IT'S INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!!!

Women are leaders everywhere you look--from the CEO who runs a Fortune 500 company to the housewife who raises her children and heads her household. Our country was built by strong women and we will continue to break down walls and defy stereotypes.
-NANCY PELOSI

That's right, it's INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY. It commemorates the advancements made in human rights and to discuss the challenges women continue to face in politics, education, employment, and other areas of daily life.

But before I say anything else, here is a message from UN Women executive director, Michelle Bachelet.



The information below is from internationalwomensday.com. click HERE to go to the original page.

International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.

1908
Great unrest and critical debate was occurring amongst women. Women's oppression and inequality was spurring women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. Then in 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.

1909
In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman's Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on 28 February. Women continued to celebrate NWD on the last Sunday of February until 1913.

1910
n 1910 a second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. A woman named a Clara Zetkin (Leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea of an International Women's Day. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day - a Women's Day - to press for their demands. The conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, representing unions, socialist parties, working women's clubs, and including the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament, greeted Zetkin's suggestion with unanimous approval and thus International Women's Day was the result.

1911
Following the decision agreed at Copenhagen in 1911, International Women's Day (IWD) was honoured the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March. More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination. However less than a week later on 25 March, the tragic 'Triangle Fire' in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working women, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This disastrous event drew significant attention to working conditions and labour legislation in the United States that became a focus of subsequent International Women's Day events. 1911 also saw women's 'Bread and Roses' campaign.

1913-1914
On the eve of World War I campaigning for peace, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. In 1913 following discussions, International Women's Day was transferred to 8 March and this day has remained the global date for International Wommen's Day ever since. In 1914 further women across Europe held rallies to campaign against the war and to express women's solidarity.

1917
On the last Sunday of February, Russian women began a strike for "bread and peace" in response to the death over 2 million Russian soldiers in war. Opposed by political leaders the women continued to strike until four days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. The date the women's strike commenced was Sunday 23 February on the Julian calendar then in use in Russia. This day on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere was 8 March.

1918 - 1999
Since its birth in the socialist movement, International Women's Day has grown to become a global day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike. For decades, IWD has grown from strength to strength annually. For many years the United Nations has held an annual IWD conference to coordinate international efforts for women's rights and participation in social, political and economic processes. 1975 was designated as 'International Women's Year' by the United Nations. Women's organisations and governments around the world have also observed IWD annually on 8 March by holding large-scale events that honour women's advancement and while diligently reminding of the continued vigilance and action required to ensure that women's equality is gained and maintained in all aspects of life.

2000 and beyond
IWD is now an official holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia. The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother's Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.
The new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women's and society's thoughts about women's equality and emancipation. Many from a younger generation feel that 'all the battles have been won for women' while many feminists from the 1970's know only too well the longevity and ingrained complexity of patriarchy. With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of women's visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women's education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.
However, great improvements have been made. We do have female astronauts and prime ministers, school girls are welcomed into university, women can work and have a family, women have real choices. And so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives. Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.
Many global corporations have also started to more actively support IWD by running their own internal events and through supporting external ones. For example, on 8 March search engine and media giant Google some years even changes its logo on its global search pages. Year on year IWD is certainly increasing in status. The United States even designates the whole month of March as 'Women's History Month'.
So make a difference, think globally and act locally !! Make everyday International Women's Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.

Today, UN Women released the song below "One Woman."



Two years in the making, the song was first performed in the United Nations General Assembly Hall when the agency was launched in 2011. The track features 25 singers and musicians recording in over 20 countries.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG

For more information, please visit http://song.unwomen.org.

So how are you gonna celebrate this women's day? Other than wishing every woman I know a happy women's day, I'm not gonna do much. But this Sunday, there's a performance at the Martin Luther King Jr Auditorium, at the Santa Monica Library.

A collaboration of Afghans, Iranians and American organizations in Southern California and the UN WOMEN - USNC GREATER LOS ANGELES CHAPTER

Sunday March 10th, 2013
1:30 pm to 5:00 pm
Santa Monica Public Library
Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium
601 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, Ca. 90401

One of the bands performing is an amazing band called theKI. THEKI is a 10-piece ensemble that fuses pop, jazz and electronic music with modern and ancient wisdom. Featuring conservatory-trained members who have performed with world-class artists that include Stevie Wonder, Yo-Yo Ma, and Wynton Marsalis, theKI combines beautiful instrumental arrangements with digital grooves to create movement, dance, and transformative moments of inner reflection. Roxie Sakura, lead singer and member of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter USNC for UN Women, through her songwriting is dedicated to shining light on some of the darkest injustices and inner struggles still facing women today. By making darkness conscious, as Carl Jung wrote, theKI exists to expand this awareness by first inspiring and empowering the individual.

f you want to know more about theKI, check out their web site @www.theki.me.

Here's a small taste of what they can do:



Now if that doesn't convince you to come out to the show, I don't know what will. Anyway, I'll be there, and If you're in the L.A. area, I hope I see some of you there too.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, we stand united to end violence and discrimination against women.

So, to all the moms, sisters, friends, wives & doctors, CEO's & artists out there,

HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY!!!