International Women's Day!

Happy International Women's Day!



...Sigh.

While I do offer this exclamation genuinely, I can't help but also intend a layer of snark... disappointment... irony... sarcasm... frustration... anger... pain... despair...  sadness... ambivalence...

I truly believe that things have never been worse for women in my lifetime than they are right now. I can't stop thinking about the current war on women and the toll that it is taking across the country and in Texas in particular.

It makes me sick.



It makes it very hard to honor this day. I've written before about how symbols don't mean much, and that true change and respect is shown through day-to-day actions and behaviors. So it's very hard for me to sit around and talk about IWD when I'm faced with the bull of our reality.

Sometimes, when faced with bull, the best thing to do is laugh. If you'd like to do that, check out Ann Friedman's gif blog on the topic. Or if you feel like reveling in the rage, you can check out Melissa McEwan's compilation of all that there is still left to be angry about. But if you are looking for a bit of hope and inspiration, I highly recommend that you Google search for a feminist oriented nonprofit in your area and sign up to volunteer directly with young women and girls. (Such national organizations include Girls Inc. and the Girl Scouts. There are numerous local entities in most areas as well.)

If I didn't have access to working with young women, hearing their incredible insights, and remembering that things will get better, I'm not so sure I'd be able to keep energized for facing the challenges we each day. That's something I should have put in my managing activist burnout post.