| Normally, March is full of amazing memory makers such as March Madness, cherry blossom season, and Earth Hour. This March, we are practicing social distancing, learning how to host virtual happy hours, and grocery shop with gloves. Our foremothers also knew adversity, and to remember our courage, strength, and fortitude, we share their stories with you, TechBae! The final in our series “Women Who Made Us” is Sarah’s Great Grandma Anna Marie. Or, as you can see from her picture, a woman who didn’t believe in the traditional feminine stereotypes at the beginning of the 20 th Century. Don’t forget to share with all of us your stories! We want to hear from you and celebrate those who shaped us beyond the genetic connection. Our Facebook Group , Instagram , and LinkedIn, are waiting for your contributions! Thank you—as always—for being part of this community. Now, more than ever, we are grateful for you! -Brenda, Christina, Heather, Sarah and Seema |
| “Give me your tired, your poor, your seething masses longing to be free.” The cattle boat to America from Sweden in 1903 stank but the families looking for the American dream were jubilant as they entered the New York Harbor. A man that knew English found a young girl staring at the Statue of Liberty and offered to translate the inspiring words at her base. “ ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your seething masses longing to be free. ’” He then added, “You must accept that invitation, you must believe in yourself, you must believe, then you can enter and be free.” That young girl captured those words in her diary and lived them to the fullest. I know—she was my Great Grandma Anna Marie. Great Grandma Anna Marie was a force of nature—determined and unconstrained by conventional limits. She navigated her mother and sisters across the country to meet her father in Northern Idaho. Upon arrival, she earned respect with her command of mathematics but had to spend long nights teaching herself English by candlelight. She helped her father design the homestead, drafting the blueprints, and eventually earned her teacher’s certificate from Washington State College when most others around her were illiterate. She built a school for the immigrants’ children in a remote logging town, secured infrastructure and electricity from the state for her community, and taught school until she was 70 years old. (When she finally retired, she became the librarian for another 10 years.) Because of these efforts and more, Great Grandma Anna Marie received multiple awards, including Mother of Idaho in 1948. And while many amazing immigrant stories like hers are the bedrock of our nation’s progress and growth, Great Grandma Anna Marie had moxie. Before marriage, she and a girlfriend homesteaded on Colville Indian Reservation where they were befriended and “adopted” into the tribe. She had faith; widowed in her late twenties, she ran the family farm with her four young children, two foster boys, and a disabled man trusting in her innate abilities and that God would provide. She had grit; s he survived the Great Depression and three heart attacks. If there was such as a thing as glass ceilings in her day, she would have shattered them all. I grew up living too far to see her much, but I have her history. Mom shared stories about her farm (the outhouse!), her wit (all farm dogs were named Queenie because it was easy to yell), and her hard work (no one escaped picking strawberries during the season). My grandma ensured we celebrated our Swedish heritage and integrated these into our family traditions. My last memory of Great Grandma Anna Marie is her grabbing my hands and dancing us through the hallways of her nursing home. We stopped at every room so she could check-in on friends, introducing them to her great granddaughter. As I look back now, I’m confident that the Statue of Liberty’s words were still ringing in her ears until the end; she entered this country to live the American Dream. She was proud of her family, her accomplishments, and being truly free. Sarah |