I’ve been thinking about my maternal grandmother a lot these days. My sisters and I call her Baba, the Ukrainian word for grandmother. Baba lives alone, in my aunt and uncle’s condo in Palm Springs. She used to live with her cat, Cookie, but Cookie recently passed away. So Baba lives all alone now, a couple hours from my mom and dad, my sisters, and my aunts and uncles.

I’ve started calling Baba more in the last year. I think it’s because I’ve become more aware of the short time I have left with her. She’s not my only living grandparent—my paternal grandmother is still alive—but she’s got the better memory of the two. And she has some amazing stories that I don’t want to forget. I’m trying to talk her into writing some of them down, but she’s not very keen on the idea.

For some reason today, while I was riding the elevator up to the floor where my office is located, I thought about Baba and about what a strong woman she is. At 5 feet, her fragile frame conceals a feisty disrupter of the status quo. Bound by the traditional roles expected of her as a woman at the time, she nevertheless began no fewer than 4 careers during her lifetime. It hit me today how difficult that must have been for her. What made her decide to do it? Where did she get her encouragement and inspiration?

I often take for granted how relatively easy it has been for me to get where I am now. My family supported me, both emotionally and financially, through college and graduate school. By and large, society supports the idea of women in higher education and in the workplace. And I have a husband who is more than willing to share in household chores and, soon, in caring for our child.

My grandmother didn’t have any of that. She put herself through school and worked while single-handedly taking care of her home and her family. Her husband, as much as I adore my grandfather (Gigi is the Ukrainian word), didn’t support her. I’m sure he didn’t object to what she was doing, but it didn’t translate into helping with keeping house or caring for their 5 children.

Baba is a living legend. Though I’m sure she never participated in a protest in her life (and probably wouldn’t be caught dead doing so), she challenged the systems and the status quo of her time. Feminism, womanism, mujerista movements—these aren’t mere intellectual pursuits. Baba reminded me of that today. As Ghandi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” We must think, but we must also act. And we must act not only as individuals but also as communities. Our foremothers are counting on us, and encouraging us on.

Noelle