Honoring the Women Who Paved the Way for Progress

By Corinne Mosseman

March 26, 2025

Spring in the Pacific Northwest is a time of vibrant awakening. As cherry blossoms paint the landscape and the forests regain their lush green, we’re reminded of the inherent power of renewal and growth. This season mirrors the spirit of progress and transformation we celebrate during Women’s History Month, a time to acknowledge the profound impact women have had on our communities and beyond. Just as this region offers diverse landscapes and opportunities, so too have women throughout history shaped and enriched the places we call home.

I reflect on and am humbled by the personal history the important women in my life have shared with me over the years. Everything they have done helped pave the way for my life to be as it is including becoming a homeowner on my own – something that wasn’t accessible to them. My paternal grandmother shared memories of growing up in rugged southeastern Ohio’s Hill Country, her Swiss-German family having settled in Appalachia. She recounted the days of playing in the woods, drinking from an artesian spring pouring from the side of a rock cliff, and eating food stored within a natural “refrigerator” within another part of the rocks. Her grandmother lived the majority of her adult life in a log cabin without running water except that artesian spring. That log cabin she made a home is now a historic building that is part of the Clear Creek Metro Park – a 5,300 acre woodland nature preserve.

My maternal grandmother’s family emigrated from the Philippines to Hawaii before Hawaii was a US state. Though her family members were dentists or doctors in their home country, when they arrived in Hawaii they worked and lived on a sugar plantation camp called Fernandez Village near the well-known Pearl Harbor. As part of the war efforts, many young women on the island became USO junior hostesses as did my grandmother. That is how she ended up meeting my grandfather and they were married for 61 years. She took care of the family while he was deployed during both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Though my grandmother managed the household, including the finances, it wasn’t until 1974 when the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) was passed that she was able to open her own bank account.

My mother was born in Hawaii, and moved many times as military kids often do. She was dedicated and always worked hard, saved her money, wanted to open a bank account and purchase her first car when she was in high school. She too, was unable to open a bank account on her own until 1974. It was at that same time the ECOA also provided an opportunity for women to get car loans and mortgages to realize the dream of becoming a homeowner. My mother recounted a story that occurred in the early 1970’s where she convinced one of her male schoolmates to co-sign on a car for her since her father was deployed and couldn’t do it on her behalf.  Additionally it wouldn’t be until 1988 when women could obtain a business loan on their own, and that is when many entrepreneurial women began their businesses, and more women had access to becoming homeowners. 

I am so grateful to the women in my life for paving the way for my achievements. This month let’s all reflect on the resilience and vision of women, and recognize the countless women who, in their daily lives, contribute to the fabric of our neighborhoods. They are community leaders, educators, entrepreneurs, mentors, mothers, sisters, aunts, and daughters who build and nurture the places we call home. Their contributions, often less visible, are the foundation upon which strong communities are built.