I am hosting an event for the
global initiative One billion rising, It is an event very dear to my heart, as
a mother of four beautiful daughters and an amazing granddaughter I think I
know a little bit about girls of all ages. My girls like me have grown in a
loving home full of affirmation and a ‘you can do it attitude’. I told them to dream big to reach for what
they want in life, we are blessed to live in the West, where education and
health is a blessing, in fact we have things in abundance.
This initiative is a reminder to
everyone that 1-3 women in their lifetime will suffer at the hands of a rapist
or some other violent assault, shocking statistics in everyway.
You only have to watch the news
to hear these stories of war and atrocities, to watch the women talk about the
abuse they have suffered and when they don’t quite look like you it can give
their pain a distance from your own situation. But then these veil-wearing
mothers speak of the atrocities born on their bodies and they gasp with sobs at
the actions and crimes perpetrated on their beautiful daughters and right there
right at that moment she is no longer a stranger she is my sister. One Billion
rising in its song ‘Break the chains’ as the words
No more excuses, no more abuses’.
So on the 14/2/13 across the globe women will rise and use their talents and voices to proclaim this message. I am going to lead an event where we share our stories, listen to beautiful women sing, we are going to sing together and my challenge to these ladies will be to do what I have done which is way out of my comfort zone and it is to dance. To dance like our lives depend on it because for some women it really does.
Dance cause I
dream
Dance cause
I’ve had enough
Dance to stop
the screams
Dance to
break the rules
Dance to stop
the pain
Dance to turn
it upside down
Its time to
break the chain, oh yeah Break the
Chain'.