Today is International Women’s Day. Some stories and photos:
Slideshow of women around the world at the International Women’s Day website.
Huffington Post on Why International Women’s Day Matters:
…Thursday, March 8th, is International Women’s Day and an opportunity to remember and honor all the ways women make a difference in our families, communities, and countries. This past year, we have seen countless examples of courageous women who defied the status quo and stood up to oppression. In the protests of the Arab Spring, women played a crucial role in revolutions that have deposed four dictators. Seeking freer, fairer governments, they risked their lives to lead protests, join the fighting on the frontlines, and care for the wounded without access to hospitals. For the first time last year, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to three women — President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee of Liberia, and Tawakkol Karman of Yemen — in honor of their inspiring work to end to violence in their countries.
For me, International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate the important accomplishments and contributions of women such as these. This is a day to pause and remember how far we have come since the first International Women’s Day 101 years ago, when women had the right to vote in only two countries and many faced restricted education and career opportunities. This is also a day to remember how far we still have to go.
From the Washington Post has a slideshow of celebrations today.
From the Why Women Count playlist:
Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho human rights activist:
Room-mates Marta and Mar share a tiny apartment with two others in Barcelona, and regularly rummage through waste bins in the back streets to find food and clothing. They’re typical of the ‘new poverty’ affecting young people in the Spanish region of Catalonia today who struggle with soaring rents, irregular work and unemployment. Twenty per cent of Catalonia’s population is either poor or living on the fringes of society — the majority young people, the elderly and immigrants. But Marta and her friends are making a virtue of necessity — sharing out the household chores during the day, and combing Barcelona’s streets at night for what they call “recycling”.
A Presentation in the All Saints Church, Pasadena, Rector’s Forum by Jay Johnson on Sunday, March 4, 2012. “I truly believe if we ended the war on women, we would save the planet.”
And the Google doodle: