“Little girls learn a lot from the women they grow up around, whether they are related or not. Older women are like midwives who assist in the birth of a young woman’s consciousness. It is not just what they do. It’s who they are and how they demonstrate who they are that provides young women with “womanhood training.” Young women and girls learn about themselves and what it means to be a woman by watching older women in their lives. They watch how and what (and if) they cook. They care what they wear, how they carry themselves, and how they treat each other.

Whether they realize it or not, whether they intend to or not, older women, the “womanhood midwives,” teach younger women what to expect from life. Some things are taught overtly, but the most important lessons are taught covertly. The words and actions of older women lead younger women to expect life to be peaceful or stressful, complicated or uncomplicated, honorable or dishonorable. Only a woman can teach another woman what it means to be a woman.”[1]

Today, in Washington D.C., motivated, successful women are reaching out to inspire the next generation through a mentoring organization called the High Tea Society. Director, Mariessa Terrell, Esq, shares the power of the village as a change agent of positivity by providing love, positive attitudes, and alternatives to those living at risk.

BE INSPIRED!

1] Iyanla Vanzant, Yesterday I Cried (Simon &Schuster, New York 1999), 88