I, like many in the region, sat down to watch the President’s State of the Union speech last night.  It’s an annual event that always engenders much anticipation (at least among the media pundits, political junkies, and those living in and around our nation’s capital), and this year was no exception.  Many called it “the” campaign speech, kicking off the 2012 election cycle.  Just a day before the speech, the White House said that the President would “outline his vision for an America where hard work and responsibility are rewarded, where everyone does their fair share, and where everyone is held accountable for what they do.”  Economic fairness was lauded as this year’s theme.

As I look at the calendar and realize that it’s nearly the end of January, I am once again asking myself an all too familiar question: Where has the time gone?  How is it possible that I’m four weeks into 2012 and have yet to really accomplish much on my to-do list?  The answer — time.

This month, we invited our Grantee Partners to share some of their New Year’s resolutions with us.  Their passion and commitment to transforming the lives of women and girls and improving our community are evident in the aspirational goals they’ve set for themselves this year.

Equality and justice.  Of all the obligations that any elected official has, dedication to these guiding principles is most important.  As we all know, the push for equality among the genders is a struggle that has stretched for decades and centuries.  During the 20^th Century, we saw the failure of the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1980s, even as protections for civil rights and voting rights were enshrined in the law nearly twenty years earlier.  Equality and justice had been secured for all of us when classified by race or ethnicity, but those laws were silent on gender.  As citizens, we all have an obligation to continue to strive for girls and women to have the same opportunities that boys and men have long enjoyed.

In the spirit of the theme of this year’s Women’s History Month, “Our History is Our Strength,” I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the history of women’s philanthropy specifically, since it is a particularly important part of our organization’s history.

The latest news, analysis and opinion on the state of low-income women and their families from Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. For the week ending 11/12/2010: A comprehensive look at the lives of homeless women across America.

In today’s rundown: Early voting begins in Maryland. | Ahead of the midterm elections, the Obama Administration releases a new policy paper on women and the economy. | And food stamp usage among working families has skyrocketed.

In today’s rundown: A new study links poverty to depression among mothers. | Efforts to narrow the racial achievement gap in D.C. public schools stall. | D.C.’s first woman varsity football coach takes to the field tonight for Coolidge High’s season opener.

Today, we’re celebrating the 90th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage — on this date in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was certified, giving women the right to vote.  The fight for suffrage was first organized in 1848, when women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth, Lucy Stone, Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia Mott started campaigning at the state and federal levels following the Seneca Falls Convention.

In today’s rundown: Why D.C. needs to change the affordable housing law.  |  Test results show that a disparity in education in Arlington has created two-tier public education system.  |  And honoring the women who shaped history in Montgomery County.