International Women's Day, influential women honored at City Hall

In celebration of International Women's Day on Wednesday, the City of Jackson honored 31 women for their work in serving the community and empowering others.

March is nationally recognized as Women's History Month and for the third year, Jackson City Hall hosted its Influential Women ceremony to pay homage to impactful female leaders.

"The women we're recognizing today are leading the way of change," Jackson Mayor Scott Conger said. "They're innovators, decision-makers, creators, and educators."

Some of the women honored included prominent community figures like Madison County Commissioner and United Way Director of Early Education Initiatives Olivia Abernathy, Public Information Officer at Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Keli McAlister, and Destiny Church lead pastor Rhonda Pettigrew.

Special guest speaker Trunetta Atwater, local photographer and entrepreneur, shared words of encouragement, wisdom, and reflected on the struggles women have faced throughout history.

"Being an influential woman means empowering those around you and being an example of strength, resilience, and courage," Atwater said.

She added that though the women being honored were there because of their social or philanthropic accomplishments, she wanted to applaud them "for simply being a woman."

"Maybe you're a black woman like me who is misunderstood for being passionate about things that affect my community until I've earned the respect and trust of others. Maybe you're a Hispanic woman who is shunned because the majority does not know how to speak your language. Maybe you're a white woman who wants to know more about others, but you don't want to ask for the fear of being judged because you have questions."

Atwater noted that the month of March is seldom just another social media hashtag, but rather a month to express love and gratitude to the women in our lives.

"It's month celebrating a love song, a love song that could be written by Dolly Parton and sung by Whitney Houston," she said. "It's a month to say 'I see you, I appreciate you, and I love you.'"

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: The city honored 31 women in its annual Influential Women ceremony.