By Hannah Sinoway

Women’s Equality Day began as a celebration of a turning point in history — women gaining the right to vote. Over the years, the meaning and the implications of this day have evolved, however, all the while remaining centered on the foundation of equality.

The adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1920 sent a message that echoed across generations of women over many decades and cemented several core realities: Women are powerful, resilient, and have the freedom to become whoever they want to be.

This resilience, which has been tirelessly fought for, for generations before us, comes in many forms. It is the confidence in knowing we are capable. It is in our raised voices as we take a stand in our beliefs and fight for change. It is also reflected in our leadership. This resilience, which is borne from centuries of oppression and discrimination, comes with the knowledge that we are more than our doubts and difficult experiences. This gives us strength. It affects our everyday life in more ways than we even realize, and it has certainly played an immense role in mine.

I am an advocate for the veteran community — I have dedicated my career to improving the lives of all who have served our great country. Working for one of the largest veteran service organizations in the U.S., Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), I champion causes crucial to veterans and shed light on the countless sacrifices they’ve made for our country. In my work and as the spouse of a veteran, I have a glimpse of what these sacrifices mean.

My husband served in the Army Reserves for five years, from 2004 to 2009, and was deployed to Kuwait from 2005 to 2006. My husband loved his time in the military. His service to his country was a huge part of his identity, his pride, and his purpose. However, as for many veterans, his transition to civilian life was not an easy one. Lacking the support and direction he needed to assimilate back to civilian society, my husband fell back into a heroin addiction which he thought he left behind when he joined the military. He struggled for almost a decade before finding his footing in recovery. I met, and eventually married, my husband during his recovery process, which continues on to this day, and will for the rest of his life.

My husband’s past addiction and recovery was an eye-opening process for me. It gave me a different perspective on how I could implement my goal of helping veterans in my professional life, and how I lived my mission in my personal life; both aspects lived in symbiosis. My personal experiences made me focus more on advocating for recovery and mental health support for veterans at my place of work. Unsurprisingly, IAVA turned out to be the best place for me to do that since they’ve dedicated themselves to educating, supporting and enabling veterans and their families to gain better access to mental healthcare since their inception. They also advocate to Congress on behalf of veterans. I was a part of the process that got the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act passed into law in 2020 — a huge personal win for me and the entire veteran community.

At home, throughout different periods of time during my husband’s recovery, I served as the breadwinner for my family. Here too, IAVA supported my ability to pursue my professional goals amid my struggles and pressure at home. Over the past 8 years I’ve climbed the ladders of the organization and today, I am one of the women that make up the organization’s nearly 50 percent female leadership. Though being the female breadwinner is not the “traditional” role that has been perpetuated through most of American history, my resilience has helped me recognize my role and uphold it to best serve my family. It has helped me, my husband, and our two daughters navigate my husband’s recovery process and find strength — together.

Externally, turning my resilience into purpose has been integral during times of judgement from the public, as my family stood by my husband through his recovery from addiction. There is an extreme stigma that surrounds addiction and I’ve found that most people don’t have a clear understanding of the battle or complexities of the disease. Ironically, while the nonlinear path of recovery is centered around openness and honesty, families struggling with addiction can be made to feel like they need to live under a veil of secrecy in fear of being misunderstood or misjudged.

I’ve made it my purpose to push for a paradigm shift, by being vocal about my family’s experiences so others hearing our story might believe that change is possible for them too, and by fighting for the veteran community through my organization. There is no shame in being open about addiction and recovery and seeking support. I’ve been involved in many of IAVA’s efforts in addressing these core drivers of addiction by making mental healthcare more accessible, including leading the Quick Reaction Force (QRF), IAVA’s flagship 24/7 peer support hotline and comprehensive care management program.

On this Women’s Equality Day, I recognize all of the roles I play as a woman both at home, in my community, and in the professional world. I am a mother, an advocate, a wife, and so much more. My fulfillment of these roles is backed by the resilience I’ve inherited from the many brave and valiant women before me, women like me. I am grateful for our collective journey — from the first time a woman exercised her right to take a stand, to discovering resiliency and strength, over and over again in many different forms. We are powerful, we are capable, and we are only at the dawn of our potential.

Hannah Sinoway is the Executive Vice President of Organization Strategy & Engagement for IAVA.

This piece was originally published by Times-Standard on August 27, 2021.