March is Women’s History Month!!! Time to salute some of the great women who have done extraordinary things for women worldwide.
Women like Frida Kahlo; a 2oth-century rebellious woman whose defiant message is timeless. She flaunted who she was and challenged the perceptions of beauty in women. Frida transformed her pain into paint and created flawless masterpieces that resurrected the vision of Mexico and the strength of women.
Women like Sojourner Truth, who in the 19th-century, not only fought for the rights to free herself as a slave but courageously stood up for the equality of all women. She spoke fearlessly and righteously (hence her nick-name) against racial injustice and attacks on women. Her acclaimed speech “Ain’t I Woman” is still recited in classrooms today.
Let us not forget Iman al-Obeidi. A Libyan postgraduate law student who publicly challenged Gaddafi and Libyan government on Libyan TV and CNN, in 2011. Iman shouted out with pointed finger, scarred face, free hair and fresh tears that Libyan Troops had beaten and gang-raped her. Despite her physical affliction Iman al-Obeidi heroically told of a story previously untold and she had no fear of religious persecution or cultural degradation. She triumphantly did as she felt.
How about Waris Dirie? A Somali woman who fled her country at the age of 13 so she wouldn’t be forced in an arranged marriage to a man who was old enough to be her Grandfather. Waris later found herself in London where at the age of 18 she was discovered by one of Britain’s leading photographers and soon began an international modeling career and became a well-known celebrity. However, it is not her outer beauty that has made Waris a phenomenal woman, it is that she boldly ripped the cover off a long time tradition and horrid practice of Somalia and 27 other countries, which include Africa, Indonesia, parts of the Middle East and even immigrant cases found in North America and Australia. Waris Dirie educated us on (FGM); female genital mutilation, which she herself had undergone as a child. She spoke publicly of her accounts and became a UN ambassador for the abolition of female genital mutilation. Waris wrote an autobiography called Desert Flower in 1997 which was later turned into a movie in 2009 of the same title. Incidentally, I recently found the strength to view the film and I must say that it was life shaking. Waris’s necessary graphic portrayal of this atrocity was so emotional that I had to leave the room at parts of the film, and literally felt faint when discussing the account to a friend later.
These women and other great women of History/Her-Story are important factors because of them being Lioness’s of the Heart and sharing their own personal stories. They did not seek to become famous or celebrities. They just did what came naturally to them. They rallied in their beliefs and did what they loved. They shared their pain and have created history/her-story without intention.
My challenge for the rest of the month of March is for Women to bravely tell of something monumental that has taken place in their lives. I reach out to every woman who has read this article to speak out about something that is difficult for you, speak of a trauma that you overcame or an abuse that you would like to conquer. I believe that every Woman has a story of strength and encouragement for another Woman. Our stories are the stories for the women and girls of tomorrow. We have a legacy of our own that needs to be heard. So…I challenge YOU! I challenge Myself. There IS Healing In Our Voices.
Send articles, poems, songs, photos, whatever moves (YOU), and mark it Her-Story Challenge, You may register with Expats Post or email me directly at mantra@mantralotus.com and I will gladly publish it.
Let’s make Her-story!
Mantra 