The Gaston legacy was never the work of one person alone. It was a partnership. Minnie Louise Gardner Gaston helped educate thousands of students, advocated for federal student aid, and strengthened the institutions that supported Birmingham’s Black middle class. During Women’s History Month, it’s important that we remember her not simply as Mrs. Gaston—but as a builder of opportunity in her own right.

History is not written somewhere else. It is written in the decisions people make every day. It is written in the willingness to build, to lead, and to contribute. It is written by people who understand that progress is not simply something to celebrate. It is something to continue. The pen is not in someone else’s hands. The pen is in our hands.

I’ve watched the news out of Minneapolis for a couple of days now and I’m reminded that there are moments when language fails — when analysis, history, and even outrage aren’t quite enough. And, honestly in a moment of sadness and concern I hear Marvin Gaye’s line from Inner City Blues, “Make me wanna holler, Throw up both my hands.”