Today is the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women around the world. So what’s the deal with the title of the post? What does Bowie, MD have to do with International Women’s Day? Well… everything.
As we celebrate the accomplishments and raise awareness about the needs of women around the world, it’s important that we not forget ourselves and our neighbors. International Women’s Day is about recognition and appreciation, but it is also about empowerment. And that empowerment may come in the form of a young woman in India being provided with books or a single mom in Ward 8 being given access to resources that will help her increase her financial literacy.
There’s so much need in the world and it’s critical that we remember that some of that need is right in our own backyard. This is where more than 177,000 women and girls are living in poverty right now. 13 percent of households in D.C. struggle with hunger, according to Grantee Partner D.C. Hunger Solutions. Our new report, Portrait Project 2010, found that one-third of all families in our region live in unaffordable housing. And when it comes to education, 27 percent of the women in our region only have a high school diploma or less.
Nicole Skibola wrote in The Huffington Post last month: “[l]ike the rest of the world, more than half of those considered poor in the U.S. were women. Poverty rates are highest for families headed by single women, particularly if they are black or Hispanic.”
It’s been proven around the world that if you improve the lives of women, you change the rest of the community for the better. When women have access to resources, they become better providers for their families. When they can increase their income and assets, they become an economic force to be reckoned with. And when they lift themselves up, they don’t rise up alone – they bring others with them. Women have been seen as the saviors of places like Armenia. Why not Anacostia, too? Why Ethiopia and not Alexandria?
This International Women’s Day, I encourage you to think globally AND locally. We can all change the world. And we can start right here in our own community.
If you’d like to help Washington Area Women’s Foundation improve the lives of women and girls in our community, please consider making a donation today. Click here to go to our secure donation page.
