100 years ago, the 19th Constitutional Amendment was ratified, officially allowing women across the United States the right to vote.

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

 Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Today, the fight for gender equality continues. To move forward, however, women must not forget where they came from and what progress still needs to be made. These stories – stories from the past, from older women – are often overlooked, and deserve to be told.

These stories and experiences are important ones to tell – to show all the young girls, teen girls, young ladies, women, and all the ladies in between that they ARE important, that their voice DOES matter, and that, at times, they may still have to fight for their seat at the table.

Here is one of those stories.

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I interviewed my adoptive mother, Isbelda Torres to find out what her experience has been like as a woman.

What was it like to be a woman in the past?

It was hard because I had three daughters and a husband who was in the military in El Salvador for 40 years. We moved to California because of my daughters.

As a kid, were you encouraged or discouraged from participating in certain activities?

I was encouraged because I played softball in El Salvador when I was 17 years old and I played for 5 years. I was mid field and I enjoyed it because my team was fun, nice and worked hard.

Who inspires you?

My family inspires me because they show me how to do things that I don’t know. My daughters support me and help me with everything. My kids, who sometimes do dumb things around the house or at school sometimes, but they help me clean, make me laugh, and do good in school to make me feel like a great mother.

Have you ever been harassed due to being a female?

Some people look at me weird when I got my surgery in my chest, and I feel uncomfortable, but my daughter helps me and tells them to not be rude to her or not to look at her weird because she went through a lot.

If you could say one thing to today’s teenage girls, what would it be?

I would say stay strong and keep moving forward because us girls have the power to stand up for ourselves and to not let anyone put us down.

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Do you have a story you’d like to tell? Let us know in the comments below or email us at sbhstyrotimes@gmail.com.