I am excited to announce that I’ll be participating in the #WomensLives campaign with She Knows Media and Public Radio International to bring awareness to everyone about women’s lives and the issues we face that are often overlooked or diluted especially in the media. I strongly believe in being heard and everyone having a voice, but together we can definitely make a difference and be noticed instead of being ignored. I love this Swahili proverb… “Unity is strength. Division is weakness.”
“These are stories about women’s rights and issues concerning health, education, wealth, economic development and combating climate change. (Today, only about 24% of all news subjects talk about women in any way, and only six percent of news stories highlight gender in/equality.)” This information was shared by Lisa Stone in her blog post on BlogHer and I was surprised with the stats, such a low percentage especially having previously been in the news industry for over ten years.
I’m the mother of two daughters and I want to continue to show them that their lives matter and that there are important issues that they will need to stand for. I don’t want them to feel like they have to settle for anything less than what they deserve. My daughters have very bright futures ahead of them and they need to know and understand their rights as women. I also think this is a great opportunity to have important conversations with my daughters around #WomensLives.
I was pleasantly surprised while watching the Grammy’s when President Obama made a cameo and spoke about Domestic Violence. If you missed it President Obama said… “We can change our culture for the better by ending violence against women and girls.” “All of us, in our own lives,have the power to set an example.” “It’s on us to create a culture where violence isn’t tolerated.” The White House Tweeted to join the #ItsOnUs Campaign to stop violence against women. Urging everyone to take the pledge at ItsOnUs.org
After the President was finished we then got to hear from Brooke Axel who is a domestic violence survivor. Brooke shared “Authentic love does not devalue a human being. Authentic love doesn’t silence, shame or abuse. If you are in a relationship with someone who doesn’t honor and respect you, I want you to know that you are worthy of love. Please reach out for help. Your voice will save you. Let it extend into the night, let it part the darkness. Let it set you free to know who you truly are valuable, beautiful & loved.” ~ Brooke Axel
I will tell you now that there are so many causes that impact women that are near and dear to my heart (Domestic Violence, Women’s Health, Mental Health, Equality etc.) and I am just happy to be apart of the #WomensLives campaign that will bring these issues to light so that we can spark conversations about it and have our voices heard. Please chime in and join the movement if you are inclined. What about women’s lives matters to you? Are there any causes that you want to bring awareness to that impact the lives of women?