Phenomenal Woman - 4

We (women) take a lot for granted these days. Sure things are not 100% perfect but history shows that we have come a long way.



I think that it is fitting that my first Women's Issue post for the year pays tribute to a woman who a lot of people have never heard about but who did a lot for women's rights - Sojourner Truth.



She was born Isabella Baumfree into slavery in 1797. She was sold into slavery in 1806 to a very brutal owner. She was sold and resold until she fell in love with a slave from a neigboring farm. The relationship was forbidden by her owners since she owner wouldnt own any children born into that union and the lovers were separated. She was eventually married off to a much older slave and she had 5 children.

She was promised freedom by her owner who changed his mind at the last minute. Isabella then escaped to freedom with only her infant daughter as her other children were not emancipated.

Her journey into the history books started when she had a life changing experience with a family she stayed with and became a devout christian. On June 1, 1843, she changed her name to Sojourner Truth telling her friends "The Spirit calls me and i must go".

She set about travelling and preaching about abolition. She then joined the Northampton Association of Education & Industry which supported women's rights, religious tolerance and pacifism. As a result of belonging to this association, she met a number of renowned figures including Frederick Douglass.

She started to to dictate her memoirs and had it published in 1850 privately. That same year she bought a home which was virtually unheard of in those days. Negroes did not buy homes let alone Negro women. In 1851 she attended the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in Ohio where she delivered her famous speech which i have included at the end of this post.

Sojourner Truth spoke to hundreds of audiences over the next decade and even spoke at the suffragist convention in New York where she met Harriet Beecher Stowe (the woman that fought the good fight allowing women to vote - she was played by Hilary Swank in an HBO tv movie). In 1858, she was giving a speech when a member of the audience accused her of being a man - she opened her blouse and revealed her breasts.

Here is her famous speech titled Ain't I a Woman?

"Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the Negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about?

That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?

Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or Negroes' rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it. The men better let them.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't got nothing more to say"

During the civil war, she helped recruit black troops for the Union Army. In 1870, she tried to secure land rights for freed slaves and continued to speak about abolition, women's rights, prison reform and against capital punishment.

She died in 1883 and her last words were " Be a follower of the Lord Jesus"

I find her life story inspiring and motivating.

So to this amazing woman that came before us, i say Well Done & Thank You

Women's Issue: Phenomenal Woman - 3

I guess this should actually read Phenomenal Women.

During my vacation to India, we passed a bunch of people dressed in blue like the woman above. And i remember wondering why they were in blue. That's UN peace keeping standard issue.

Last night, there was a piece on the world's untold stories and Liberia was the focus of the piece. But with a different spin.

During the 14 year civil war that literally crushed this country, abuse of women in the population of about 3.2 million people stood at 93.6%. 93.6% of the women that lived in Liberia at the time of conflict were abused. 73% of this number were raped. Heart breaking statistics. Even after the war ended 3 years ago, women continued to be abused -sometimes by UN peace keepers.

With the swearing in of Africa's first female president, things have changed. She has appointed women to key positions including making the head of police a woman. She was a riot to watch yesterday. Decked out in her uniform, she said women have always been the brains behind their families, have been the secretaries and administrative assistants behind the influential people in the country - so it was time to take center stage. I loved her confidence and cockiness.

Anyway - the object of this post - the phenomenal women i speak of here are the Indian UN peacekeepers doing their thing in Liberia. As a result of all the abuse faced by women in the past, the UN took the step to have women makeup the peacekeeping mission and a number of things have happened as a result of this:

• Women soldiers working with the citizenry brings a different response - less antagonistic and machismo, More compassion and dialogue
• It builds trust among the female citizenry. So far, they are not afraid or threatened by the peacekeepers and even find them approachable
• The Liberian police force that had a hard time getting new recruits (since all of the force was fired) has had about 200% increase in the number of volunteers - mostly women

What struck me the most as well is that most of these Indian peacekeepers already had experience in conflict regions with most of them serving in the disputed region of Kashmir. Almost all these women are wives and mothers. The way they handled their weapons, their coordinated efforts...i was so psyched. During missions, they just seemed almost robotic. But in their base camp, bollywood movies in the background, laughter and almost normalcy

I cannot put into words exactly how this story made me feel but I am proud to be WOMAN

Women's Issue: Phenomenal Woman 2

I come from a media background. A journalistic background to be more specific. So news and current affairs have always been a part of my existence. The introduction of CNN into my life came when i was about 12 and its become part of my daily tonic since. And its on this news channel that i first "met" the woman that is the subject of my post today.

Christiane Amanpour is one woman that i would really love to meet. When i still harboured thoughts and dreams about being a foreign correspondent, i have to say that i just wanted to be like this woman. Trendier but like her. LOL. I wanted a khaki outfit like hers and i wanted to go to the places where headlines were made and just be her. Of course, my life and dreams are radically different now (even though i want to own a tv station or 10 at some point), my admiration for this woman has grown.

And like all things i am interested in, i make the effort to find out as much as i can - so here are some of the things that make her quite special in my book:

• She comes from a mixed background. Her mother is British and her father is Iranian which explains her coloring and her features. She comes from the Iranian christian minority too
• She has been with CNN since 1983 and is 49 years old
• She worked as a special contributor to 60 Minutes filing a number of stories which in turn earned her the prestigious Peabody Award
• She has scored some of the most sought after interviews in the world including with the current Iranian president. I have read that there were concerns with this particular interview given her background (her father's relationship with the deposed Shah. Ayatollah Khomeini deposed him and the Iranian president is a staunch supporter of the Ayatollah). Thankfully, all went well. She also scored a phone interview with the late Yassar Arafat during a siege on this premises. Apparently he hung up on her.
• She is not afraid to air her views. I know that journalists try to be as objective as possible. But Ms Amanpour says being neutral is equivalent to being an accomplice. She says that being objective simply means allowing all sides to air their views.
• She is married to James Rubin (a cutie that worked with the White House as assistant secretary of state) and a little boy
• She got married at 41 and has said countless times that she was not interested in settling for less than she knew she deserved and so she waited for the right person to come along
• One of her housemates was JFK Jnr and apparently they stayed close till his death
• She has been honored by the queen - CBE i think

Anyway, she is truly amazing and the quality of her work speaks for itself. In fact, the idea for the phenomenal woman series came as i watched the recently aired documentary: Men of God which she did and had apparently been working on for a year. I urge you all to see it if you can.

An ode to womanhood...She makes me proud to be WOMAN

Women's Issue - Phenomenal Woman 1

I have done quite a number of women's issue posts since i started blogging and i realise that a lot of them deal with painful aspects of womanhood worldwide. However, it isnt all bad. There is so much to be celebrated about womanhood. It is in this vein that i am starting the Phenomenal Woman series. To profile women that have done great things in my book. Even if i dont like them or agree with them,they have my admiration.

It wasnt even a challenge to think about who the first woman to be profiled should be....

I am starting off with my mom.....

Who else has had a huge impact on the woman that i am today? My mom is superwoman and she is totally amazing. She is beautiful - i mean physically. She is stunning. Doesnt look a day over 30. Her skin is soooo soft and flawless. I am incorporating her beauty routine. I can only pray that i look like her when i am her age. Her sense of style - impeccable. She is definitely more adventurous in terms of colors than i am but she is all together. Very trendy mama too. LOL.

On the inside, my mother is one in a million. A no nonsense teddy bear. A prayer warrior. A chef extrodinaire. My yoruba teacher. My Koffi Olomide tutor. My friend, my verbal sparring partner when we do our fight thing.

My mother is totally amazing and there are simply no words to explain the dynamics of our relationship. \We love hard and we fight hard and i would take anything for her, do anything for her because she is my number 1 fan.....

Much love!