Lift While You Climb Cross Stitch Pattern

This Lift While You Climb cross stitch pattern is now available in my Etsy shop!I first heard this expression after the passing of Gwen Ifill, who, to quote Biography.com “was a pioneering journalist and one of the most successful female African-American reporters of all time.” Her friends and fellow journalists noted “how she embodied the motto ‘lift while you climb.’”

While this phrase is an entreaty to help the women around you meet the challenges they face, it’s actually a great project for ANYONE in a leadership role. The most successful people help others achieve. It is as simple as that.

This idea is by no means new. “Lifting as we climb” is one of the founding principles of The National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs. The NACWC organized in 1896 after “a journalist named James Jacks delivered a horrifying response to a letter asking him to publicly condemn lynching. Jacks specifically attacked black women in his publication, describing them as ‘prostitutes’ and ‘thieves’ who were ‘devoid of morality’.

“In this time of radically heightened hostility, it was clear that black women themselves would have to begin the work toward racial equity- and they would have to do so by elevating themselves first.”

In more recent times, this concept is being encouraged not just between women or racial minorities, but to religious minorities and to the LGBTQ community as well.

An article by Margie Warrell in Forbes reflects on the brilliant Madeline Albright quote “There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” “These words… reflect two truths: 1. The strong value many women place on supporting other women to achieve their ambitions as they pursue [their] own. 2. Acknowledgement that not all women value the ‘sisterhood,’ opting instead to pull the ladder up behind them as they climb…” Fortunately, the second group are far outnumbered by the first group.

Andy Dunn wrote in Medium: “One of the myths of capitalism is that someone else has to fail for you to succeed. It is the exact opposite: many people have to be succeeding around you for you to be successful.”

Then there is this fascinating read by Karen Fleshman in the Huffington Post, part of which says: “Ladies- an assimilationist mindset- that we have to learn and conform to the rules White men created to give them power over us- IS NOT GOING TO GET US ANYWHERE.” “We need to change ourselves, our relationships, our sphere of influence so that ALL women can succeed. Women of color and genderqueer people have been pointing out that we need to change for a long time- but we have stubbornly refused to listen, remaining fixated on how we can contort ourselves to persuade White men to hire and promote us. This has to stop.” This is amazing food for thought.

Let this Lift While You Climb cross stitch pattern be a solid and constant reminder that the most successful people help others achieve. Put it in your workspace. Gift it to a coworker. Encourage encouragement!Also relevant to this post is my Be the Change You Want to See cross stitch pattern. It makes a bright and lovely reminder to create positive change in your world!