There seems to be a “day” for everything: donuts, friends, fried chicken, bringing your dog to work, piña coladas, even snakes (ick!). And that’s fine. But you know what day we really love over here at MixR? #TellTheTruthDay (which also happens to share the limelight, interestingly enough, with #NationalMacaroniDay). Today is Tell the Truth Day.

Who came up with these, we’ll likely never know, but there is something to be said for dedicating an entire day to TRUTH. If you ask us, it should really be #TellTheTruthYear – shouldn’t we be doing this every day – but we’ll take a day if that’s what an offer.

Here are a few truths you should know about (well you probably do but just in case, let’s reiterate them):

Women have had the right to vote in this country for 98 years. Not even a full century!

• Not until 1963 was the Equal Pay Act passed by Congress ensuring “equitable wages for the same work, regardless of the race, religion, national origin or sex of the worker.”
• Abortion became legal in 1973.
• Just two years later, the Supreme court denied states the right to exclude women from juries.
• Sandra Day O’Connor became the first Supreme Court Justice in 1981.
• 1992 was labeled the Year of the Woman.
• The first woman candidate to run for President of the United States ran for office in 2016.
• As of 2017, there were 32 female CEOs in the Fortune 500.

Here’s one more truth: we’ve still got a long, long way to go. Women still lag behind men in equal pay for equal work (just ask the women in Hollywood), they are fired for being pregnant, they are vastly underrepresented in business, government, and technology (ahem, 32 of the Fortune 500 companies are led by women!), they are harassed on the streets and groped on public transportation, and so much more. We’re not saying all this for shock value or because we are asking for pity but because we know that there is a better way forward for us as a society. The time for patriarchy is past. The time for equality is now, and it’s time to #leadlikeawoman.

Enabling, encouraging, and empowering women to become leaders in their own right is a crucial step forward we collectively need to take as a society.

Raising women up to the top echelons of business, government, and technology is the only way to ensure women are fairly represented in society and that the laws and norms of that society reflect the true make up of its people. So where does all this start?

We believe leadership can, should, and does exist at all levels but in today’s world, grassroots organizing and leadership is in full swing, and much of it is being led by women. That’s what we’re most thrilled about. We’re excited to be a part of a movement of social justice that has women – young and old – finding their voices within their local communities and standing together to affect real change.