Sandra Day O'Connor x Madeleine Albright x Anne-Marie Slaughter

LIVE From the New York Public Library

On March 28^th this year, three female powerhouses met to discuss their contributions as members of government as well as the overarching issue of female leadership in America. Anne-Marie Slaughter, the first woman to serve as Director of Policy Planning for the United States was joined by Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female Supreme Court Justice, and Madeleine Albright, the first female Secretary of State.

The first female Supreme Court Justice, the first female Secretary of State and the first woman to serve as Director of Policy Planning in the United States Department of State.

These women will go down in history for breaking the mould of a primarily patriarchal state of American government. Their successors thank them and women around the world venerate them for their perseverance and eloquent demand of authority and respect. They are authors; they are teachers. O’ Connor served as an Associate Justice under the appointment of President Ronald Regan in 1981 and Albright was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1997.

                Both women nourished a passion for expanding their intellect. O’Connor attended Stanford University and continued into Stanford Law School to earn her law degree. Albright attended Wellesley College before joining the College Democrats of America.  Both are published authors of multiple works and this year O’Connor presented her new addition Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court.

                Anne-Marie Slaughter is a contributing editor at The Atlantic and a Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. She was dean of Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and received the Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award after leaving the State Department. These feats make her an ideal candidate worthy of any little girl’s awe and esteem.

                Watching a video like this is necessary for our regular dose of female empowerment. It will provide you with crucial pieces of information for the all the times little girls may ask you, “Who are some famous women I should know about?” You will be able to give her three incredible examples of female leaders who stood up to the constructs of society as they stood at the time, and did not back down when others scoffed at the idea.

                The content may be too heavy for children to understand, however keep it in mind. There is an increasing need for girls to admire women for their intellect and philanthropy. Admiring women for their aesthetic only goes so far! They should be encouraged to look up to women who can express themselves plainly, who have stared in the face of doubt and told it to ‘shove off’, and who spend their affluence on others, especially those who lack it. My ideal female idol is one who could debate until she is hoarse in the throat and walk into a room full of influential CEOs and not break a sweat. I hope the next generation agrees!