A painting by Charles White that always inspired me, it shows the strength and love of a woman.
Women are special! The first person to kiss us at our birth was a woman. The person that carried us for nine months with much discomfort and pain was a woman. For this woman, there is yet another special day set aside; Mother’s Day.
As a political activist, it was mostly women that inspired me to become what I am today… to name just a few there was…
My Mother Esther—a Saint in her own right
Freda Gardner—a family friend, left wing activist
Ann Yellin —–a family friend, trade union activist
Helen Keller——’handicapped’ person that wouldn’t accept limitations
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn—-communist leader, Joe Hill’s ‘Rebel Girl’
Rosa Parks—-civil rights activist
My Aunt Sarah——who taught me that every human being has his worth.
Some new additions to this list…..
My dear cousin Fran Korotzer (AKA Chippy Dee) — an Associate of this Blog. She has been a part of the Struggle for the Social Justice of ALL Mankind for as long as I can remember, never taking her ‘eyes off the prize’. She has, over the past few years, become more of a sister to me than a cousin.
Mary Rizzo — not merely an ‘art restorer and translator’ as she describes herself, but a loud and consistant voice for the Palestinian Cause. As Administrator of the Palestinian Think Tank (another Associate of this Blog), her efforts are never-ending. She is an inspiration to all in the battle for Justice.
Robin — Tireless researcher for the Palestinian Blogesphere. Her ‘discoveries’ make for great reading and literally keep us going.
Paola Pisi — the ‘behind the scenes’ moderator at Uruknet, another Associate of this Blog. Her efforts to bring the truth about the Middle East to our readers are endless. She is truly a gift to the ’cause’.
There are more, many more… but the point remains that it was and is women that are the moulders of what we are today. It is women that continued to make our world a better place despite every attempt to ‘keep them in their place’. They have proven that their place is where they want it to be… in politics, in the workplace, in the home and in the community. The same Neanderthal mentality that tried to keep them down is the same mentality that has tried to keep minorities down all over the world. This type of thinking cannot and will not be tolerated.
It used to be said that ‘behind every great man there stands a woman’… this is so not the case. In reality it should say ‘wherever there is a great man, there is a woman just as great or greater’.
Helen Keller
Rosa Parks
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn
Aufzuleiden / CrazyComposer said,
March 8, 2010 at 15:42
An appropriate tribute to a group that is more than worthy of accolades. I would add one more member to the group that you and I both know, and which you should not be casual about dismissing: Miriam B., the mother of your only son; some gifts are beyond words, but it is still worth the effort.
Behind every great son there is a great mother, and sometimes even a father. In my case I am lucky to have both.
Wie viel ist Aufzuleiden!
Iain Yuile said,
March 8, 2010 at 18:57
I too had great parents, and love and respect women in general. The last few paragraphs however, are over the top, only women suffered injustices,
blah, blah baloney. How many worked in coal mines? How many were used as cannon fodder in criminal wars? Remember how women used to decry men going off to fight – how men simply loved wars? Women’s groups, these same women, are demanding combat rolls so they can be “equal” to men. Not all women were held back by men; the English author Jane Austen for example has helped and encouraged by men during her writing career.
This in no way is meant to besmirch women, as i said above, i generally admire the opposite sex. But the point is, when you designate a special day for any targeted group, hypocricy becomes blurred.