Find your passion, find your voice

On this mid-week after Women's Equality Day, here are some gems of wisdom from around the globe, on the rightful equality of women. Which is your favorite?

How can we work toward the goal of equality for women? One thing every one of us can do is advocate. Call, engage on social media, and/or write to your representatives on the local, state, and national level.

What cause calls most to you? Greater educational opportunities for girls worldwide? Women's equality? Breaking the power of human trafficking? Advocating for more comprehensive access to reproductive health care? Advocacy for victims of rape or incest? Wage equality? Stronger protections for victims of domestic violence?

Whatever your passion, whatever your cause, engagement is only an online search away. Become as involved as your time and resources allow, be that a letter every month or so, or something much more intensive. The important thing is to step up, speak up, and bring your values more fully into your community life.

What have some of your advocacy experiences been? Please share, if you're willing, in the comments section below.

IMAGES: Many thanks to the Women's Rights Facebook Page, for the quote-image from Malala Yousafzai; to AZ Quotes for the words and image of Hillary Clinton; and to a different AZ Quotes page for the image and quote from Mahnaz Afkhami. I appreciate them all!

What terrorists fear--Education

Malala, of course, knows this. She has lived it.

The record backs her up, too. One thing that terrorists especially seem to fear (judging from their actions) is educating little girls. Big, fierce, criminal, weapon-wielding terrorists are themselves terrified above all else of schoolgirls. As well they should be. Kinda mind-blowing, isn't it?

IMAGE: Many thanks to A-Z Quotes for this image.

Artdog Quote of the Week: If you don't educate . . .

In honor of the start of school in many places around the nation and the world this month, here's a thought to bear in mind:

 

Always true, even if you don't like paying taxes. 

I would prefer not to think that manipulation is the plan of those who seek to slash education spending or shunt money away from public education, thereby creating even more obstacles to equality for the poor than already exist. 

I would like to be able to say with confidence that this is not the plan of those who would deny higher education to those who were brought as small children to my country, by parents seeking a better life. 

I would like to think that everywhere in the world, people are coming to the realization that educating girls is the best economic idea we've seen in ages, because of the predictably positive results, and that those who would rather kill or rape them than educate them are a dying minority.

I would like to. But I fear it would be a lie.

IMAGE: Many thanks to the Urban Drops Facebook Page, for this image!