Our Mothers, Our Daughters, Ourselves

In this blog series, PAI staff reflect on such issues as female genital mutilation, the paradoxes of women’s gains in the West, violence in the Congo and the historical significance of  International Women’s Day.

 

Reflections on International Women’s Days Past

“One seething trembling sea of women.” These were the words Russian revolutionary and feminist Aleksandra Kollontai used to describe the one of the first International Women’s Day celebrations in 1911. The first events were organized by German socialist Klara Zetkin to call attention to the plight of the female worker. As the year wore on, a whole series of marches and strikes were organized as news of these demonstrations spread across Europe like wildfire. Read more.

Female Genital Mutilation: Three Generations Later

A little four year old girl laid in bed wrapped in blankets. Her teeth were chattering and her body was warm with fever because she lost too much blood. She laid still in her bed as tears rolled down her face. Days passed by without her sleeping or eating because the pain was too much for her frail body to bear. Read more.

Toasting Women on International Women’s Day

I am privileged to live in a time and place where I can view the everyday world for women in the U.S. with a “glass half full” perspective. Because of the hard work of so many women who have come before me I see International Women’s Day as a day to smile, look at the world in comparison to what it was 100 years ago, and feel a sense of satisfaction. Read more.

The Struggle for Women’s Rights Continues in the Congo

On February 21st, I attended a meeting sponsored by Friends of The Congo. “It is our call to action to save the Congo” stood as the message and slogan for this conference. The meeting offered a great amount of information about the devastating tragedy in the Congo. Read more.