Proud to Be a Woman

Look what came in the mail - our official WOMAN CARDS!

Now before you get all "ugh, those are from Hillary's campaign" (heck yes they are), let me explain why I am so bothered by Trump's derisive use of this phrase ...

My woman card doesn't mean being a woman is my only defining characteristic. It doesn't mean I vote with, agree with or understand all other women. And it most certainly doesn't mean I'm against men. (That last notion irks me to no end.)

I'll tell you what it does mean. It means I am an intelligent, compassionate, strong, capable human being who deserves the same respect, liberties and opportunities as any other person. It means I dream and I achieve. It means I aspire to inspire. It means I believe in the power of women to create change and build a beautiful future for our world. It means I stand with other women. And, it means I stand with men who stand with women.

I am damn proud to be a WOMAN.

‪#‎IAmWoman‬ ‪#‎HearMeRoar‬ ‪#‎WCW‬ ‪#‎LeanIn‬ ‪#‎NoCeilings‬ ‪#‎Mamadukes‬

If you have the privilege to speak up, do it.

I turn on the news. Another episode of brutality. Another mass shooting. More lives taken too soon.

My heart weeps. But I'm not surprised. My blood boils. But this is our new normal.

Why do we keep doing this? Why do we keep letting this happen? And by "we," I mean the human race. Screw the white vs. black vs. cop vs. politician vs. Christian vs. Muslim. WE are doing this to each other, WE are letting this happen to us. WE are ALL responsible. WE are ALL affected. When one single person is brought down by hatred or injustice, WE are ALL brought down. When one single life is taken, WE ALL lose a piece of our lives. A piece of our freedom. A piece of our future. A piece of our hope.

I feel so disappointed ... so frustrated ... so helpless.

Before now I didn't know the name Philando Castile. I didn't know the name Alton Sterling. I still don't know the names of the nearly 300 victims in the recent Baghdad bombing. Or the names of the 49 shot and killed in Orlando. Or the 11 police officers shot by sniper in Dallas.

But I have long known the name Elie Wiesel. A Nobel laureate, author and Holocaust survivor, who also passed away this week. He lived through the worst atrocities this world has ever seen and instead of letting that history eat away at him, he used his voice, which he was LUCKY to still have, to spawn global awareness and have real conversations about racial hatred and inequality.

I don't have any words of wisdom to contribute at this time. I feel too broken. But if I may quote him: "Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe."

If you have the power to stand up, DO IT. If you have the privilege to speak up, DO IT. “Thou shalt not be a victim, thou shalt not be a perpetrator, but, above all, thou shalt not be a bystander.”