International Women’s Day
March 8 is International Women’s Day
So here are some photos of some inspirational women.
Augustina Mosha is the Program Officer with the Norwegian Church Aid in Tanzania
Doreen Silversmith is a member of Cayuga Nation, Snipe clan, and a representative of the Six Nations Confederacy. She has been a true warrior in the front lines in the struggle for indigenous sovereignty.
Mireille Lapointe is co-cheif of the indigenous Ardoch Algonquin First Nation, who have been fighting to prevent a uranium mine from opening on their traditional lands.
A 24-hour vigil was held outside the Eaton's Centre to honour the memories of the homeless who have died on the streets of Toronto. Since 1985, over 500 have died. Nancy Baker, pictured here, lives on the streets of Toronto. Her boyfriend was one of the people who have died on the streets.
Barbara Stewart-Fischer is a poet and activist. She has been involved in the struggles for the rights of injured workers, anti-poverty, and any other struggle for social justice.
Ellie Gilbert is a film maker. Married into the Wiradjuri Nation (in what is now known as Australia) she has been documenting her people's struggles to stop the world's biggest gold mining corporation, Barrick Gold, from desecrating Lake Cowal - which they consider the sacred heartland of the Wiradjuri people.
Sakura Saunders (front left) and Natalie Lowrey (front right) are volunteer editors with ProtestBarrick.net, a network of communities around the world who are fighting against Barrick Gold, the world's biggest gold mining corporation.
Elena Dumitru, originally from Romania, is the regional coordinator for Amnesty International in Toronto, part of a worldwide movement of people dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights.
Members of the Women Against Poverty Collective occupied an abandoned building in downtown Toronto before being raided and arrested by police. WAPC is a group of women and trans people who are working together to advocate for safe, affordable and accessible housing for women experiencing violence.
Members and supporters of the Women Against Poverty Collective (WAPC) link arms in a standoff with police to protect the four women who occupied the abandoned building, which they planned to convert into safe and affordable housing for women who have been victims of poverty and violence.
Anna La, Alexandra Leroux, Natalie McClure, and Victoria Harnett with Oxfam Canada at a demonstration outside the International Aids Conference in Toronto.
Afghan girl
A demonstrator wearing a mask with prison bars which says "say no to hijab" at last year's International Women's Day March.
Editha Santiago is the president of the KILUS foundation, a women's cooperative in the Philippines, who make bags, shoes, furniture, and other merchandise out of used juice packs that would otherwise end up in landfills or clogging up the sewers.
Lisa Swainston works with the Ontario Council for International Cooperation (OCIC), an expanding community of Ontario-based international development and global education organizations and individual associate members working globally for social justice. In her free time, Lisa volunteers with Amnesty International, Oxfam Canada, and others.
Mother and daughter demonstrators attending the AIDS Women's Rally. Demonstrators marched to the International AIDS Conference in Toronto to demand rights for women as an integral part of the battle against AIDS.
Last, but certainly not least, my mother Liti Lissner, pictured here with my father Jorgen riding an 'Eco-Cab'. A member of the International Women's Club in Copenhagen, Denmark, editor of "The Cosmo," and mother of four boys who love her very much.
Natalie Lowrey
Allan this is such a beautiful gesture to women all around the world … thank you for your work, it truly inspires me.
Nat
Apr 09, 2009 @ 17:55
Augustina Mosha
Dear Allan,
Thank you very much again for the remarkable work you are doing. If the world had more people like you (my son) it would be a better place. It is a tough job you are doing and I am sure that since you have decided to join the “winning” team – we will rejoice one day . We believe in what we are advocating for because it is our right from our God.
I was glad to see your parents too. There is a famous saying “you cannot give what you do not have”. You are giving what your parents planted in you. May I thank them for that
Augustina .Mosha
Programme Manager
Norwegian Church Aid – Tanzania
Jul 22, 2009 @ 14:32
Danielle Lobo
I appreciate much of the work you have put up on your website and find it useful and inspiring for people to become informed and take action. However, I have a problem with the picture of the woman wearing the sign “say no to hijab”. I don’t know your opinion of the picture or its message, but I find it irresponsible as it is misguided in its attempt to promote international women’s day. This is clearly an example of Western feminists targeting Islam rather than sexism. Islamic feminism is a huge movement and (western) women who misinterpret Islam (specifically the hijab) as oppressive perpetuate anti-Islamic sentiments. Otherwise, thank you for the great work you have put up on International Women’s Day and other issues.
Jul 30, 2009 @ 11:50
admin
Hi Danielle,
Thanks for the encouragement.
For what it’s worth, the woman with the ’say no to hijab’ mask was a part of a group of women attending the Women’s Day March, all of whom came from Islamic backgrounds and had some very articulate critiques about their own religion, which I’m in no position to elaborate on here (I’m sory I don’t remember the name of their group).
So, as I understand it, this woman (whom I don’t know personally) is speaking from her own experiences and about her own faith, Otherwise I wouldn’t have felt comfortable including it for the reasons you outline.
Unfortunately, this one image does not adequately communicate the complexities that you rightly point out. But as an image of a brave Muslim woman, making a bold and provocative public statement precisely in order to stir up debates such as this, I thought it might be worth including in this series.
Thanks again for commenting.
Jul 30, 2009 @ 15:09
Danielle Lobo
Thanks for the response. The background into the picture provides me with more insight. I think I am going to sit on the fence for this one as you have done as well and listen to both sides of such an argument as even I don’t know what to say. Its a fine line between the legitimacy of oppressed people arguing their concerns versus oppressed people perpetuating their own stereotypes. I guess it was my bad to assume she was a western feminist. I have heard from my Muslim friend that the Hijaab is a very personal choice when it is a choice. Families should not enforce hijaabs into the religious context, the approach is what matters. Islam teaches modesty, women who choose to demonstrate such modesty through wearing the hijaab have made a personal choice that neither the government nor others should judge. Anyways, thanks again for your comments..
btw, I was the person in your OCIC agm group on blogs its funny how i had no idea about blogs before and here I am commenting on yours.
Oct 08, 2009 @ 14:35