A Women's Worth

One Flaw In Women

Women have strengths that amaze men.

They bear hardships and they carry burdens,

but they hold happiness, love and joy.

They smile when they want to scream.

They sing when they want to cry.

They cry when they are happy

and laugh when they are nervous.

They fight for what they believe in.

They stand up to injustice.

They don't take "no" for an answer

when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without so their family can have.

They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.

They love unconditionally.

They cry when their children excel

and cheer when their friends get awards.

They are happy when they hear about

a birth or a wedding.

Their hearts break when a friend dies.

They grieve at the loss of a family member,

yet they are strong when they

think there is no strength left.

They know that a hug and a kiss

can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.

They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you

to show how much they care about you.

The heart of a woman is what

makes the world keep turning.

They bring joy, hope and love.

They have compassion and ideas.

They give moral support to their

family and friends.

Women have vital things to say

and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,

IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

AUTHOR UNKNOWN
I didn't write this but I feel every word and every line.

Women's History Month: We've Come A Long Way Baby

As we continue to honor extraordinary women during Women’s History Month I’d like to share a modified timeline of how far my sistas’ have come in the last two centuries.

1619 (August 20) 20 men and women from Africa arrived on a slave ship and were sold in the first North American slave auction -- by British and international custom, Africans could be held in servitude for life, though white Christian indentured servants could only be held for a limited term.

1625 Virginia census lists twelve black men and eleven black women; most have no names and do not have the dates of arrival that most white servants in the census have listed -- only one of the blacks has a full listing.

1668 Virginia legislature declared that free black women were to be taxed, but not white women servants or other white women; that "negro women, though permitted to enjoy their freedom" could not have the rights of "the English."

1780 Massachusetts passed a law abolishing slavery and giving African American men (but not women) the right to vote
About 1797 Sojourner Truth (Isabella Van Wagener) born a slave (abolitionist, women's rights proponent, minister, lecturer.

1808 (January 1) importing slaves to the United States became illegal; about 250,000 more Africans were imported as slaves to the United States after slave imports became illegal.

1809

• New York began recognizing marriages of African Americans

• African Female Benevolent Society of Newport, Rhode Island, founded

• Fanny Kemble born (wrote about slavery) Source: About.com


Fast forward TWO HUNDRED years and…

2009 Michelle Obama, a Princeton University and Harvard Law School graduate, a lawyer, a wife, a mother, becomes the First African American First Lady of the United States.

“Where we are met with cynicism and doubt and fear and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the American people in three simple words: Yes. We. Can.” An except from the acceptance speech by President Barack Obama on my birthday, November 5, 2008.

March is Women's History Month

You may not know this but March is Women's History Month. In honor of this celebration that can be traced back to the early 1900s, I've picked First Lady Michelle Obama as the person in history I'd like to acknowledge and honor.

Beginning in Europe 1911, Women's History Month was first celebrated on March 8 as International Women's Day. The celebration was meant to draw attention to woman issues such as winning the right to vote, hot buttons both in many Europe as well as in the United States.

The great depression of the 30s saw women's issues go out of the window and the came World War II. By the time the late 60s/early 70s women issues were back in fashion and our concerns once again took a national platform with the birth of The National Organization for Women whose goal has been "to take action" to bring about equality for all women. In 1987, at the request of the National Women's History Project, Congress expanded the week to a month, and the U.S. Congress has issued a resolution every year since then.

Today, the purpose of Women's History Month is to increase consciousness and knowledge of women's history: to take one month of the year to remember the contributions of notable and ordinary women, in hopes that the day will soon come when it's impossible to teach or learn history without remembering these contributions.

This year for Women's History Month I'd like to recognize the contributions of our First Lady, Michelle Obama. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia her bio reads:

"Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is the wife of the forty-fourth President of the United States, Barack Obama, and the first African-American First Lady of the United States. She was born and grew up on the South Side of Chicago and graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School. After completing her formal education, she returned to Chicago and accepted a position with the law firm Sidley Austin, and subsequently worked as part of the staff of Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley, and for the University of Chicago Medical Center. Throughout 2007 and 2008, she helped campaign for her husband's presidential bid."

She is a stunning, well educated, classy woman and this month she is my woman of honor for Women's History Month. Representing not only the struggle of women but also, as the first Black First Lady of the US, she is a positive by-product of the struggle for civil rights. We've only begun to see what she is made of and I look forward to following her career in the White House.