As National Poetry Month continues, we will continue to share poems and spoken word art by women here on our blog. We hope that it inspires you to find out more about them women behind the poems and also to find out more about the history of women in word. Remember, if you have a spoken word or poetry piece that you would like to share on our blog, please email us at day4women.org@gmail.com. Enjoy and share!
- Lacey Roop
- Joy Harjo
- Suheir Hammad
- Gwendolyn Brooks
April is National Poetry Month, and as such, we are featuring the poetic works of many critically acclaimed and novice artists. As it was Dr. Maya Angelou’s birthday last week, it is fitting for us to begin with her. She has written many words throughout her life, words that have brought encouragement, words that have inspired, and words that have planted seeds of empowerment in many women. Her ability to empower results from the strength she, herself, found in the face of adversity. For those who are not familiar with Maya’s story, here is a brief clip of about some of the struggles she had to overcome in her youth:
Dr. Angelou learned, despite all the challenges, to continue to not only exist, but to THRIVE. In her preface to a reading of one of her most famous and critically acclaimed poems, she said:
Everyone in the world one night or another has gone to bed with fear or pain or loss, or disappointment, and yet each of us has awaken, arisen [and] somehow in our ablutions, seen another being and said, ‘Good morning, how are you?’ ‘Fine thanks, and you?’ Its amazing, wherever that abides in the human being, there is the nobleness of the human spirit. Despite it all, black and white, Asian, Spanish, Native American, pretty, plain, thin, fat….
Here is a video of that poem (which is also featured on our site):
Dr. Angelou is a thought leader, a mentor, a professor, and a well-respected and admired woman. We appreciate the positive and powerful messages she has carefully constructed and graciously distributed to all of us. If it were not for her, we may not have ever heard this message:
If you are a female poet and have a poem or spoken word piece that you would like us to share with our community, please let us know by leaving a message at day4women.org@gmail.com.
In honor of National Women’s History Month, Day4Women has been posting facts about women’s accomplishments via Facebook and Twitter. Also, various videos about important milestones in women’s history will continue to be featured on the site. Today, though, may we honor one of the most important parts of the history of women and that is the role we have been playing from the beginning….that of being a mom. Now, I realize this does not sound very progressive and may not be as exciting to talk about as women who have made incredible scientific discoveries or who used art to change the world. But….hear me out for a moment as I share my thoughts on why I think it is okay to be “just a mom”.
In conversations with other women in your life, have you ever asked them what kind of work they do and the answer was, “Oh nothing, I’m just a mom.”? I have even said this myself…on more than one occasion. It wasn’t until one day, when I was speaking with an acquaintance – a strong, successful business woman – that I was caused to take pause and think about what those words meant. She stopped me mid-sentence and said, “Now, stop right there! I never want to hear you say that again!” I didn’t even know what she was talking about at first. I had said those words so many times that I couldn’t figure out what I could have said that was wrong. She continued, “I never want to hear you say that you are ‘just a mom’…..being a mom is one of the most important jobs a woman could ever have.” I was taken off guard. Of course, I have heard that from people before, but it always seemed as though they were just saying that to make me feel better about not being in a real career at the time. This time, however, it was the way she said it…. I could tell she meant it. She really, truly meant it. That night, I went to bed with a happy heart. I felt, for possibly the first time since becoming a mom, like what I was doing really is important and that the choice I made to leave my career as a teacher and raise my son instead was the right choice. I was feeling pretty good.
Then, all of the sudden, my happiness shifted to terror. It hit me. If she was right….and being a mom is the most important job a woman could ever have….then, that meant I better not mess it up! When you realize that you —YOU– are responsible for raising a whole, fully functioning human being and what that really entails….that’s HUGE! You, essentially, have the future of the world in your hands….whoa. So, us “moms” have a lot on our plate and it is time the world stopped paying lip service to us and truly began to appreciate, honor, and support the women who are raising the next generation. That goes for women who have taken the role of “mom” for someone who didn’t have a mom who was up to or was able to take on such a responsibility.
Furthermore, moms are not “just moms” even if they’re only official title is that. We are counselors, boo-boo kissers, coaches, cheerleaders, chefs, master organizers, business advisors, advocates, financial planners, hairdressers, peacekeepers, architects, physiologists, mind-shapers, superheroes, and yes…at times…wardens. The word mom, then, means a million important jobs all wrapped into that one word (ok, maybe not a million- but, you get it, right?).
So..this month – National Women’s History Month – as we continue to review and reflect on how much progress has been made in terms of the status of women and our accessibility to opportunities that at one time were only available to men, let us also reflect on motherhood and what it has meant not only to U.S and world history, but also to our own personal history.
“In a child’s eyes, a mother is a goddess. She can be glorious or terrible, benevolent or filled with wrath, but she commands love either way. I am convinced that this is the greatest power in the universe.”
― N.K. Jemisin, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
This post was written by the curator/organizer of Day4Women, Monica Dockery (on Twitter @MoniDockery)
Last month, Day4Women featured videos and an interview on Domestic Abuse. This month, we join the nation in celebrating Women’s History Month! We will be featuring various videos, interviews, and pictures of the history of women and their achievements. Also, on our facebook and twitter pages, we will be sharing daily facts and pictures on important people and events related to this topic. We hope that you will join us and share with others about the achievements of the women in your life or women that have been influential to you in some way! Here is the first video that will be featured on our website later today. It is a piece about women in war called “Women in the Cockpit”. Enjoy! And, don’t forget to come by tomorrow to check out this week’s Weekly Wednesday post!
It is time for another Weekly Wednesday! As mentioned before, Day4Women has decided to shine a spotlight on Domestic Violence this month. We have the first of a three-part series of interviews with victims of domestic violence up on our site’s home page and the other two will be posted shortly. As Domestic Violence is our focus this month, the nonprofit we have chosen to feature this week is Laura’s House, whose aim is to end the silence of domestic violence. Like Day4Women, Laura’s House is based in Orange County, CA. To find out what Laura’s House is all about, please read below:
Name of the Organization: Laura’s House
Their Mission:
Changing social beliefs, attitudes and the behaviors that perpetuate domestic violence while creating a safe space in which to empower individuals and families affected by abuse.
An Overview of Services:
Laura’s House is the only state-approved comprehensive domestic violence agency in south Orange County. They provide residential shelter services, counseling and legal services to hundreds of women and children. Thousands of crisis calls come in each year on our Crisis Hotline.
One Example of What They Do:
What You Can Do:
There is a long list of ways in which you can help Laura’s House meet the needs of the families they serve. You can sign up to volunteer (you must go through a 40 hour training on Domestic Abuse first), donate your car or cellphone, donate a monetary gift in honor of someone you know, and more.
Newest Upcoming Event:
WINE & DINE EVENT Friday, May 3, 2013
Join Laura’s House for a fabulous wine and culinary experience at Big Canyon Country Club. Enjoy wine tasting, a fabulous auction and stationed dinner reception. Dine on delicious bites, peruse wonderful wine. Tickets are $95, available on-line here.
One recent Tweet:
Stop by the Laura’s House Resale Store in Lake Forest to see the “Take a Walk in My Shoes” art installation! As… http://fb.me/1yF7Piihx
One final thought:
“Domestic violence does not only happen to adults. Forty percent of girls age 14 to 17 report knowing someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend, and approximately one in five female high school students reports being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner.”
– Dianne Feinstein
It is not a woman problem. It is not a man problem. It is not a child’s problem. It is an everybody problem and it takes the cooperation of everybody to find the solution! .Get Involved and Be a part of the solution.
Drum Circle in Newport, CA
Were you there? Did you participate in a One Billion Rising event near you? Yesterday, February 14, 2013, women and men across the globe joined in the campaign started by Vday to Strike, Dance, Rise against violence towards women. The event that I attended took place in Newport, CA. It was a drum circle made by women, men, and children of all ages and all different backgrounds. We drummed, we shared poetry about violence and the need to stop it, and — most important – we talked to one another. What did we talk about? We talked about our place in this world, the voice that we have and how we must use it. We talked about who we are and why we were all there. We talked about what we would do to continue to speak out and make a stand against violence towards women even after the events of the day ended. Talking is good.
Here are some sounds that I recorded from the drum circle pictured above. They accompany a recording of the audio from a PSA that Charlize Theron did for Vday about One Billion Rising.
I hope that you, too, were able to RISE and strike up similar conversations with those that rose alongside you. As mentioned earlier, these events took place all over the WORLD! What a great reason for the world to come together, right? In case you were unable to attend an event or if you are interested in viewing other events that took place in solidarity with the One Billion Rising movement, here are a few videos from other other countries and cities. There are many many videos that you can find of these events, but I chose to share these. Enjoy and share them with your friends and family. Keep talking! Keep dancing! Keep doing what you can in your community to help bring about change!
Rising in India:
Rising in Hong Kong:
Rising in San Francisco:
This month Day4Women is featuring interviews and videos on domestic abuse. Part of the reason why I have decided to try to raise awareness and help promote organizations that are helping others who have experienced abuse is because there are many people close to me, family members and friends, who have been witness to or who have experienced abuse firsthand. Therefore, in an effort to raise awareness, shed light on the complex issues surrounding domestic abuse, and to encourage and empower others, I am doing a three-part series of interviews on abuse. The first is an interview that I did with my father, Louie. We sat down in his backyard and talked about his experience with domestic abuse as a child living in a house where it happened regularly. This will be featured on the Day4Women website (www.day4women.org) for this month’s “Monthly Feature” as well as on this blog post. I hope that it will bring more understanding, that it will move you to .Get Involved, and that you will share it with others who may be dealing with some of the same things my father and many others have. Though domestic abuse is common, it is in no way acceptable! May we all work to help bring the violence to an end!
