Event Cancelled on 3/16

The event, "Violence Against Women is a Violation of Human Rights", which was supposed to occur on 3/16 has been cancelled.

We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and will reschedule in the future.

Thank you,

WOTW

Let Women's History Month Continue

By: Shelby Knox

If you’ve ever read this blog or been subjected to me inserting “this day in women” facts into dinner conversation, you can imagine I’m very excited for today, the first day of women’s history month. Whether they truly want to or not, the rest of the parts of the internets I visit are going to be as obsessed with the women of the past as I am for a whole 31 days!

Gerda Lerner, one of the first American women’s historians, said in 1986, “When I started working on women’s history about thirty years ago, the field did not exist. People didn’t think that women had a history worth knowing.” Women’s History Month as it’s celebrated now wasn’t established until 1987, expanded to the whole month six years after Sen. Orrin Hatch and Rep. Barbara Mikulski co-sponsored a a joint Congressional resolution proclaiming a national Women’s History Week. Each year the President issues a proclamation officially declaring the month. In his statement yesterday, President Obama said, “We must carry forward the work of the women who came before us and ensure our daughters have no limits on their dreams, no obstacles to their achievements, and no remaining ceilings to shatter.”

Well, yes! My excitement about this month is not as unbridled as it might seem., however. A month of Women’s History implies that the other 11 months belong to men’s history or, as it’s known, history. No one is a bigger advocate of celebrating women’s history than me and I’m too young to be completely cynical but it’s hard not to look at the state of the nation for women and feel like these designations are just a pat on the head from the group of cigar smoking patriarchs who say with that pat, “Now dearie, we gave you a whole month to talk about you and your friends, what more could you want now?” We’ll take the month, thanks, and we’ll use it to educate and inspire but if you think it will hold off our revolt you’ve got another thing coming – we’ll use this month to plan that, too.

Women’s History Month is also yet another occasion in which women of color are asked to bifurcate their identities. WHM directly follows Black History Month and precedes Asian American History Month in May. Are Black women supposed to shed their gender during February and their race in March? Those of us who make our income speaking know that demand soars during “our month” – I can only imagine how many qualified women of color speakers lose gigs because bookers can only see them as filling one part of a quota. As we celebrate WHM, it’s important to point out as often as possible that each and every part of a person’s identity – gender, race, sexuality, cis or trans status, ability, class, nationality, religion – make them who they are and no one should be asked to do the impossible of shaving off one part of themselves to fit into a month-shaped or any shaped box.

Problematic as it is, I’m excited about Women’s History Month because we’ve got the opportunity to make it rich and diverse and meaningful. I’ll take any platform I’m given to change how young girls and boys see the notable people of the past so they can better imagine and fashion themselves into that of the future. (See, still naïve and idealistic!) I’m going to try to be active on the blog this month, with features on both women of history and women making history, round-ups of great WHM events happening on the web and in cities across the country, and fun quizzes, quotes, and pictures. I’ll also be using my Facebook and Twitter feeds as women’s history tributes and continuing to chronicle each day in women’s history via the Radical Women’s History Project. If you’ve got an event, quote, any fun women’s history thing I should know about, please let me know!

For more information on Shelby Knox and her work as a writer, speaker and revolutionary, visit: www.shelbyknox.com or follow her on Twitter @ShelbyKnox

The 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day

Hillary Clinton

U.S. Secretary of State

Posted: March 8, 2011

March 8th is the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. And, as many of you know, this anniversary is important to me. At the 1995 Beijing conference, I was so humbled by the positive response to my message that human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights. But 16 years later, women still bear the brunt of poverty, war, disease, and famine. And when it comes to the boardroom meetings, government sessions, peace negotiations, and other assemblies where crucial decisions are made in the world, women are too often absent.

It is clear that more work needs to be done -- to consolidate our gains and to keep momentum moving forward.

The United States continues to make women a cornerstone of our foreign policy. It's not just the right thing to do. It's the smart thing. Women and girls drive our economies. They build peace and prosperity. Investing in them means investing in global economic progress, political stability, and greater prosperity for everyone -- the world over.

So let us mark this day by finding ways to ensure women and girls' access to education, health care, jobs, and credit, and to protect their right to live free from violence.

VDAY

We Will Not Stop Until the Violence Stops

In 1994, a play called The Vagina Monologues, written by playwright and activist Eve Ensler, broke ground, offering to the world a piece of art like nothing it had seen before.

On Valentines Day, 1998, Eve, with a group of women in New York City, established V-Day, a global activist movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sex slavery.

Through V-Day campaigns, local volunteers and college students produce annual benefit performances of The Vagina Monologues, A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer, Any One Of Us: Words From Prison, screenings of V-Day's documentary Until The Violence Stops, and the PBS documentary What I Want My Words To Do To You, Spotlight Teach-Ins and V-Men workshops, to raise awareness and funds for anti-violence groups within their own communities.

Performance is just the beginning. V-Day stages large-scale benefits and produces innovative gatherings, films and campaigns to educate and change social attitudes towards violence against women

In 2010, over 5,400 V-Day benefit events took place produced by volunteer activists in the U.S. and around the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls.

V-Day's mission demands that violence against women and girls must end. To do this, once a year, in February, March, and April, Eve allows groups around the world to produce a performance of the play, as well as other works created by V-Day, and use the proceeds for local individual projects and programs that work to end violence against women and girls, often shelters and rape crisis centers.

The V-Day movement is growing at a rapid pace throughout the world, in 130 countries from Europe to Asia, Africa and the Caribbean and all of North America. V-Day, a non-profit corporation, distributes funds to grassroots, national and international organizations and programs that work to stop violence against women and girls. In 2001, V-Day was named one of Worth Magazine's "100 Best Charities," in 2006 one of Marie Claire Magazine's Top Ten Charities, and in 2010 was named as one of the Top-Rated organizations on GreatNonprofits. In eleven years, the V-Day movement has raised over $80 million and reached over 300 million people.

The 'V' in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina.

To learn more about how to organize a V-Day event, click here.

Off the Beaten Path: Violence, Women and Art

The Chicago Cultural Center hosts the exhibition Off the Beaten Path: Violence, Women & Art through April 13. This exhibition features the work of 29 internationally renowned artists from 25 countries, including Laylah Ali and Yoko Ono. The exhibit addresses violence against women and their basic human right to safety, security and justice around the world through artistic responses to gender-based violence. It is organized by Art Works for Change and is curated by Randy Jayne Rosenberg.

Chicago Cultural Center 4^th FL

78 E. Washington Street.

January 22 - April 13, 2011

Admission is Free

Rape Victim Advocates helped co-organize the special performance, Stories on Stage which will be a featured event on February 17,2011. For More information on Rape Victim Advocates, you may call 312.443.9603 or contact them by e-mail at info@rapevictimadvocates.org

Women of the World's Opening Event of 2011

In collaboration with The University of Chicago Women’s Business Group

“Gen Y Women – Paving the Highway to the Future”

On Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at the Mid-America Club an expert panel moderated by Noeleen McGrath, McGrath Communications featured:

· Elene Cafasso, President, Enerpace & VP Programs, UCWBG

· Janet Deatherage, Associate Dean, Loyola University & Director of Women’s Leadership

· Laura Waleryszak, College & Community Campaigns Associate, VDAY

The connection between "generation Y", those born in the mid 1980’s and later (also known as the Millenials), and "baby boomers", those born between 1946 and 1964, is one where both generations are learning from one another while working together.

Janet Deatherage stated that there is a paradigm shift in which new graduates are mentoring the baby boomers. Elene Cafasso believes Gen Y have flexibility and balance because of their behavioral patterns. After leaving work Gen Y’s are online at night, which means that they can work from home at any time. Laura Waleryszak, a Gen Y herself, is able to work on VDAY activities from anywhere while also being connected to many others around the country.

This is a two-way street, both Gen Y and baby boomers can learn from one another. It is never too late.

Be Yourself. Own Yourself.

I Own Me Campaign

On February 9^th Ad 2 Tampa Bay released a public service campaign as part of its annual effort to work with a nonprofit with impact and significance.

For the 2010-2011 year, it chose The Spring of Tampa Bay, Hillsborough County's only certified domestic violence prevention and emergency shelter agency. Its mission is to prevent domestic violence, protect victims and promote change in lives, families and communities.

I Own Me is a campaign designed to increase awareness about the violence that may occur during teen dating relationships. The campaign emphasizes a teen girl's ability to exercise her independence by acknowledging that she owns her own actions, words, and body.

I Own Me is a collaborate effort with the following Domestic Violence shelters:

· CASA – St Petersburg

· The Haven of R.C.S. – Clearwater, Sunrise Domestic and Sexual Violence Shelter

· Salvation Army Domestic Violence Program of West Pasco

· Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center – Sarasota County

· Hope Family Services – Manatee County

· Peace River Center Domestic Violence Shelter- Hardee, Highlands and Polk Counties

Will you own yourself? Take the pledge.

“Because I own me, I pledge to demand respect from my boyfriend or girlfriend. I expect to be treated properly by establishing personal boundaries and to be honored in my decisions concerning privacy, sex, and affection. I will not tolerate being physically, verbally, or emotionally hurt.”