9 Marvelous Marys

March is National Women's History Month. Mary J Blige made musical history this month, by being the first to win the Soul Train Music Award for "Best R&B/Soul Album by a Female Artist" for the 4th time. She also recently won 3 Grammy Awards, as well as Billboard and American Music Awards. This may not seem like an extraordinary accomplishment, unless we study a bit of herstory.

Mary had a bad start in life. Her parents divorced and she was sexually molested at 5 years of age. The combination of being raised by a single parent, living in a dangerous neighborhood, and dealing with her trauma led to some bad years. She became involved with drugs and dropped out of High School. It’s rare for a person facing those odds to overcome them. Mary did. She used her talent to build a successful music career. The Billboard award is based on popularity of record sales, whereas the American Music Awards is based on votes of the people. The Grammy is a measure of popularity among peers in the industry. Winning so many of these awards makes her quite a Marvelous Mary.

Ms. Blige follows in the footsteps of many historical women, including these 9 Marvelous Marys:

1-(Mary) Elizabeth Lange saw a need and filled it by opening a school to educate poor, immigrant children. This work led her to becoming one of the first African American Nuns to join the Catholic Church. She changed her name to "Mary", founding the “Oblate Sisters of Providence”, becoming Mother Superior. (1789-1882)

2-Mary Young Pickersgill was President of "Impartial Female Humane Society", a business women, and maker of 30x42 foot flag that inspired Francis Scott Key's poem that became the National Anthem. (1776-1857)

3-Mary Katherine Goddard was a newspaper publisher/Editor and first Postmistress in the United States. (1736-1854)

4-Mary Dixon Kies is said to be the 1st woman to receive a patent in the US of A for her technique of weaving straw with silk. (1752- 1837)