Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Global Sisterhood -Women's History Month

I stumbled on the net and found this amazing article that is super motivating and inspirational! Hopefully, it will touch all of you as well! Enjoy! =)

Global Sisterhood: Pillars of Humankind


Many women in the Palestinian territories and in other regions of despair continue to rebuild the pillars of humanity.

By Leila Diab

One of the most powerful and heart wrenching photographs I have ever seen or have taken was the scene of a Palestinian woman, while walking arm and arm, and shoulder to shoulder, with hundreds of Palestinian women and children in the streets of Manger Square in the occupied territories of Palestine. Then all of a sudden she hurled and raised up a Palestinian flag high enough to reach the sky. Her voice was not heard alone as she tried to invoke change in the lives of the unheard voices. However, many women inside and outside the occupied territories of Palestine and in the world regions of despair today, continue to create a global sisterhood and rebuild the pillars of humanity.

In the month of March, Women's History and during the recognition of International Women's Day on March 8th, women and young girl pillars of humankind from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, China, New Zealand and throughout our global universe, echoed a very loud solemn encouragement to world nations and its leaders to restore a struggling humanitarian environment that is in desperate need to aid those without food or shelter, no running water, severe unemployment as well as a lack of basic human rights. And as half of the world's population, women are affected the most by virtually an ever to visible and alarming gender inequality and social violence.

Women all over the world do not want their children to strap weapons on their shoulders or carry guns to forbidden places. How many times have you seen or heard of a mother making the ultimate sacrifice of self while trying to protect her children and her family? Without a doubt, many of us in the 21st century have witnessed a mother's wrath at the uncertainty of an unassuming future for her children, her family and herself.

When lives are torn apart by civil unrest, economic and educational hardships that are riddled with corrupt leader's use of false rhetoric to bring about change, women stand steadfast while making sacrifices as they try to overcome their hardships, with reassuring hope. In today's world, it is not enough to speak of compassion for the dispossessed and the disenfranchised. It is the empowering role of women in political offices and the advocates of peace and humanitarian causes to make a difference in the lives of the pillars of humankind.

The many global sisterhood voices will continue to resonate this month as they all chant with hope and wish for the exact same thing…justice, equality and peace. As many women walk together, arm and arm and shoulder to shoulder, they will and can change everything possible to 'break from the past inequities in their lives and look forward to a reassuring future for their families and themselves.

Women have the innate will to make a difference, with or without the freedom to do so. Our mothers, grandmothers and sisters struggled and died to make a difference in their social, economic and political surroundings. Shouldn't all of us pay special tribute to the pillars of humankind…women, as we walk arm and arm together to make a global sisterhood difference of change too? And, yes, change is not only possible and hopefully will be inevitably on the rise, only when many women, as well as men band together to change and reverse the cycle of women's global disparities.

The motto of the organization, Women for Women International is, "One woman can change many things. Many women can change everything."

All of us can make a difference for change during the month of March as we connect, salute and pay special recognition to the pillars of humankind, especially on March 8th, a Day of International Solidarity with women worldwide.

From: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/newsfull.php?newid=98055

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