Spring has officially arrived and we are halfway through Women’s History Month. Observed every March, it’s a time set aside to examine, explore and celebrate the importance of, and accomplishments by, women.of all backgrounds, ages and cultures. After witnessing historic achievements this year, such as the swearing in of our first-ever female Vice-President, Kamala Harris, and our nation’s first-ever indigenous cabinet secretary, Deb Haaland, I anticipated March to be the calm after the storm, literally, as we ladies reveled in our hard-won accomplishments and united to achieve more.

Not so fast.

Apparently, some of us have other agendas and issues within ourselves that make it hard to see one another as allies in the struggle and believe as Queen Latifah once commanded, “Ladies First.” all of us can have bad days and make bad decisions, no matter what the gender, but some of my female peers have fallen so short of the bare minimum lately, people that are arguably old enough to know better, that they must be called out, and clapped upon, in a public fashion in hopes of hastening change. 2021 is still early, after all…..

SHARON OSBOURNE- Where do we begin? Is it with her recent on-air attack of her co-host, Sheryl Underwood, as Osbourne defended Piers Morgan’s rants trashing the pregnant Duchess of Essex, Meghan Markle, and her claims of racism and suicidal thoughts due to her alleged mistreatment at Buckingham Palace? Or do we go way back to the first season of The Talk in 2011, when then-hosts Leah Remini and Holly Robinson Peete both recall Osbourne’s shady sabotage and insults of past and present co-hosts, Julie Chen and  Sara Gilbert, respectively (most are unfit to print)?

In a recent tweet, Peete stated, “I’m old enough to remember when Sharon complained that I was too ‘ghetto’ for #theTalk…then I was gone. I bring this up now bc I was mortified watching the disrespectful condescending tone she took w/her co host who remained calm & respectful because…she HAD to.” Osbourne’s publicist has denied the allegations and the network that hosts the Talk, CBS, announced their goal to be “a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace” as the show’s production hiatus will continue through next week while the company “continue to review these issues.”

SAMANTHA MARKLE- Ah yes, nothing like reading the salty claims of a half-sibling who hasn’t seen their famous target in years: personifying “Sister Dearest” to the hilt, Markle joined former show host Morgan by calling Meghan’s accounts of palace false. “The truth was totally ignored and omitted,” Samantha, 56, told Inside Edition earlier this month. Considering she hasn’t seen Meghan in over a decade, how exactly would she know? Healing a rift with a woman you wished invited you to her wedding doesn’t involve running to the media with dismissive barbs about a day-to-day reality one has no clue of. Here’s a hint Miss: discounting that racism never happened is a pretty galling pursuit if one, you didn’t witness anything and two, you present and live as white.

RACHEL KIRKCONNELL- I cannot fathom the mindset of people who date, fall in love with and seek a committed relationship with someone of a different race, yet doesn’t seem to know of, or care about, the racism they endure. Just when the first-ever African-American bachelor contestant, Matt James, selected Rachel as his love, he learned just as stunned viewers did of Rachel’s bigoted insensitivity, displayed by Kirkconnell’s posing with friends in Confederate flag photos and attendance of an antebellum-South themed birthday while in college—–on. a. PLANTATION. The nonchalant reaction from Chris Harrison, the Bachelor host who is now on hiatus, regarding Kirkconnell’s ignorance was egregious, but Rachel’s cluelessness about Matt’s anguish made it downright tragic.

*Sigh* Less than two weeks left in Women’s History Month Ladies: instead of burning each other, why not try harder to help one another shine?