Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz (opinion): 100 years of progress for women and immigrants – CT Post

On June 25, my aunt, Mary Raissi Stewart, turns 100. She has lived an extraordinary life and is a testament to how women and immigrant families make such meaningful contributions to our communities.

She was born at home in Enfield, the third of six children to two Greek immigrants. My grandfather, Kyriakos, never made it past the fifth grade and worked for 50 years at the Bigelow Sanford Carpet factory. He believed that his five daughters should go to college and lead ambitious, independent lives, which was a radical idea in the 1920s, making him a feminist far ahead of his time.

Mary started first grade speaking no English but quickly learned and taught her parents, who proudly became U.S. citizens. After high school, she attended American International College in Springfield. She soon became a teacher and helped support two of her other siblings: my mother and uncle, both graduates of the University of Connecticut.

In 1942, Mary enlisted in the United States Coast Guard to assist in the war effort and because she wanted to travel and be trained by the military just like her male counterparts. Stationed in Palm Beach, Fla., she taught military secretaries and later became administrative assistant to an admiral in Washington, D.C. After the war, she used her GI benefits to get her MBA at Boston University. Meanwhile her sisters become a certified public accountant, a high school teacher, a law librarian and, a law professor (my mom) respectively.

With her MBA, Mary spent the rest of her professional career teaching business at several universities. Thousands of students benefited from her teaching, wisdom and mentorship. She retired from teaching in 1986 and to this day lives independently.

If you ask her the secrets to her long life, Mary will tell you to eat a Mediterranean diet, not smoke, avoid alcohol, have fun (she loves our two casinos), make friends of all ages, and read and walk a lot.

In 100 years, Marty witnessed remarkable changes in the role women play in our state and country. Born less than a year after the ratification of the 19th Amendment securing her right to vote, she has lived to see the election of Ella Grasso as governor, America elect Kamala Harris vice president, and historic levels of female representation in elected office.

Marys extraordinary life guides my ardent belief that must do more to support women in the workplace and invest in the education of immigrant children. By removing unnecessary barriers to success, we can continue to make our state and country more productive and prosperous. When women succeed, we all succeed.

Government can play a crucial role in supporting women and the thousands of immigrant and first-generation families across Connecticut. Im so proud of our administrations work to level the playing field. As chair of the Governors Council on Women and Girls, I successfully advocated for legislation to break down historic barriers for women seeking elected office or appointment to state boards. We are making unprecedented investments in child care and early education and are combating inequities working mothers face after childbirth. We ensured the passage of paid family and medical leave legislation to enable all families the dignity of caring for their loved ones. Health care access has been expanded to tens of thousands of working class and immigrant families. We successfully advocated for an increase to $15 an hour minimum wage.

So, happy birthday, Aunt Mary; I hope we make you proud! Thank you for being a strong Connecticut woman and for being an inspiration for me and the generations of women that followed in your footsteps.

Susan Bysiewicz is lieutenant governor of Connecticut.

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Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz (opinion): 100 years of progress for women and immigrants - CT Post