Local Voices: To The Rise of Women in Power in Hagerstown

Radio Free Hub City encourages the community to participate by submitting their own thoughts regarding local issues that matter, regardless of political affiliation or views. This letter was recently submitted to us in response to recent elections in Virginia and New Jersey. These views do not reflect the opinions of Radio Free Hub City or its clients or sponsors.

To the Women Who Lead — Thank You

Tuesday night we witnessed historic victories in Virginia and New Jersey — and I want to start by congratulating the powerful women who stepped into leadership, stood tall, and won. You didn’t just win seats — you lifted a standard for every young girl watching, every woman grinding without applause, and every community that needed to see courage win in real time.

But today, I need to speak from my heart.

Since re-entry… since rebuilding my life… since stepping into this work… it has been women who have carried me, encouraged me, sharpened me, and put me on the path that is leading me toward the Maryland Senate.

It has been women who gave me insight when I was lost, who listened when I was frustrated, who prayed with me, corrected me, inspired me, and reminded me why I must keep going. Women had my back when I had nothing but a vision.

And I need to say this clearly:

The lack of progress, equity, and unity in Hagerstown is not because of the women doing the work.
The debacle at the Robert W. Johnson Community Center is not because of the women involved.
The stagnation in our city — socially, politically, economically — is not because women failed to lead.

If anything, it’s because too many men refuse to follow, support, or respect a woman’s leadership.

I’ve watched it with my own eyes:

Women here are the first on the ground, the first to show up, the first to nurture, the first to organize, the first to protect, the first to rebuild, the first to step into the fire for this community.

Yet far too often, I see men — especially men in leadership — dismiss, undermine, or ignore that leadership.
I’ve lived it myself: when I reached out, it was women who embraced me. It was women who stood with me. Meanwhile, the majority of men either ignored me, rejected me, or shut the door before I could even speak.

So I have to ask — what insecurity lives inside a man that he cannot stand beside a strong woman?
What fear causes him to minimize, exclude, or silence a woman doing what he won’t do?
What kind of leadership is threatened by women who lead with courage, clarity, and consistency?

To the women of Hagerstown and Washington County:

I see you.
I honor you.
And I thank you.

To the women who have walked with me, taught me, corrected me, and pushed me — publicly and privately — you are the backbone of this community. You are the culture-bearers, the solution-builders, the healers, the organizers, the nurturers, the protectors, the innovators, and the blueprint of what real leadership looks like.

I stand with you — not just in words, but in action.
I will amplify you, support you, defend you, and call out any space that tries to suppress your brilliance.

Because if this county, this city, this state, and this nation ever rise to what they are meant to be, it will be because women led us there.

Thank you — for holding the line, for holding the community, and for holding the truth, even when many refused to hold you.

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Eric Van Buren

Democratic Candidate for Maryland State Senate, District 2 (Hagerstown & Washington County)

Radio Free Hub City encourages the community to participate by submitting their own thoughts regarding local issues that matter, regardless of political affiliation or views. Please contact us if you’d like to comment on a local matter important to you.

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