Bonus Boost: Women’s right to vote

I don’t usually post on weekends, but today’s a special day: let’s hear it for the 71st anniversary of women’s suffrage in Costa Rica!

It’s impossible to imagine the incredible women of Costa Rica without a say over the future of this country. (And the fact that we, today, find that impossible to imagine, would have delighted the feminists of the past who worked so hard to make it that way.) Just as an example, look at the few I’ve been able to feature in this project in recent months: Extraordinary activist Mariana Camacho. Groundbreaking Ngöbe doctor Mirna Román. Athlete-leaders Stephanie Blanco and Shirley Cruz. The Afro feminist collective Costa Rica Afro. A group who took on obstetric violence, and won an essential victory. Badass young authors. The girls of Soy Niña. The list goes on, and on, and on.

Here’s to women’s voices, loud and clear at the ballot box, and growing stronger every day in all other areas of life.

And Happy Birthday to my mother, my favorite badass woman of all.

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! If you want to learn more about how to support Costa Rica during the crisis, visit my COVID-19 section, updated regularly – or for ways to enjoy Costa Rica from afar, visit Virtual Costa Rica.