International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 since 1914, but it had existed in different parts of the world since 1910. Interestingly, the date was changed to March 8 in solidarity with Russian women workers, to align with the Gregorian calendar. That’s before the Russian Revolution, though of course there had been uprisings for many years before 1917. It has been a day to honor women’s accomplishments, as well as for rallies to fight for women’s right to vote and for full equality for women. It is now one of the United Nations’ “International Days” and this year’s theme was Break the Bias, something still necessary after all these years, as these diaries have reported for several years. The need for our activism isn’t going to end anytime soon.
This year I attended a Zoom conversation with two Palestinian-American Arab scholar Dr. Maha Nassar and Palestinian/Iraqi Arab American scholar and artist Sama Alshaibi. It was a fascinating exploration of the ways women in the occupied territories are dealing with the special ways occupation affects women as well as the problems women face within Palestinian society. The discussion was both scholarly and personal. One example: Alshaibi told about her Fulbright year in Ramalah in 2014. She had just had surgery for breast cancer, and needed treatment to control estrogen on a regular schedule for a few years afterwards. During that first year, she was unable to count on those treatments because Israel did not allow certain kinds of medications into the West Bank. Even when she could get it, she could not count on a regular schedule. This is an added burden she faced simply because she was a woman.
We must work to break all the biases.
The United Nations theme was “gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.”
The year 2022 is pivotal for achieving gender equality in the context of climate change, and environmental and disaster risk reduction, which are some of the greatest global challenges of the twenty-first century. Without gender equality today, a sustainable future, and an equal future, remains beyond our reach.This year’s IWD observance is in recognition and celebration of the women and girls who are leading the charge on climate change adaptation and response, and to honour their leadership and contribution towards a sustainable future.
news.un.org/…
In keeping with this theme, here is a list of nine women environmentalists you may not have heard of:
www.ecowatch.com/…
And what is International Women’s Day like in the war in Ukraine?
ZAHONY, Hungary (AP) — On International Women’s Day, the global celebration of women, many fleeing Ukraine felt only the stress of finding a new life for their children as husbands, brothers and fathers stayed behind to defend their country from Russia’s invasion.
The number of refugees reached 2 million on Tuesday, according to the United Nations, the fastest exodus Europe has seen since World War II. One million were children, UNICEF spokesman James Elder tweeted, calling it “a dark historical first.” Most others were women.
apnews.com/...
Miscellaneous News
The Missouri legislature is considering an anti-abortion bill that would make it a crime to abort an ectopic pregnancy. Yes, ectopic pregnancies are fatal and there is no chance for the embryo to develop. Remember when an Ohio bill would have required doctors to transplant ectopic pregnancies to the uterus? (Yes, that’s impossible.)
What’s this sudden interest in ectopic pregnancies? Is it catching?
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On March 9th Russia bombed a maternity and children’s hospital in Mariupol. As of Thurday, three were reported killed including one child, and 17 were reported to be injured.
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The US Mint is starting a quarters program this year to feature women who have contributed to US development history of the country. The program will feature up to five women per year from 2022 through 2025 on the reverse side of the quarter. The front will still feature George Washington, but in a portrait by a woman, Laura Gardin.
The distinguished American women celebrated on the 2022 quarters will be:
- Maya Angelou – celebrated writer, performer, and social activist
- Dr. Sally Ride – physicist, astronaut, educator, and first American woman in space
- Wilma Mankiller – first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation
- Nina Otero-Warren – a leader in New Mexico’s suffrage movement and the first female superintendent of Santa Fe public schools
- Anna May Wong – first Chinese American film star in Hollywood
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Yoon Suk-yeol, running on an anti-feminist platform, won Wednesday’s election in South Korea.
No candidate capitalized on the anti-feminist movement like Yoon Suk-yeol, who narrowly won Wednesday’s election and will become South Korea’s next leader. The populist, from the conservative People Power Party (PPP), worked to appeal to men who are anxious about losing ground to women, and helped turn a fringe online community into a major political force.
Yoon called for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to be abolished, and accused its officials of treating men like “potential sex criminals.” He has blamed the country’s low birth rate on feminism—saying that feminism prevents healthy relationships between men and women. He also said that he doesn’t think systemic “structural discrimination based on gender” exists in South Korea—despite Korean women being at or near the bottom of the developed world in a host of economic and social indicators.
time.com/...
Take Action
It’s that time again, and primary season has never been more important as Donald Trump and his followers try to take over the voting apparatus in as many states as possible as well as state legislatures, to carry out all the unconstitutional anti-voting laws they are passing, and pour millions into swing state elections. Here in Arizona, both my Congressman, Tom O’Halleran, and my senator (not that one) Mark Kelly are targeted by the Republicans, while my state rep. Mark Finchem, who is a member of the Oath Keepers, and who was in DC on January 6th (though he says he didn’t enter the Capitol), is running for Secretary of State.
There are plenty of places you can volunteer or donate. The Center for Common Ground has opportunities for phone banking and postcard drives. The League of Women Voters and the ACLU are still doing good work, and here is a list of 10 organizations working for voting rights. The tenth is a reminder that there are state and local groups as well as national groups you can work with — here in AZ Mission for Arizona focuses on state elections. What’s at stake for women? Reproductive rights, voting rights, LGBTQ rights, public education, racial justice, healthcare — maybe the better question is, what isn’t at stake?
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If you haven’t yet heard about or taken action to support Melissa Lucio, who is scheduled to be executed on April 27th, you can learn about her and take action on the Innocence Project site:
innocenceproject.org/…
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As always, thanks to the WoW crew for news items and support. This week’s contributors include elenacarlena, mettle fatigue, Sandra LLAP, officebss, Tara TASW, and noweasels.