All about women

150 Fearless Women in Our World Today

In the United States, March is known for many things, the birth of spring; the end of winter; the celebration of the end of Mardi Gras, St. Patrick's Day, and of course Spring Break; the start of spring training for baseball; and a host of other honors such as American Red Cross Month or the librarian's favorite, National Reading Day.  Most notably, however, March is Women's History Month.  Today, in fact, is International Women's Day.  So today and this month, we celebrate, honor, and pay tribute to women. 
In some of our recent discussions about women in the library (mostly over the recent birth control legislation issue), one aspect of women's history that came to light was just how recent it actually was that women gain any rights or voice in this country.  The right to vote, which for women was significantly the right to be recognized as people, actually contributing members of society, was won in 1920.  This may seem very far away to many of you, but if you think about it, for the majority of us, our grandmothers lived in a world where women could not only, not vote, but could not own their own property, any wages they earned were forfeit if they were married, or had a living male relative who could legally take every penny without cause.  Women not only did not have a voice, but were in truth, second-class citizens.  
The world has changed dramatically since then, but equality has not been achieved yet.  Across the globe, women are still faced with oppression, slavery, abuse, and an extreme lack of basic human rights. Despite many obstacles, women are still working and fighting to change the world.  Follow the link above for The Daily Beast's article on fearless women and read some of their stories.  It will inspire you!  To these women and all those who in survive, who stand up, who support each other in big and small way, we say...

Thank You

Today, we want to take a moment to acknowledge those who do so much for us and others, and we challenge you to take a moment to do the same.  Each term we have a contest in the library through which we offer you the opportunity to share with us and each other and earn fabulous prizes.  This term, our contest is all about the women.  Comment here, or post on our Facebook page to enter.  What to say?  Tell us about a woman who has cared for you, challenged you, inspired you, taught you, helped you, or has just been there for you.  We want to know about her and how she has changed your world (no one sentence answers will suffice).  Post your comments anytime between now and the end of the Month.  The winner will receive a gift basket including a gift card, Oscar winning films on DVD, incredible books, and more as well as a gift for the amazing woman you tell us about.  If you choose someone who you do not personally know who may be a hero to you for what they have done in the past or someone who has passed away, that is okay too.  Both prizes are yours.  The winner will be announced here on March 30th.