Lawyer, Congresswoman, Trailbreaker
Geraldine Ferraro didn’t shatter the glass ceiling, but she cracked it loud enough for a generation to hear.
In 1984, she became the first woman ever nominated for Vice President by a major U.S. political party. Her presence on that ticket wasn’t just symbolic. It was seismic.
Born in Newburgh, New York, Ferraro was the daughter of Italian immigrants and the first in her family to attend college. She worked as a teacher by day and earned her law degree at night. Eventually, she made her way to Congress, where she fought for gender equity, reproductive rights, and policies supporting families and working women.
When Walter Mondale picked her as his running mate, the backlash was swift and cruel. Reporters questioned her wardrobe, her husband’s finances, her right to lead. But Ferraro didn’t back down. She stood behind the mic, unflinching. She insisted on being judged by her record, not her gender.
She didn’t win the election, but she changed what was possible.
Her courage wasn’t just in what she did. It was in daring to be fully visible, fully capable, and fully herself in a world that still tells women: Sit down. Not you. Not yet.
✍🏽 #GeraldineFerraro #WomenInPolitics #CourageIsTheChange
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