Last night, my dearest friend Merle Hoffman, founder and CEO of Choices Women’s Medical Center, was among eight women whom NYS Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright, resplendent in a pink jacket, honored last night. There we all were, on the 14th floor of Herrick, Feinstein’s stately and comfortable quarters. I happily greeted women whom I haven’t seen in a long while: Former Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman, Carol Jenkins, founder of the Women’s Media Center and the Co-President and CEO of the ERA Coalition.

A star studded cast of philanthropists (Marcy Sims, Jean Shafiroff, Susan Foster) and politicians (Rebecca Seawright, Kathy Hochul, Michael Blake, Carolyn Maloney via video) abounded. The honorees (Carol Jenkins, Cynthia DiBartorolo, Susan Foster, Merle Hoffman, Kris Koehler, Ellen Ratner, Sharon Savoca-Mahin, and Jackie Shafiroff), are women who have either had every advantage or who encountered every conceivable obstacle. No one allowed privilege or disadvantage to defeat them. All have turned a variety of adversities to great good.

Let it be known that Assemblywoman Seawright introduced and had passed an Equal Rights Amendment in NYS. She is also an advocate for women’s rights, health rights, senior rights, public health, criminal justice reform, and government transparency. Courtesy of her efforts, health insurance policies are now required to “include 3-D Mammography at no cost to the consumer.”