Our First Woman Governor ...

Did King George III grant representation to the American colonists (to his mind, "terrorists") because they hoped? "Give me liberty or give me hope"? Oh, no.

Were Alice Paul and other suffragists willing to sit back and hope that their husbands, fathers, and brothers would represent them well, rather than push to deliver our 19th Amendment to a waiting nation? They endured imprisonment and torture, so, um ~ uh-uh.

In 2010 and beyond, will SC women now wait ~ hoping ~ for more than token representation on our state and local appointed boards and commissions? You tell me.

The SC Gubernatorial Appointments Project, mentioned on these pages several times before and working specifically to "increase the number of women in high-level appointed positions in our state government," is even more important now that we have our first woman in SC's highest office.

When this project was announced earlier this fall, then-candidate Haley surprised many when she declined to commit to the consideration of these résumés from qualified, experienced women.

Will SC women simply hope that she changes her mind now that she's been elected, so we have better than 50th ranking for women's representation?

What can we do to help?

— For starters, if you haven't gotten your résumé in to the SC GAP yet, click now to register.

— Also, please consider applying for a Spartanburg City or County board, commission, or committee in Spring 2011.

And then, stay tuned for more info as SC women move forward to close the gap ... between hope and a new reality.