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“True leaders, I learned, have heart and noble purpose. They draw strength from within to effect change in the wider world.”
–Vital Voices: The Power of Women Leading Change Around the World by Alyse Nelson
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May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month.
Carmelita Gopez Nuqui, The Philippines
“The problem was that the Philippines is a poor country, and trafficking provided a major source of income. With this understanding, Carmelita decided to think more creatively: instead of continuing to lobby Filipino officials, she approached the Japanese government, asking Japanese legislators directly how they could possibly need eighty thousand Filipino dancers and singers every year. The Japanese government also faced pressure from the international community to crack down on this form of modern-day slavery, and feared that the upcoming U.S. Trafficking in Persons report would highlight their antitrafficking shortcomings. Legislators were receptive to Carmelita’s outreach.“
–Vital Voices: The Power of Women Leading Change Around the World by Alyse Nelson
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“On the third Saturday in November each year, women—established and emerging—walk together in their communities. Each walk is followed by programs to initiate mentoring partnerships and foster the leadership potential of aspiring young women. To date, Mentoring Walks have reached thousands of women across four continents.“
–Vital Voices: The Power of Women Leading Change Around the World by Alyse Nelson
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
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Marina Pisklakova, Russia
“I imagine pushing a large boulder up a steep hill, and then one day that boulder begins to roll on its own. To me this is success.”
–Vital Voices: The Power of Women Leading Change Around the World by Alyse Nelson
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“We are united in a common cause for freedom and justice.”
“Democracy, justice, and peace demand the full and equal participation of women. Justice is a long-term undertaking.”
–Vital Voices: The Power of Women Leading Change Around the World by Alyse Nelson
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National Dance Week is April 24-May 3, 2015.
Profile of Sohini Chakraborty, India
“I am not teaching dance; I am inspiring dignity and self-respect.”
“Girls who are the victims of violence and sexual trafficking are extremely uncomfortable with their bodies,” Sohini explains. “They don’t feel physicality because they feel it is responsible for the stigma attached to them.”
“In the brothel, you have no control over your body,” she explains. “But when you dance, you are the one giving expression to your body. You are controller of your body, of your mind, of your expression. It’s freedom.”
–Vital Voices: The Power of Women Leading Change Around the World by Alyse Nelson