For Withelma “T” Ortiz Walker Pettigrew, it's been a long road from the streets of Oakland, California, to being honored by TIME Magazine as one of "30 People Under 30 Changing the World," and among the "100 most influential people in the world!"

By the time Withelma, the daughter of drug-addicted parents, was 18 years old she had lived in 14 different foster homes. (Children in foster care are regular children who, through no fault of their own, had to be removed from their families due to abusive or neglectful situations.) As a teenager she had met a man who promised her a better life. Instead, her world became as nightmare as she was enslaved in the dark world of human trafficking. 

Withelma’s nickname, “T”, stands (very appropriately) for “tenacity," a trait that has enabled her keep going and ultimately overcome adversity. Eventually she was able to seek help and build a new life. As a determined survivor of horrifying abuse and neglect, she has courageously shared her story to help others, turning personal tragedy into something positive. 

Now in her mid-twenties, Withelma is a college student in Washington, D.C., studying communications and political science. As a nationally recognized advocate who works tirelessly to help children, she fights to end domestic child trafficking and reform the child welfare, juvenile justice and mental health systems, which are designed to protect children in the U.S. She has testified before members of congress and appeared at forums at the White House and the U.S. Department of Justice. In fact, her efforts resulted in the first-ever U.S. government funding proposal to combat human trafficking! 

In addition, Withelma is a leader with Human Rights Project for Girls, an organization focused on gender-based violence and its impact on vulnerable young women and girls in the U.S, and also serves as a member of The National Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council. She has earned too many honors and accolades to list here, but Glamour magazine honored her tireless advocacy for children by naming her as one of its 2011 Women of the Year.

"If it wasn't for a few key people in my life believing that I wasn't a lost cause, advocating for me, and meeting me where I was at I wouldn't be here today," she says.

Having someone to turn to for help--no matter what--is incredibly important for all of us. Who is that special person in your life? 

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Do smart, committed and empowered girls grow into Mighty Relevant Moms? You bet! With Mother’s Day still fresh in our minds and our hearts, let’s look at a few of today’s highly influential and accomplished leaders—in fields ranging from politics to entertainment to finance— and see what they have to say about careers, motherhood….and life!

Lieutenant Colonel Sarah Deal Burrow is the first female aviator in Marine Corps history. She earned her wings in 1995 and served on active duty until 2004 when she transferred to the reserves. Named to Working Mother Magazine’s list of “Most Powerful Women In The Military,” Sarah now flies the its largest helicopter, the CH-53E Super Stallion---wow! She and her husband have three young sons. Says Sarah, “Some days, a word from home or a video is what gets us all through the hard stuff.”

Who holds the no. 1 spot on the Forbes list of the world’s 20 most powerful moms? Former U.S. Secretary of State and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton! In her soon-to-be released memoir, Hillary, mother of Chelsea, writes, "From the moment I first held Chelsea in my arms in the hospital in Little Rock, I knew my mission in life was to give her every opportunity to thrive. Now that she's expecting a child of her own, I'm preparing for a new role that I've looked forward to for years: grandmother." Say Awwww! 

Kerry Washington is more than a gifted and successful actress (as if that isn't an amazing accomplishment in and of itself!). In addition to appearing on Working Mother Magazine’s list of the 50 most powerful moms of 2015, Kerry served as ambassador for an organization that empowers domestic violence and financial abuse survivors, and is also among a group of advisors to V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls. Kerry says, “The thing that has changed the most about me since I became a mom is that my heart keeps getting bigger and bigger.”

Raised in a small town in Virginia, Sylvia Mathews Burwell graduated from Harvard cum laude and became a Rhodes scholar at Oxford. Her latest gig is Secretary of Health and Human Services, which means she’s in charge of a range of important U.S. agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sylvia is one busy mom! “The first time I held my daughter and son, I knew I wanted to do everything I could to give them a healthy start in life,” she says. “In a world of unknowns, we can all make sure that our families don’t have to needlessly suffer from easily preventable diseases. That’s security that every child deserves.”   

A true “rags-to-riches” story, Zhang Xin was a poor factory worker in Beijiing, China who became the seventh-richest self-made woman in the world. She saved for five years to have enough money to go to London, where she eventually earned a master's degree at Cambridge. After a career on Wall Street in New York City, she returned to her native country, where she met her future husband and business partner. Together they formed SOHO, now the largest real estate developer in China. "I think women of our generation went through Cultural Revolution, went through hardship, coming from nowhere, and suddenly see China's amazing opportunity," said Zhang, who has two teenage sons. "So women just seized the opportunity."

Ranked by Forbes as one of the world’s most powerful women, Sri Mulyani Indrawati is COO and managing director of World Bank Group, an international financial institution that offers help, advice and resources to more than 100 developing countries. Its goal? To end extreme poverty within a generation! Sri spends a lot of time advocating for gender equality across the globe. “When women succeed, they bring diversity into policy making and inclusiveness into policy,” she says. “They are powerful drivers of growth and formidable fighters of poverty. In other words, they are a force no country, no society, no company, and no family can afford not to unleash fully.”

We couldn’t agree more!

Of these amazing moms, who do you admire most? Why?

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“Women should be someone and not something.”
                      
                                                    --Mary Cassatt

“I am independent! I can live alone and I love to work.” When artist Mary Cassatt uttered those words, how shocking they must have sounded! Why? Because during her lifetime (1844-1926), the idea that woman’s focus in life would center on work, not family, was quite radical!

Many people who have studied and written about Mary Cassatt think she was greatly influenced by her intelligent and active mother, Katherine, who believed in educating women to be knowledgeable and socially active. A lifelong family friend wrote: “Anyone who had the privilege of knowing Mary Cassatt’s mother would know at once that it was from her and her along that Mary inherited her ability…she was powerfully intelligent, executive and masterful, and yet with that sense of duty and tender sympathy that she had transmitted to her daughter.” 

As we anticipate the celebration of Mother's Day, it’s fitting to applaud this strong, supportive mother and her talented and independent daughter! 

This painting shows Mrs. Cassatt reading the French newspaper, Le Figaro.

Mary Cassatt became a highly successful artist at a time when women were rarely viewed as “serious” artists. Raised in Pennsylvania, she had the opportunity to attend school in Europe. When she was 20, she begged her family to let her go to Paris alone to study modern art. As this was highly unusual for a young, upper class woman in that era it took some convincing, but ultimately her parents agreed. Once there, Mary had to find ways to study on her own since the leading art school in Paris, École des Beaux-Arts, didn’t accept women at that time.

Mary’s artistic talent was undeniable, but it took many years of toil for her work to be recognized. Eventually she earned the respect of leading Impressionist artists of the day, and was asked to exhibit with them in 1879. As of 2005, her paintings have sold for as much as $2.87 million!

Although Mary never married and had children of her own (she had decided early in life that marriage would be incompatible with her career) mothers and children were favorite subjects for her work, especially during the 1880’s and 1890’s. The bond between mother and child is one of the strongest forces on earth, and Cassatt’s lovely paintings capture the tenderness, intimacy and timelessness of a mother’s love.

You can delve into Mary's life and see more examples of her art at http://marycassatt.org.

In what ways are you like your mother? How does she influence you?

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