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You just went ahead and used your best judgments and used the best wisdom that you had to try to do the job that you felt had to be done.
The women in our oral histories led remarkable lives and attained impressive achievements. In order to do what they did, they had to work hard and trust in themselves. Most of them give credit to supportive families, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and spouses for encouraging them along their unusual paths. Some feel that they simply had good luck in the opportunities that were available to them—that they just happened to be in the right place at the right time to allow them to pursue their interests and undertake higher education or a career.
In considering their impact on women's roles, our trailblazers emphasize that women must continue to work hard in order to achieve their goals. They believe that women must be qualified and earn their positions and accomplishments. Even though it is no longer unusual in America for a woman to earn an advanced degree or enter a professional career, women must be committed to hard work and dedication in order to achieve success.
I don't believe in just giving women a job because they're a woman. I think they've got to be qualified. And I think that if they're qualified, they ought to get the same position and the same salary.
Perhaps the most important themes connecting the stories of all Southern women trailblazers in academic and professional careers are their determination, their belief in themselves, and their perseverance even when the odds against their success seemed great. At times in their amazing lives, these women recall feeling frightened, uncertain, or overwhelmed. In spite of these feelings, they used their considerable intelligence, hard work, and drive to succeed in order to overcome obstacles and achieve accomplishments that have paved the way for continuing change in women's social roles and professional opportunities.
