OCTOBER 2021: Women’s History Month

We celebrate women here every month, but October is Women’s History Month. We want to celebrate each and every one of you, this month.

Please take a moment to consider what you have contributed to your family, friends, career and community. Have you heard of ‘the ripple effect’? Each time you treat another person well, there is the potential to impact the next person they encounter. Communities can be formed or strengthened by gathering around someone in need. Have you seen the ripple effect in motion?

You may have started a ripple effect. Did you host a party that prompted a follow up party or raise money for a cause you believed in by asking for donations for a fun run or bike ride? These things make a difference and are the threads that bind communities. Letting others know about a need is a powerful act.

There may have been a family in need, due to a sudden loss, and people pull together to find out more about what they need. It’s not always about having something to give. It can just be putting the word out to others and facilitating the delivery of the goods.

I’ve been able to find furnishings for a few families who were starting out in Canada and it was almost magical how easily things came together when I made it known to my circle of acquaintances that I was looking for items for a family in need. I posted the list on my social media and got messages from so many generous people. I only sent a few e-mails.

I was even given the promise of a gaming system for a refugee teen who had lost everything. While I was in the doctor’s waiting room, I was speaking to a friend on my cell about the family (yes – I was one of those people) and a woman in the waiting room overheard my conversation. She decided to give her own son his new gaming system on Christmas eve so that I could deliver her son’s used system on Christmas morning. Trust me – I deferred the praise as it was fun for me to co-ordinate these gifts. The ripple carried on.

I was given a cool board game called “Who’s She” and I’m learning about women who lived long ago and are still talked about today for their accomplishments. There are so many women to learn about in history – women from around the world who have contributed in meaningful ways. Did you know that (musician) Aretha Franklin was the first female artist to be inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? I didn’t know. The contributions are so varied: contributing to the ethical treatment of animals (Temple Grandin), an advocate for women’s rights and protecting the environment (Wangari Maathai), in Sports (Gertrude Ederle) Science (Yvonne Brill), the first female obstetrician (Agnodice), an Astronaut (Valentina Tereshkova) and even in Politics (Yuriko Koike). There are so many women who we have never even heard about. Many of them are deceased and we can’t thank them for their contributions. We can only build on what they left behind.

At Spoken Lives, we decided to learn a little more about the women who are currently making “herstory”. There are so many of them! I’ve been able to interview four of them and will post sound bites of those interviews on our socials and let you know where you can find more information. Please check our posts throughout October on Facebook and Instagram. Nominate someone else you’d like us to interview, and we can keep the ripples rolling. Send your suggestions to elizabeth@spokenlives.com.

We have discovered a few women who have pulled together to help the people of Afghanistan. Sally Armstrong, Dr. Wendy Cukier, The Honourable Ratna Omidvar, Rachel Pulfer and Hila Taraky have brought together information, partners, resources and news about what’s happening on the ground there and what we can do about it. There are opportunities to become involved at www.lifelineafghanistan.ca.