Much Needed Motivation

"I have found that the life of an activist can be a very lonely one." -The Honor Diaries

While you may have the gumption and passion and courage to stand up against opposition right now, there is no doubt that you will have many experiences where you question everything that you have whole heartedly believed at some point because it is difficult to stand up for what you believe is right and there are many people that will want to suppress your voice and limit your passion but don't give up. 

You may need some motivation along the way, and if you are anything like me, quotes can be an excellent source of strength so below, I have have included some of my favorite quotes both from the movie The Honor Diaries and of all time. 

Enjoy. :)

"We don't need sympathy, empathy, pity. We don't need the Noble Prize. We don't need to be Time's Woman of the Year. We don't need any of that. We need systematic change in the Muslim world so millions of women are not daily victims of misogyny... systematic, institutionalized misogyny." -Nazie Eftekhari

“Begin each day as if it were on purpose." -Mary Anne Radmacher

“Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow.” -Mary Anne Radmacher

“Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.” - Anthony Robbins

“Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.” -Mary Anne Radmacher

“At the end of a matter ask, "what will I learn from this to make me better?” -Mary Anne Radmacher

A Continuation of this Dialogue

"The continuation of this dialogue is to let women speak about this with the support of men and women of other faiths, or other cultures, other communities, because without them, we cannot make a change." -Fahima Hahim

As I have said in previous posts, this is an international, interracial, intercultual, intergender (yeah, I made those words up) issue but we must ban together in order to make a change.


Below, I have complied a list of groups and organizations around the world that you can gain information from and join (I will be updating this list as necessary):

Violence Against Women:
•US Department of Justice Office on Violence Against women: http://www.justice.gov/ovw


Sex Trafficking:
•List of organizations that combat sex trafficking: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_organizations_that_combat_human_trafficking

•Coalition Against Trafficking in Women: http://www.catwinternational.org/

•Sex Trafficking Awareness and Advocacy: http://www.polarisproject.org/

Female Genital Mutilation:
•http://www.equalitynow.org/fgm

•16 Organisations, Charities and Grassroots Groups Working to Stop Female Genital Mutilation: http://16days.thepixelproject.net/16-organisations-charities-and-grassroots-groups-working-to-stop-fgm/

Stand Up: A Call to Action

In my last post, I mentioned an organization that I recently created.
This is not an action that I take lightly and this is not me trying to get personal attention.

I believe that things need to change in America and right here in Illinois.
Why do I believe that I can lead a movement?
Well, I don't. I need people working with me every step of the way, but I bring a few things to the table: passion, hunger for change, activism experience, and political connections.

While I can discuss the organization more in-depth in a personal message, I want to quickly cover what we can do and what we *will* be doing to Stand Up For Illinois and Stand Up Against Sex Trafficking.

•First, sex trafficking is generally a taboo topic. When a topic is not discussed, it can never be addressed and changed.
We need to start bringing sex trafficking to the table.
There are great ways to incorporate sex trafficking into a conversation without making it awkward or boring.

•Second, people do not realize how close to home sex trafficking is. Sex trafficking happens throughout the state; just in 2010, 411 calls were made to the police in Illinois about potential sex trafficking situations and only 60% of sex trafficking in Illinois occurs in Chicago, which means that 40% happens throughout the rest of the state, possibly right in your backyard.
We need to make people aware that this is not a global epidemic, it is a local one and if impacts EVERYONE.

•Third, the laws that are currently on the books are NOT working. Pimps and Johns are not seeing justice and the victims are getting prosecuted. The current system is perpetuating the problem. Legislation has not moved forward in Illinois to protect the victims and prosecute the problem makers.
We need to show our political representatives what matters to US and why we elected them: to protect all of our rights and to stand up for what is right.
Currently, our voices are not being heard.
We need to stand together, join forces with other groups around the state, talk to individuals, circulate petitions, protest offices and let our State Representatives and Senators know how much of a priority this is!
This is NOT a partisan issue. This is wrong across the board.


Sex Trafficking is an issue in Illinois, and it is not being properly addressed but together we can Stand Up for what is right.
Together we can make a difference.

•Please EMAIL ME if you are interested in being an active member in Stand Up Illinois!

We need your help.

Please note, I do not expect all of you to be located in Illinois (or even in America) so please email me if you would be interested in created or joining a movement in your own state and I will assist you in whatever ways I can.

Bringing the Topic to Light

"It is through fear that extremism happens. It is through ignorance that these problems result." -The Honor Diaries

Many problems arise through fear of the unknown.
People are often fearful to bring up topics that are unfamiliar or strange because they simply do not understand.

Political, social, and sexual crimes against women often fall within the category of unfamiliar and are therefore not adequately addressed.

I live in Normal, Illinois (yes, it is the most boring named town ever), and many of the crimes against women that I have talked about in the blog seem far away.
Well, seemed far away.
I did not realize just how close to home these problems are.
Female Genital Mutilation happens in America.
Forced marriage still occurs.
Honor killings happen in communities that least expect it.
And Sex Trafficking, another topic that I am particularly passionate about, happens right here in Illinois.

In 2003, the New York Times named Chicago as a NATIONAL HUB for human trafficking and not very much has changed since then.
In fact, right now THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE IN SLAVERY THAN EVER BEFORE IN HUMAN HISTORY.

Why does sex trafficking exist?
•Human trafficking is an extremely lucrative and low risk market for the sex traffickers because there are few laws against it and more importantly, few laws IMPLEMENTED.
•The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 20.9 MILLION victims of human trafficking globally, and the US makes up for 63% of all sex trafficking victims.
•It is the second most profitable "industry" in the world, raking in billions of dollars a year.
•Pimps are hardly ever prosecuted and Johns (the buyers) are often just fined or issued misdemeanors when caught WHILE THE PROSTITUTE generally GOES TO PRISON, even if she/he was the one to alert the police because there are often no Safe Harboring laws.

So, yes, this is awful, but what can be done about it?

Well, as I will detail in my next blog post, there are things that can be done, by individuals, by you to illuminate and illuminate sex crimes against women.

After growing frustrated about the lack of progress in orgnaizations across the country, I decided that there was only one thing to do. Create my own.
I recently created Stand Up Illinois that will work to raise awareness about these crimes, work with other groups to create a united front, and change legislation in the US that allows these crimes to continue.

A Day I Will Never Forget

"There should be no taboos. We are in a country where we have freedom of voice. Let's utilize it, do its up most and not be intimidated by those who want to shut us up." -The Honor Diaries

A documentary came out in 2002 called "A Day I Will Never Forget", documenting Kenyan women that reveal personal experiences of Female Genital Mutilation.

It saddens me that I was not aware of this documentary before, as it seems that it should have received more recognition than it did.
I have not yet personally watched the documentary, although I plan to blog about it when I do; however, after being made aware of its existence, I found an excellent review of the film on disabilityworld.org by Barbara Kolucki.

Within this review, Kolucki talks about the reasons why FGM is practiced:
"Deeply imbedded beliefs... The film presents us with all of the rationalizations why this practice continues: it is part of culture and traditions that must be kept alive; the clitoris is either a male organ or that it is somehow "dirty"; the practice keeps women from being promiscuous; it is demanded by religion, etc. We also hear from a small group of women who have been subjected to FGM and say that they can still feel aroused - and that they accept it as part of the wish of their family and the men they will marry. What is most evident is that these beliefs are deeply embedded in the minds of women and men from all walks of life."

I think that documentaries like this, that interview women who support the practice, as well as women that discourage FGM, is necessary to gain a better understanding about the underlying cultural believes that surround the practice.

I think that since many Westerners do not understand FGM, they demonize those who practice it. I believe that it is important to understand the tradition and the cultures surrounding it, and not to simply disregard it as savage or inhumane.

Let's talk about it.
Let's see it from every perspective and give the mic to those that have experienced the practice first hand.

First and Foremost, There Needs To Be Awareness

"There is a lot that needs to be done [in America] as well. There are organizations that we need to support, there is legislation that needs to change, but first and foremost, there needs to be awareness. And this awareness will come through discussion, dialogue, debate... by not ignoring the problems and pushing them under the carpet, but actually bringing them upfront." -The Honor Diaries

Sometimes it is overwhelming to think about all the problems that exist, all of the injustice in the world, and all of the obstacles one must face in order to bring about change, but when I get discouraged, I think about all of the things that HAVE changed and how this is the perfect time in history to bring about global change.

There is more awareness about human injustice than ever before. 
The internet has expanded access to knowledge about issues across the world and in almost every single country on Earth.
Social media is an amazing tool to gain global reach, to connect to fellow activists, to spread awareness for the movements, and to take action.
Transportation helps expedite the process and technology is on the side of progress.
Democracy allows for people in many countries to voice their opinion and to start movements against oppression.
Access to education is ever increasing.
People are also living longer and healthier; therefore able to leave communities and return with global perspectives.

This is the perfect era to bring about real, progressive, global change which is very encouraging.

Women's Progress is Human Progress

Hilary Clinton once said, "We must declare with one voice that women's progress is human progress."

Well I believe that it has been time for humans to progress for a long, long time.

It is not women against men.
Until women find a way to reproduce without men, we will need them to coexist in our society, side-by-side (yes, the beginning of this is sarcasm).
But what is not a joke is that in order for any change to come about, men need to stand up for women's rights, as well.
An army of women is great, but an army of men and women is better.

We need change, and the only way to bring about change is to talk about the topic and agree that justice for women, is justice for everyone.

It should not be isolated as a cultural, religious or regional goal, but an international one, with a single united front to identify and address these world-wide problems.

Something that was brought up in The Honor Diaries was the fact that there are men on the board of the UN that are representing countries that have laws on the books that are purely there to oppress women.
I did not realize how wrong this was to have representatives of the United Nations in powerful, global positions, representing governments that believe that women worth half of what men are, support female genital mutilation, lash women in the streets for wearing "unIslamic" garments, do not let women drive, force 10-year-olds into marriages, limit education for women and punish those that speak out against their government.
These countries, and therefore these ideologies, are being represented within our global governing body.

Something needs to change.