Spellwoman

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Happy International Women’s Day!

March8

It’s March 8th- International Women’s Day! (IWD) A national holiday in some countries. The 100th Women’s Day in the USA. A day to honor the economic, political and social achievements of women. Also a historic day to set goals, organize in our communities and make demands. Women’s organizations and governments around the world create different themes for IWD. This year, the United Nations’ theme is: Women and men united to end violence against women and girls.

Our struggle continues to achieve the right to full humanity for all people, including freedom from violence, poverty, war, racism, sexism, homophobia, religious intolerance and all forms of injustice and repression. However, we’ve come a long way in the past 100 years since the first IWD was proposed. Here are some highlights from just the last year…

  • Johanna Sigurdardottir PM of Iceland, became the first openly gay(lesbian) head of state in the world.
  • Barack Obama became the first African American president. According to Eleanor Smeal, “Obama/Biden [ran] on the strongest platform for women’s rights of any major party in American history.” Unmarried women voted 70% for Obama.
  • N.H. became the first state in US history to elect a majority of women to the state senate. Overall, state legislatures are made up of 24.2% women.
  • Women increased their numbers in the US Congress by two, resulting in 17% in both Senate and House. (Still pathetic actually.)
  • Linda Sanchez from CA became the first unwed mother to be elected to Congress.
  • Rwanda and Spain became the first countries in history to have the majority of their government cabinet positions held by women.
  • FIFA held its first U-17 Women’s World Cup, achieving gender parity in all age groups for the first time.
  • The Church of England endorsed the idea of women bishops for the first time.
  • Ingrid Betancourt, a Columbian candidate for president, was released after being held hostage for 6 years by FARC.
  • Obama lifted the “gag rule,” a Reagan policy that forbade international family planning organizations receiving US money from offering information on abortion.
  • Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Bill into law, a Fair Pay Restoration Act.

Please share any achievements that you celebrated last year…

On a personal note, I have to thank all the wonderful women and men who supported me through the most difficult year of my life. I am so grateful that my daughter has survived and flourished through an unimaginable surgery.

I am blessed by the inspiration of creative, caring, intelligent, and hard working women all around me. May we all find peace, purpose and joy in the evolution of our revolution.

posted under News, Politics

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