Ladies, Let's Stand for Them All

Hello friends!

I hope this blog post finds you happy, passionate and full of joy and purpose. Things have been very busy lately, I apologize for the lack of posts...blogger was down for a couple weeks and I haven't been able to do anything. I hope that you have been shining your light and being a solution. I want you to know that although I have not posted, my mind is with my fellow world-changers always!

I wanted to share this music video with you. It is by Andy Grammer, and exceptional artist if I do say so myself! My cousin Alisha introduced his music to me. He is an up and coming artist that will have his cd out soon. The video is of his song called "Ladies." The lyrics are not out so I could not post them, but listen to the song carefully and it will rock your world.

In one song he completely explains my view on the treatment of women and also how we can change the way society sees women. Rather than seeing women like "Candy" we can teach our children and this generation to stand up for women, because each woman in a mother, sister a daughter or a wife to somebody. Friends we MUST implement change. Men are not the problem, but rather the opinions and standards that have been passed down are the problem. If we can create a healthy and positive image of women to young boys and men then they will grow up to respect and honor women and see them as the beautiful, fierce, intelligent beings that we were born to be. The reason sex trafficking and other horrendous situations exist is because of ignorance. Like the song says WE MUST STAND FOR THEM ALL. We must refuse to stay ignorant and we must refuse injustice. We have to fight to establish the respect and honor for women that should have always been there. People must realize that ever person...MAN or woman, came from a WOMAN. It is time for us to start voicing our opinions and being examples of strong individuals. There are so many awesome men that have already begun to do this and we will be highlighting their efforts in the weeks to come. Men like this are world changers who have decided to stand and cherish and value women as all men should. This is vital and necessary so that future generations will rise up and break the cycle of violence and hate that has sadly fallen upon women.

My Passionate, Strong, Wonderful, Beautiful ladies...LET'S STAND FOR THEM ALL!



It's Not Just Overseas--It's in Our Own Backyard

How a Hero Saved Two Women From Sex Slavery in NYC

March 24, 2011 2:54 PM

The blogosphere was buzzing with rumors last spring that a young Manhattan woman had rescued two Russian college students from sexual slavery on Coney Island. Many people thought the whole thing was a hoax. Turns out, the story was true: Marie Claire editor-at-large Abigail Pesta tracked down the Russian women for an exclusive interview, and learned of their terrifying ordeal. Their story illustrates just how easily young foreign women can find themselves enslaved.

The Russian women explained how they flew to Washington D.C. for summer jobs as lifeguards — then found out the jobs had fallen through. That's when the women received new instructions from the Russian company that had arranged the jobs: Get on a bus to New York City and meet a guy named George at a nightclub on Coney Island, at midnight. Yikes. (A flier for the club, which has since closed, is pictured here.)

The scenario had all the signs of human trafficking. Here's how young foreign women are often ensnared: A woman is offered a regular-sounding job, which falls through, leaving her in a vulnerable situation. She gets sent to a new "job," where her passport is seized and she's told she has to "earn" it back, usually through sex work. If she doesn't obey, she faces beatings and threats against her family back home. Hard to believe? Sex trafficking is a $32 billion global business, and that includes America.

In the case of the two Russian women, something astonishing happened: A young woman in Manhattan named Kathrine Gutierrez Hinds learned of the women's plight from a blog post on the site MetaFilter. The post had been made by a guy in North Dakota named Daniel Reetz. He knew one of the Russian women from when he taught English in Russia a few years back. He thought the women were headed for danger, and needed help. So Kathrine stepped in, taking the women into her home, defying potential mobsters, and risking her own safety. You can read the whole crazy story on The Daily Beast.

Read more: How a Hero Saved Two Women From Sex Slavery in NYC - Marie Claire

Dear Fellow Readers,

Discovering this article delighted me in many ways. I loved hearing that a woman from a busy, anonymous city like Manhattan possesses so much passion for helping others that she deliberately sought to help her fellow woman when she found a need. Katherine literally sprang into action to help these two Russian woman. Truly she saved their lives--at no small cost to her own safety and peace of mind. How many of us can say we’ve done that?

And I was also delighted to see that so many of the blog readers were eager to help the girls as well. This showed me that there are still good people out there. They just tend to stay quiet until the need inspires them into action.

This was a victory story. Unfortunately, it is one of only a few. Reading of the terrifying plight of these girls disturbed me greatly. Disturbed me because this happened right in our own American backyard. This was not some far away account of sex trafficking in the Ukraine or South America. It was certainly no TV show where the detective hunts down the bad guys and good always triumphs in the end. These women escaped slavery by the skin of their teeth. This was a very real account of a very real evil in our country. This terrifying beast is here--Manhattan, Texas, San Diego. All of these places were mentioned by the slave ring in the news article. So if it exists in these places, what is to stop it from existing in your town, your city, down the street from your grocery store?

I’ll leave you with that sobering thought. These women were lucky, but most of these endings aren’t so happy. Are you ok with that? What if it’s not a visitor to our country next time, but our own daughters? It is possible; I doubt these women ever dreamt something like this could happen to them.

Fellow readers, think on this possibility. The threat is real. The question is: What are you going to do about it?

Passionately Awake,

Brittany Howard

Invincible

"In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer." -albert camus



Invincible. Not lacking confidence. Feeling like you not only COULD change the world but rather you CAN change the world and NOBODY can stop you. When was the last time you felt invincible? I dream of women feeling like they are more than just their body, their sexuality, and their status. I dream that women can break free from the walls that society has built and embrace the strength and power that is deep within them. We live in a time of sex trafficking, rape and horrific injustice to women as a whole. By seeing that YOU are in fact INVINCIBLE, you have the POWER to invoke change and bring answers to a hurting world.

I am beautiful.
I am wonderful.
I am loved.
I am stunning.

Those were very powerful words you just spoke about yourself, so why do you feel weird saying them? We live in a society that makes it almost impossible to survive in as women. Phrases like the ones you just read are becoming more difficult to say as the days pass by. We believe in so many different things. It is amazing to watch women place so much faith in things that are really so temporary and not see that with confidence they are invincible.

My dream is to see women love themselves again. To be able to say the phrases in the beginning of this post with no doubt, insecurity or discomfort. How many times do we say or hear phrases like:

I’m so fat.
I wish I could look like her.
If only he would notice me.
I hate the way I look.

I believe that we are so used to hearing these things because women have forgot what beauty is. Really it is not their fault. We have been lied too when it comes to defining beauty and worth. Television shows, movies, books, and magazines have defined it for us. The phrase “She looks too thin” has become foreign to us and has been replaced with the much to common phrase “She isn’t thin enough.” We have been told beauty is tan, medium height and sexually alluring. A teacher in college once told my class that society has given a charge to women that they must bee both sexy and virginal. I hope you laughed as you read that because I still find the concept idiotic. A complete oxy-moron, but something that society craves. I hate to break it to everyone but the “sexy virgin” is a myth. It is impossible to attain. However, with definitions and molds such as these it is no wonder this generation of young women are literally fighting for their lives. Where status and popularity dictate who they become, rather morals and strength in knowing that their imperfections really are stunning.

It is my dream that the words

I am beautiful.
I am wonderful.
I am loved.
I am stunning.

will no longer be strange and hard to say, but rather they will be a bold declaration of the amazing woman you are called to be and realize that you were not born to blend in but rather you were born to stand out. By raising your voice you are giving opportunity for other women to raise theirs. There is no need to be afraid. You are invincible. No one can stop you from being an answer to a problem. The only person that can stop you, is you.

Stand tall. Be empowered by your beauty, grace and inner strength. YOU WERE MADE FOR THIS.

-Bethany Morton-Gannaway

The Girl Effect

Hey there!

I hope all of you are doing well. Her Voice Is has been crazy busy lately. Researching and reading and planning strategy! We have been working on ways to get the word out about the blog and have been coming up with some creative ideas that we will be sharing soon! We want to thank you for telling people about us and raising your voice...believe me you are making a difference! Even mentioning it to one person can cause a chain reaction that can lead to someones freedom. You are powerful and strong. Never forget how BIG your voice is and although you may feel quiet your story may BE LOUD to someone else.

Today, I have the honor and privilege of doing an Organization highlight. I will be introducing to you the FABULOUS org called THE GIRL EFFECT. If you have not already heard about them it is a world shaking, passionate cause to see lasting change in GENERATIONS of women. This is important because what I find so amazing is that this organization is not only attempting to solve the present problem, but they are solving future problems as well. They are becoming answers. Answers to problems that will never come about because they chose to ACT NOW.

I have provided a video so that you may see one of the main causes that they are fighting for. It all starts with a 12 year old girl. If we can provide funds and support then we are able to stop the spreading of HIV, AIDS and child trafficking. I encourage you to WATCH THE VIDEO. It will change your life. This organization is one of the most heart gripping organizations out there. I think I am so drawn to it because it is something REAL. It is something GENUINE. I find it endearing that the website is so functional and ready and willing to provide materials to help spread the word. They do not care who gets the credit...they only care about results. That is how I want to be. I want to be a voice that produces results...not just wishful thinking. I encourage you today, raise your voice against injustice. THE GIRL EFFECT offers a chance for you to be an answer NOW and TOMORROW. The 12 year old girl is waiting. Let's raise our voice so that she may raise hers.

WWW.THEGIRLEFFECT.ORG 

Live Passionately

 dive for dreams

dive for dreams

or a slogan may topple you

(trees are their roots

and wind is wind)

trust your heart

if the seas catch fire

(and live by love

though the stars walk backward)

honour the past

but welcome the future

(and dance your death

away at the wedding)

never mind a world

with its villains or heroes

(for good likes girls

and tomorrow and the earth)

in spite of everything

which breathes and moves, since Doom

(with white longest hands

neating each crease)

will smooth entirely our minds

-before leaving my room

i turn, and (stooping

through the morning) kiss

this pillow, dear

where our heads lived and were.

Dear Fellow Warriors,

I’m writing to you today with an inspired heart. This poem written by e.e. cummings is such an inspiration. Cummings was such an innovative artist of his craft, not afraid to branch away from convention and pursue his passion for words without shame.
But this poem is more than just a fun read. These lines give us a powerful insight into our role in this world. Dive into your dreams, Cummings says. In other words--live passionately! We have been given this time on earth, not to waste on things we don’t love, but to find that one thing we are passionate about and go after it with all of our hearts. This is our chance to spend every day loving what we do and using that love to bless other people.


Each and every one of us has a calling given specifically to us that we are to use to make a difference to the world. Yet, life has a tendency to get in the way of allowing us to pursue this calling. As women especially, we can fall into a routine--our jobs, families, and homes take first priority. The ability to care for our families is such a privilege, but as a result of this, unfortunately our desires tend to get put on the back burner. It is easy to get numb to what is going on around us--to get caught up in the little, everyday tasks, and forget that there is a bigger world around us. Many of us want to be passionate, we long to get fired up about the issues we see--issues like sex trafficking, and injustice to women, children, everyone--but being passionate takes so much energy and time. Two things we usually don’t have at the end of the day.


But…though this is true, I, for one, refuse to settle for that! I am on a mission to strip away the non-essentials in my life, to open up my time for the things that really matter. Early this year, I realized how tired I was of not being able to feel passionate about anything because I was too tired or busy. Too much of the time I just felt numb or I ignored the big issues. I vowed that my goal this year is to simplify my life and open up to the things I am passionate about.


I am writing to encourage all of you to “dive for dreams”--to fall into passion and purpose without reservation or hesitation. Live your days to the fullest--“trust your heart…honour the past but welcome the future”. If it is but a thirty-minute segment of your day, find your passion and give it that time. If you write down an idea, or plan, or create but one thing you are passionate about in a day, that’s one more thing of passion that now exists to benefit the world.


Readers, let’s get passionate! Let’s get inspired! Let’s dance away your death at the wedding because the world needs us and we can make a difference if we are passionate enough to go after it!

By: Brittany Howard (Co-Founder and Feature Writer)


Poem retrieved from http://www.fandelem.com/eecummings.html#dive

NewsFlash: The Disgusting RapeLay

Hello Everyone!

HerVoiceIs just added a new section that is called "NewsFlash." I have been running across so many horrifying articles both by being emailed by friends and colleagues and also just by researching in this fight against hate against women that I had to have a space on the blog to share them. Sometimes they are very hard to read, however, I have found that as I am reading these articles I become more aware of the problems surrounding me and I become more passionate. I hope as we pass along these articles you read them and feel the same anger we do. I hope from this anger you become passionate and driven to put a stop to the madness and hate. You have the power to make a difference. We need to educate ourselves about the problems surrounding us. Closing our eyes will not help. Opening our eyes and really seeing is the first step in stopping the injustice that plagues our world.

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RapeLay:

This first article that we wanted to share is about a horrifying Video Game called RapeLay. Below is the first half of the article from CNN World News. I have included a link so that you may read it for yourself from a reliable source.



The game begins with a teenage girl on a subway platform. She notices you are looking at her and asks,

"Can I help you with something?"

That is when you, the player, can choose your method of assault.

With the click of your mouse, you can grope her and lift her skirt. Then you can follow her aboard the train, assaulting her sister and her mother.
As you continue to play, "friends" join in and in a series of graphic, interactive scenes, you can corner the women, rape them again and again.

The game allows you to even impregnate a girl and urge her to have an abortion. The reason behind your assault, explains the game, is that the teenage girl has accused you of molesting her on the train. The motive is revenge.
It is little wonder that the game, titled RapeLay, sparked international outrage from women's groups. Taina Bien-Aime helped yank the game off store shelves worldwide.
"This was a game that had absolutely no place on the market," said Taina Bien-Aime of women's rights organization Equality Now which has campaigned for the game to be taken off the shelves.
But the controversy that led to stopping sales of the game instead took it viral.

CNN News Article

As you can see this is one of the reasons why society has embraced rape rather than hate it. It has become a glorified subject and made into a game. I struggled with writing this piece because it was so disgusting and shocking. However, my co-writer told me this is why we are here. We MUST share the truth and the truth is THIS is the kind of garbage that is out there. THIS is the monster that must be stopped. It is time we fight against this mentality. THIS made me angry. Just as I hope it made you angry. Rape is real. It isn't something to be taken lightly. It is something to FIGHT AGAINST not embrace.

Thank you for taking the time to read. Thank you for becoming aware of the problems at hand. You are a Warrior.

Sunitha Krishnan: A Story

Today Her Voice Is shares a story. A story of a woman from India named Sunitha Krishnan. I first read about Krishnan in "Half The Sky" and after hearing her story was changed. You see, Sunitha Krishnan at the age of 15 was gang raped by 8 men, beating her so badly that she is partially deaf in one ear. She is 4 1/2 feet tall, but don't let her height fool you...she is a world changer. Today, Sunitha is a leading advocate for the fight against Sex Trafficking.

Sunitha decided when she was young that she wanted to help the poor children of her village, so she went to college to become a social worker. One day as she was organizing the village so that she could teach them, a gang of 8 men did not like that a woman was interfering with what they claimed as "man's society." Sunitha then explains that the rape did not cause her to  become a victim but rather is released this anger. Not just any anger but pure fury. She dedicated her life after that to being an activist to fight against the same thing that happened to her. In "Half the Sky" she says, "What affected me more was the way society treated me, the way people looked at me. Nobody questioned why those guys did it. They questioned why I went there, why my parents gave me freedom. And I realized that what happened to me was a one-time thing. But for many people it was a daily thing" (Kristof 57).

Below is a 13 minute video of Sunitha Krishnan speaking. It is dynamic and passionate. I encourage you to watch it, you will understand why this woman is one of my heroes.