WEST POINT – Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill doesn’t flinch when confronted with the “B word.”
“I’ll lean into it,” she said, prompting laughter Saturday from the audience at the Women Who Make History panel held at the Black Prairie Blues Museum.
While Spruill confidently embraces the label, her fellow panelists —State Senator Angela Turner-Ford and civil rights activist Lavern Greene-Leach — admitted they don’t lean into it quite as freely. Yet all three agreed on one key point: Being a woman in leadership demands a strong sense of self.
“I know who I am,” Greene-Leach said. “You can say anything you want to. You can call me anything you want to. I know me, and I know who I am, so it doesn’t bother me.”
Spruill, Turner-Ford, and Greene-Leach were honored at the event in celebration of Women’s History Month. The event drew an engaged crowd as panelists shared their leadership journeys, offering valuable insights into the challenges women still face today and the ongoing work necessary to achieve lasting equality.
A key concern that emerged during the discussion was the potential rollback of civil rights protections, particularly regarding women in the military. As a former member of the U.S. Navy, Spruill voiced her deep concerns about such setbacks.
“I feel us losing ground, so it is greatly concerning to me,” Spruill said. “I really think the trend right now is to go back to some sort of marginalization of women, and so I think we need to be fighting harder and harder.”
She added, “I hate to see some of the things, the strides that we’ve made being pulled away, and I see that particularly from a military standpoint. … I fear for the next four years (under the Trump administration). I believe in pendulums, and I think the pendulum is swinging, so it’s a matter of ‘How can we get back to the center?’ I think we’re going to have to live through some difficult times before we can bring it back to where I think it ought to be.”
Turner-Ford shared similar concerns, though she emphasized uncertainty — not fear — characterizes her outlook on the current political climate.
“There are people crossing all kinds of boundaries,” Turner-Ford said. “I think it’s going to come from the masses who are going to have to stand up and speak out. … Simply making some sort of effort to communicate with your delegate, either on the state, municipal, county, or congressional level. … It’s better than us remaining silent and not doing anything.”
Spruill agreed, adding, “I think that’s up to us to let them know that we’re not just going to sit back and go, ‘You know, whatever will be, will be,’ because it ain’t. We have an opportunity to get involved, and this will be one of those opportunities you need to take.”
Attendee Ella McLeod also addressed the crowd, emphasizing the power of grassroots activism in these situations.
“It starts at the grassroots,” McLeod said. “When you come together as a group, you have more power. … We’ve got to be heard and willing to sacrifice, like those that have gone before us, have given their life so that we may enjoy some of the things that we enjoy today. So we can’t be afraid. We’ve got to stand.”
Dismantling barriers
In addition to collective action, panelists recognized that fostering relationships with others is crucial in dismantling barriers for women.
“It takes relationships to get anything accomplished,” Turner-Ford said. “You can have the best and brightest idea, but if somebody perceives something in you they just don’t like, they might not support you. I think the most important thing is being able to have relationships and to work across whatever aisle that may be separating you two.”
She emphasized that effective leadership requires personal connections and the ability to compromise — something with which Spruill wholeheartedly agreed.
“I think women govern very well,” Spruill said. “I don’t think we’re as driven to win, and I don’t think government is necessarily about winning. Governing is about accomplishing things, and that’s the compromise element, and I think women do a better job of that than men in a lot of cases because we do see there is a middle ground—there are ways to move forward without having to run over somebody.”
Reflecting on her own experiences, Spruill shared that many of her accomplishments stemmed from a deep desire to do more.
“I wanted to have fun,” Spruill said. “I wanted to do things that were fascinating and interesting to me… There were doors that opened and windows that opened that I never anticipated, and I decided to go through them, or at least make the attempt to.”
Greene-Leach shared a similar sentiment, recalling her experience as one of the first three African American students at Mississippi State College for Women (now Mississippi University for Women) in 1966.
“I had no idea about leadership or making a difference or anything like that,” Greene-Leach said. “I just wanted to go to school.”
Turner-Ford reflected on the challenges of sparking change.
“The thing about making history, if you’re making strides, you’re probably doing something that maybe no one else has done,” Turner-Ford said. “That’s not comfortable, and I probably felt like giving up yesterday… It’s difficult every day. Some days are good. Some days are trying, but it’s about sacrifice… It’s about remaining dedicated and focused.”
As panelists shared their own stories and challenges of making history, Greene-Leach offered advice to anyone aspiring to spark change: “If you dream of making history, I would say go for it. But first I would say, know your history. Know where you came from. Know how you got there, and then know where you want to go.”
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