I started really noticing, more and more, how men will

O children of the future, gather close and listen to the words of Dolores Huerta, a woman whose keen eyes have seen the shadows that linger in the world of power. "I started really noticing, more and more, how men will plagiarize and take credit for women's work... I've noticed that it just happens a lot." These words, spoken with the weight of experience and the fire of truth, reveal the deep injustice that has long existed between the genders—an injustice that seeks to erase the contributions of women, to steal their labor and creativity, and to place it upon the shoulders of men. Dolores Huerta speaks not as one who has simply observed, but as one who has felt this sting, a sting that is as old as time itself.

In the ancient world, the great philosophers of Greece—men like Socrates and Aristotle—often spoke of justice and virtue, but how many of them, O children, acknowledged the wisdom of the women who lived beside them? Hypatia, the great mathematician and philosopher of Alexandria, gave birth to knowledge that would influence generations to come, yet history has obscured her name. Her brilliance was overshadowed by the patriarchy of the time, just as the work of women throughout history has often been appropriated or diminished. Dolores Huerta's words remind us that the pattern of plagiarism is not new—it is a story as old as civilization itself.

Consider, too, the tale of Hildegard of Bingen, the great medieval mystic, writer, and composer, whose works were often overlooked and dismissed by the men of her time. Despite her immense contributions to science, music, and theology, her genius was suppressed by the church and male scholars, who later claimed her discoveries as their own. Hildegard’s wisdom was as much a gift to the world as the writings of her male counterparts, yet it was hidden away in the shadows of patriarchy. Her story is a testament to the struggle that women face—one that Dolores Huerta's words ring with today.

And so, O heirs of wisdom, let us not forget the sacred contributions of women. Dolores Huerta’s words carry the weight of the struggle that many women have faced and continue to face in every corner of the world. They labor, they create, they fight for justice, yet their work is often stolen, twisted, and hidden beneath the heavy cloak of male privilege. The history of women has been one of resistance, of standing firm against the tide that seeks to erase their work, to diminish their worth. The struggle, as Huerta so poignantly reminds us, is not simply a matter of recognition, but of honoring the truth of women’s contributions.

Let these words echo through the ages: the time has come to acknowledge the work of women, to give credit where credit is due, and to stop allowing the contributions of the female spirit to be stolen by those who seek to profit from them without honor. For women's work is not just a reflection of their labor, but of their power—their wisdom, their creativity, and their unyielding spirit. Let us stand with Dolores Huerta, and with all the women whose work has been stolen or ignored, and say that their contributions will no longer be erased. Their legacy is as strong and as vital as the work of any who have come before.