HER Stories:

Brandy Smith

Nominated by Kali Mattheus:

If resilience was a person then it would be Brandy Smith. Over the course of our almost decade and a half of friendship, I have seen this beautiful human accomplish so much and overcome any obstacle in her path. While college can be a challenge without any additional external factors, Brandy not only excelled in her courses but she did so for part of her academic career while receiving chemo treatments for breast cancer. Despite feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted, she pushed forward. She is someone who will give you the clothes off of her back, stand up for those she loves, and be there whenever you need her. Her smile lights up the room she’s in and her laugh is infectious. I am confident I can speak for anyone who knows her to say, that if you know Brandy Smith then you are one lucky person and your life is better with her in it.

Retha Hicks

Nominated by Sylvia Lovely:

Retha Hicks, a non-traditional change agent, demonstrates impact even at personal risk. Now in her 80s, she only began recording her stories in her 70s and has taken my story writing class at the Carnegie Center for several years. She is among the most vivid and captivating writers, sharing stories from her Kentucky coal camp childhood and her father’s union work in turbulent times. She also epitomizes the power of storytelling to remind us of the early days of the fight for women’s rights at one Fayette County elementary school in 1971. I share her lasting impact:

 Retha didn’t march in the streets for what seems quaint today—the right of women teachers to wear pants. In a story called “Pants,” she recounts a single, transformative act. What now seems minor was part of a broader struggle for women’s rights. Retha and fellow teachers secretly pledged to wear pants one morning in solidarity. The principal, catching wind, threatened to fire them. Defying him, they pledged to go through with it. The day came -- only Retha wore pants. Called to the office, she walked the hallway, trembling under the stares of colleagues—one sobbing, “My husband talked me out of it.” The principal, “You know I could fire you BUT those pants cover you better!” The next day, every teacher wore pants. One small step for women’s rights, one lasting change that continues today.