Happy International Women's Day

Women's Day is something I had to learn about in Armenia, because they actually celebrate it there! It is an international holiday yet here in America, it normally goes without recognition- though I have noticed for the last two years that the Google icon appreciates it! Women's day is not only celebrated in Armenia, however, it is cherished. The LDS church I attended there had a big luncheon for all the women, the men even came and told us how wonderful we are. Every man we passed on the street called out, "congratulations on your March 8th!" A lot of men even handed us small but well appreciated flowers. It was pretty great and a much needed relief from the more common disrespectful attitude. Nonetheless, a large impression was made on me that day and I have celebrated Women's Day ever since.
In honor of Women's Day, I wanted to post about a contemporary artist who is known as JR. He is a Parisian artist who started out as a graffiti artist in his teens but found a camera and decided to fuse the two. Not only his technique is interesting, but also his subject matter and purpose. His project "Women are heroes" is what I want to focus on for this special day. To complete this project, JR travelled to some of the most poverty stricken countries in the world, and spoke with women in the poorest villages. Then he spoke with the women about their lives, their struggles and their experiences. Next, he photographed them and plastered their blown up photographs on rooftops, trains, building sides...etc. "I was interested in women", JR states, "because I realized in the projects I had done before- most of the time in the kind if places I was going to- it was men on the street, but it's actually the women who are the ones holding the community together."
In 2008 JR travelled to Rio's oldest and most dangerous favela, Morro da Providencia. As JR photographed the women, he asked each woman to "give [him] something real". Instead of expected faces of despair, these women displayed "really strong eyes because they knew they would be facing the community", said JR.
In case you are concerned about this graffiti inspired art, don't be. JR's work is also socially and somewhat environmentally conscience. For example, in Kibera, he printed the rooftop photographs on vinyl so the homes they were displayed on would be waterproof- a luxury. Iron used in one project was afterwards distributed to the community participants.
To learn more about the project "Women are heroes" see this YouTube video.

In honor of Women's Day, here are some foundations I have found that are highly recommended ways of contributing to women's health and safety across the world. By going to www.globalgiving.org

Or
www.kiva.org
You can set up an account and be linked "people to people". You will be linked directly to a person overseas. You can browse through needs and and donate or lend to a cause or situation of your choice. Also, Women for Women International has really appealed to me. You sponsor a woman and can keep in contact with whoever you are sponsoring- I like that because I think you can get a better sense of what e situation is and where your money is going. It also helps you know your money isn't getting lost in a nonprofit office in NYC. If you decide you want to help someone, those are the options recommended by the book "Half the Sky" which I will discuss more in depth at a later time.

If, however, money is tight and you're not ready to get involved financially yet, just take a moment today to thank a woman for being the strong person she is! I'm personally grateful for the amazing examples of my mom and sisters in my life. They are strong, wonderful women that I look up to and learn from everyday. So, thanks Mom! For teaching me how to be strong!



For more information on the history of Women's Day see UN Women Watch

The Power of a Woman

One of my favorite paintings is "The Intervention of the Sabine Women" by Jacques-Louis David. There are a lot of paintings depicting the Roman story of the Rape of the Sabine Women, yet this painting focuses instead on the war that took place following the capture of the Sabine's daughters; more specifically, on the intervention of the women and how they stopped the war and brought peace between the Romans and the Sabines. 

Livy (the Roman historian) wrote, "[The women] went boldly into the midst of the flying missiles with disheveled hair and rent garments. Running across the space between the two armies they tried to stop any further fighting and calm the excited passions by appealing to their fathers in the one army and their husbands in the other not to bring upon themselves a curse by staining their hands with the blood of a father-in-law or a son-in-law, nor upon their posterity the taint of parricide. "If," they cried, "you are weary of these ties of kindred, these marriage-bonds, then turn your anger upon us; it is we who are the cause of the war, it is we who have wounded and slain our husbands and fathers. Better for us to perish rather than live without one or the other of you, as widows or as orphans."

In 1796, when David began this painting, France was at war with the rest of Europe. France's civil disputes had lead to international problems following the French Revolution, and its future was uncertain. David himself was in prison as a supporter of the Revolution. While in prison, his estranged wife visited him and he decided to paint this piece, as a commemoration to her and also as a cry to the people to reunite after the Revolution. The main figure in the painting is Hersilia, the wife of Romulus (one of the founders of Rome) who was also the daughter of Titus Tatius, the leader of the Sabines. She stands between her father and her husband with her babies at their feet. Because of her bold move, the leaders of the war stop fighting long enough to consider the destruction of two groups of people and the rising generation. 

Upon the painting's completion in 1799, it was originally exhibited with a large mirror so the viewer would look at the painting (which is life sized) and then look at themselves. It is obviously a call for the people to identify with Hersilia and take action in the unification of France. I absolutely love this painting for the story and for what it stands for. Hersilia's pose is so powerful. Though David painted her feminine- not necessarily physically strong- there is a definite strength about her. I think it interesting that David would choose her as the symbol for the way to reunite France. He must have had a high opinion of women and counted on them to restore France for the good of the rising generation. 

I think David was absolutely right. Women are the ones who can make change. They are the peacemakers, the ones who save lives and prepare for the success of future generations. Women, in their femininity, carry a strong power, the power that can stop wars, power that can unite families and in turn, build nations. 

Rosa Parks- An Example to Us All

Since yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. day, I felt it was important to discuss African American women's contribution to civil rights. And of course, my mind went directly to Rosa Parks. Martin Luther King Jr said in his famous, "I have a dream" speech, "I have a dream that [we] will live in a nation where [we] will not be judged by the color of [our] skin but by the content of [our] character." Rosa Parks proved her character. Before she took the stand to sit on the bus, Rosa had a background of civil rights involvement. Because she already had a strong foundation- a strong character of standing up for what was right- her highly influential and spontaneous decision to sit that day was simply an external expression of her character. She said of her act, "When I made that decision, I knew I had the strength of my ancestors with me". She had the confidence of truth to strengthen her as well. I've often heard that Rosa Parks said she was tired and didn't want to move. I refuse to believe that to be true. She knew the stakes of refusing to stand so a white person could have her seat. She knew she could go to jail for it, and she did. She knew there would be a price to pay, and that price would be more tiring than standing for a few minutes. Instead, she held strong in a seemingly small way, in what I'm sure was a fearful situation. Her "small" act went on to inspire a large scale boycott that eventually led the US Supreme Court to rule that Montgomery bus segregation law unconstitutional. Buses were then integrated. Rosa Parks was a courageous woman. Not only the color of her skin, but her gender was also a barrier for her to overcome at such a time. But nothing deterred her from protesting for change. She is a great example for us all. Though it often seems that the stands we take are small and insignificant, they make change. The choices we make everyday eventually lead to a big change in ourselves, and always affect those around us. Simple choices will strengthen others to make difference choices as well. So continue forward with choices in which you feel alone. Be strengthened by truth. Because just like Martin Luther King Jr said, one day, we will be judged based solely on our character.

The LDS church is the "most progressive force for women in the world today"

This is a really short post, but I felt it was definitely worth sharing. A good friend of mine sent me this article that I will not even attempt to shorten because it can't do it justice. Valerie Hudson Cassler is a professor of political science at Texas A&M and wrote an article about how the LDS faith has taught her the importance of women. Here is a link to her fabulous article:

http://mormonscholarstestify.org/1718/valerie-hudson-cassler


I love the last of what she writes saying that spreading this doctrine is the "strongest, most progressive force for women in the world today". 
I completely agree with that statement having seen it first hand. In my time in Armenia, the most progressive families I ever met were solid, truly converted members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As Cassler states earlier in her article, Mormon culture can sometimes go amiss in the treatment of women, yet the doctrine is solid and ever pointing to the equality of men and women. And the case was never truer than in Armenia. There were about 4 solid families I met where I could feel the respect I had grown up under appreciating in the US. And every one of those families were families who attended church on Sundays, read their scriptures and invited the spirit of the Lord into their homes. As I visited with families not of the LDS faith, I sometimes felt the disrespect of women so bitterly, it was overwhelming. So right on Valerie Hudson Cassler (I love how you use all 3 names), right on!