Today is the 105th anniversary of International Women’s Day, 1911-2016 , 8 March 2016.
Make a Pledge For Parity
Women's
Day events honour and celebrate the achievements of women all around
the world, ranging from small random informal gatherings to large highly
organised events.
The Mt Roskill War Memorial Park was a sea of beautiful people in their beautiful clothes.
I
am very proud of Kate Sheppard. Her image appears on our ten dollar
note. She is mainly responsible for New Zealand to be the first country
to give women the vote in modern times.
Katherine
Wilson Sheppard (10 March 1847 – 13 July 1934) was the most prominent
member of New Zealand's women's suffrage movement, and is the country's
most famous suffragette. Because New Zealand was the first country to
introduce universal suffrage, Sheppard's work had a considerable impact
on women's suffrage movements in other countries. During one of the
protest movement, she led a whole group of ladies to lie down on the
road and the police couldn't do anything.
Sheppard
played a considerable part in getting the women's suffrage bill was
successfully passed, granting women full voting rights. Sheppard herself
was widely acknowledged as the leader of the women's suffrage movement.
An elderly friend in her 80s told me that when she was growing up, the girls wanted to be like Kate.
Sheppard is considered to be an important figure in New Zealand's history. A memorial to her exists in Christchurch.
In
1975, I was a young impressionable 20 year old when I went to Canada
and heard Helen Reddy sing. This song was chosen by United Nations as
the anthem for the International year of women. Together with my girls
friends in the Laurier Hall, the hostel for women only in Windsor
University, we sang this song with gusto. That year, I became aware of
women's rights and women's lib. I became a champion for this cause. Some
of the boys accused us to be lesbians.
I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an' pretend
'cause I've heard it all before
And I've been down there on the floor
No one's ever gonna keep me down again
CHORUS
Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman
You can bend but never break me
'cause it only serves to make me
More determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer
'cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul
CHORUS
I am woman watch me grow
See me standing toe to toe
As I spread my lovin' arms across the land
But I'm still an embryo
With a long long way to go
Until I make my brother understand
Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to I can face anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman
Oh, I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong
I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong
I am woman
Today, I am no longer the young naive girl. I write books, and some of them are about women and oppression.
Women face many kinds of oppression through
the centuries. The author takes you to a journey of modern day oppression.
This story traces the life of Nadine, a girl
born to Indian parents. It embodies the issues of a Kiwi girl, Nadine, growing
up in conflicting cultures and getting lost in her environment.
Nadine grows up to overcome her problems to
help women who suffered from physical and mental violence, domestic violence, rape,
pornography, swinging, incest, bullying, sex with minors, sex slavery and human
trafficking.
Traces the lives of 2 girls. The poor girl is sold to the rich girl
as a slave aka mui zai to serve her for ever. Different Chinese
Tradition are explained, and tragedy brings them to the South Seas. The
Japanese invasion, the slave protects her mistress and is sent to a
brothel as a comfort women.
http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz/
