women will help shape the future of our communities, bringing a distinct and essential viewpoint to governance and advancing a vision of equality as the norm rather than the exception; and
WHEREAS, American women have long been central to the nation’s growth and vitality, providing both paid and unpaid labor, sustaining families, communities, and the broader society; and WHEREAS, despite their indispensable contributions in economic, cultural, and social spheres, women’s labor—especially volunteer work and caregiving—has too often been undervalued, under-recognized, and overlooked; and
WHEREAS, as we celebrate Women’s History Month, we honor these contributions and reaffirm the importance of recognizing, valuing, and advancing women’s roles in every aspect of American life; and
WHEREAS, achieving true equality requires continued commitment to policies, practices, and cultural change that ensure women’s work is respected, supported, and fairly compensated, both now and for future generations; and
WHEREAS, Women’s History Month, or Women’s HERstory Month, is a time to honor those who struggled—and in many cases sacrificed their lives—to make freedom and equality as real for daughters as for sons; and WHEREAS, their courage was fueled by the conviction that our nation could guarantee true equality for all who claim it; and
WHEREAS, year after year, visionary women organized, marched, and mobilized to demand what should have been self-evident: equality; and WHEREAS, their movement reached every community, challenged our highest institutions, and, through decades of persistent effort, secured equal opportunity in law again and again, creating a future for generations of girls that reflects their full potential; and
WHEREAS, American women have been leaders, not only in securing their own rights of equal opportunity, but also in the abolitionist movement, the emancipation movement, the industrial labor movement, the civil rights movement, and more, to create a more fair and just society for all. Their long-fought movement finally succeeded in 1920 with the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution finally giving women the right to vote; and
WHEREAS, like the nation itself, the women’s suffrage movement was marred by racism and discrimination, particularly toward Black suffragists, as White leaders often sought to appease Jim Crow-era authorities in the South; and WHEREAS, Black suffragists persevered, advocating not only for women’s right to vote but also for the full enfranchisement of Black women and men, and we honor their extraordinary commitment to securing rights for all women; and
WHEREAS, that legacy of change surrounds us: women now make up more than half of our population, the Nation’s workforce, and college graduates; and WHEREAS, despite this progress, women continue to face wage gaps, unequal access to health care, and insufficient family leave, challenges that affect all of us and, if unaddressed, limit the full potential of our country; and
WHEREAS, for decades, medical research has disproportionately focused on men, often excluding women—and particularly women of color—despite recent improvements; and WHEREAS, in critical areas such as cardiovascular disease, which claims more women’s lives than men’s, the underrepresentation of women in research has contributed to misdiagnosis, ineffective treatment, and preventable loss of life; and
WHEREAS, women continue to face sexual discrimination and harassment in the workplace, reinforcing unequal power structures, limiting access to promotions and leadership roles, and constraining their ability to advance and thrive professionally; and WHEREAS, when women assert themselves or speak out, their voices are too often dismissed or afforded less credibility than those of their male counterparts; and
WHEREAS, Women’s History Month calls us to honor the legacy of LGBTQ+ women and allies who have advanced equality, from New Jersey trailblazer Marsha P. Johnson to those shaping history today; and WHEREAS, we solemnly remember the victims of fatal anti-transgender violence, the majority of whom are Black and Brown transgender women; and
WHEREAS, Women’s History Month recognizes that the experiences of womanhood extend beyond traditional binary definitions, and affirms the identities and lived experiences of transgender women and individuals who are non-binary or gender-nonconforming; and WHEREAS, we acknowledge the disproportionate burdens of discrimination and inequity faced by these communities and reaffirm our commitment to confronting prejudice and advancing equality and opportunity for all; and
WHEREAS, even with women reaching historic milestones, such as our former Vice President Kamala Harris, women remain underrepresented at the highest levels of government, corporations, and organizations; and WHEREAS, this underrepresentation leaves critical women’s perspectives unheard in decision-making processes at the local, state, and federal levels, affecting the laws and policies that shape our communities; and
WHEREAS, our history shows that we can stay true to our founding creed that in America, all things should be possible for all people. That spirit is what called our mothers and grandmothers to fight for a world where no wall or ceiling could keep their daughters from their dreams. Although we still have much to do to make our opportunities brighter, we recognize the accomplishments of women who fought for our rights now and in the past and pledge to them to keep advocating for equality; and
WHEREAS, we challenge our schools, communities, and organizations to not only celebrate women’s achievements but to integrate lessons of equity, diversity, and inclusion into learning and programming; and WHEREAS, it is vital that students learn about the accomplishments and sacrifices of women who fought for the rights of all, so that these lessons inspire informed, compassionate, and engaged citizens; and
WHEREAS, South Orange and Maplewood community leaders are working together to annually shine the spotlight on Women’s History Month with events and promotion of local women-owned businesses, and to celebrate women’s empowerment, and to focus on women in history who fought for our rights and whose lives changed the course of history;
NOW THEREFORE, on behalf of the rest of the Maplewood Township Committee and South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum and the South Orange Council, I, Nancy Adams, Committeewoman of the Township of Maplewood do hereby proclaim March 2026 as Women’s History Month in the Townships of Maplewood and South Orange.
_________________________ _____________________________
Elizabeth J. Fritzen Victor De Luca
Township Clerk Mayor
