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At one time, if you were a kid growing up in Miami you never heard the term “power woman.” You learned about Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt and Anne Frank. The women who made being a woman great. And then there were Julia Tuttle, Marjory Stoneman Douglas and Mary Brickell — the women who helped mold South Florida into the place we call home. But you didn’t think (or hear so much) about the power women of today. The women who build our houses, design our clothes, protect our children, empower us artistically and show us beauty. They raise money for our charities, make our laws, preserve our history, plan our future cities and expose corruption — and at least one who literally makes the saying “you swing like a girl” a compliment. The boys club used to be exclusive. But there are women out there that are still working on that — inspiring today’s youth through example. And it all started just by saying “I can do that.” Some scholars say the only way to overcome racial and gender disparity is by ignoring the differences of race and gender completely. Others would say we’re just not quite there yet. We say: Here’s a chance to celebrate the intrinsic power in all women, symbolized by a select few. That, and the fact that our publisher likes creating special issues with the word “power” in them. Go figure. So our criteria for this issue were simple: These women create a powerfully positive impact. They are physically, mentally, financially and/or emotionally powerful. They are a powerful voice for women and women’s issues. Or they are just plain powerful at their essence. These women speak to all of the goals of being feminine, making the term “power woman” kind of wordy. The more than 40 women we profiled speak to all of the goals of being feminine and feminist, making the phrase “power women” kind of wordy. They live everywhere from Aventura to Coral Gables to downtown Miami and range in age from 27 to 90 (some chose to keep their ages a well-guarded secret). By the way, some nominees were just too busy being powerful for us to even get in touch with. And we made a conscious decision not to include in this issue the handful of women we honored just six months ago for our “SunPost 50” issue, most of whom continue to be major players in present-day Miami-Dade County. They are former Carrfour Supportive Housing president and CEO Maria Pellerin Barcus, Ella Fontanals Cisneros of the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation, art queen Mera Rubell, Chef Michelle Bernstein, Rhythm Foundation founder Laura Quinlan, Denise Perry of Power U, Jami Reyes of Gordon Reyes & Company, County Commissioner Katy Sorenson and Tracy Wilson Mourning. We’re also sure we have missed a few influential personalities. Simple fact is, there are lots of impactful women in Miami-Dade and it was impossible to list them all. Some readers may even disagree with our choices, or want to second them. Well, they can share those opinions with us and maybe the public (if we feel like printing the comments we receive) by e-mailing us at letters@miamisunpost.com. So read on and prepare to be inspired, entertained and perhaps flabbergasted. Our Power Women issue. Ta da.
Introduction by Angie Hargot
Profiles by Erik Bojnansky, Robin Shear, Cynthia Archbold, Stu Cresslipsle, Angie Hargot, Helen Hill, Omar Sommereyns, Tiffany Rainey, Mike Sasser, Rebecca Wakefield, Jon Warech.
Copy edited by Mary Louise English
Art direction and layout by Simone Fong
Cover Design by Michael Menchero
The Power Women
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