Stories - International Museum of Women

Why Vote?

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:48:07 GMT

Featured Community Voice: Susan Griffin

As a poet, essayist, playwright and screenwriter, Susan Griffin's prolific writing on women and society has earned her a place in feminism's Hall of Fame and among the finalists for a Pulitzer Prize. She employs an innovative style to talk about real issues that affect women such as environmental destruction, racism, war, and democracy. She shares with us her words on women and voting inspired by her newest book, Wrestling with the Angel of Democracy: On Being an American Citizen.

We will Take Care of Politics

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:35:01 GMT

By: Shamila Daluwatte

They say men are to talk politics Women talk gossip They say men are rational Women are emotional They say men are leaders Women are care takers They say men are for Parliament Women are for the Kitchen They say politics is dirty That is not up to a woman We say All women come from the kitchen With your brooms and dust pans It is high time to clean up messed up politics We will clean up dirtiness from politics Let's make it more hygienic We say All emotional women come from home Let's add some softness to the immoral politics We say We have taken care of the house Now we will take care of politics

No Longer the Other

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:56:16 GMT

By: Wendy Willow Wark

People of mixed heritage struggle to find an identity in a world that has not created acceptance or appreciation for the millions who span the chasm of different races, cultures or nations. The U.S. Presidential campaign has brought this issue to the forefront in unprecedented ways.

Hell Breaks Loose

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:40:45 GMT

By: vandana wadhawan

This is what comes to my mind, when I try to visualise the valley. The so-called paradise has become hell and is haunted by the cries of innocent who die innocent deaths each day.

Why So Few Women?

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:48:14 GMT

By: Girls' Club Entertainment , Jennifer Siebel Newsom

We at Girls’ Club Entertainment are currently developing a documentary about women’s under-representation in entertainment and politics in the United States, and what we can do about it. In our research, we have found plenty of data to prove that there are very few women in elected office in the U.S. and that few women hold influential positions in the American media. In the face of these dramatic statistics, our central question is—why? We hope the I.M.O.W. community will help us explore this question further.

Can't Speak, Won't Speak

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:21:03 GMT

By: Lee R Kendall

This piece is really just a rumination on the wants and desires of women in some cultures in the Middle East as symbolised by the niqab and its depiction in the media.

Mostar Women’s Citizen Initiative

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:32:35 GMT

By: National Democratic Institute

With few exceptions, and despite tremendous effort by domestic and international organizations, Bosnia-Herzegovina remains divided ethnically and religiously more than 10 years after the war ended.

English Lesson

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:10:21 GMT

By: Susan Hall

During the five year period from 1996 to 2001 when the Taliban were in power, girls in Afghanistan were not allowed to attend school.

Art for Refugees in Transition

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:03:07 GMT

By: Art for Refugees in Transition (A.R.T.)

Millions of people around the world are currently considered internally displaced persons, and are living in refugee camps within their own countries. In Colombia for example, the continuing armed conflict has displaced nearly four million Colombians since 1985, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. Art for Refugees in Transition (A.R.T.), a non-profit organization founded by Sara Green, is working to enrich the lives of displaced groups in Colombia through their own native arts and crafts.

The Pig

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:47:23 GMT

By: Romy Pocztaruk

Books on Democracy

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:48:36 GMT

Here is a selection of must-read books written by women about democracy in Mexico, South Africa, Iran, Russia and Burma. For a more comprehensive list of books about Women, Power and Politics, see our book list.

Films on Democracy

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:01:34 GMT

Here is a selection of must-see films made by women about democracy in the United Kingdom, Middle East, Argentina, Guyana and Tibet. For a more comprehensive list of films about Women, Power and Politics, see our film list.

Drawing Democracy Worldwide

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:34:36 GMT

By: Global Democracy Day

Featured Community Voice: Global Democracy Day

In 2007, the Global Democracy Day Initiative, an organization devoted to creating an International Day of Democracy, staged a competition for youth around the world to illustrate what democracy means to them. The three entries chosen as winners explore different applications of democracy from gender equality in the home to the importance of individual participation. Take a fascinating look into what democracy means to young people from different walks of life.

Bravest Woman in Afghanistan

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:31:23 GMT

Welcome to the International Museum of Women, and this monthly podcast for the exhibition "Women, Power and Politics." This special fifty-minute interview was produced in conjunction with the museum's speaker series Extraordinary Voices, Extraordinary Change.

Our speaker, Malalai Joya, has been called "The bravest woman in Afghanistan."

Reflections of Iraq

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:21:11 GMT

Guided by candlelight, she performed 22 emergency cesarean sections during Iraq's first Gulf War. She helped young widows build the skills to start their own businesses. She jumped into politics as one of three women on Iraq's 25-member interim Governing Council. OBGYN, activist and politician, Dr. Rajaa Hadid Al-Khuzai has devoted her entire life's work to women's rights, putting herself and the security of her family at risk. Her devotion has been an integral ingredient in bringing democracy to Iraq.

Women Stand Up and Speak Out

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:45:08 GMT

Much of the news these days, at least where I live in the United States, is focused on the upcoming presidential election. Headlines report a new spark of interest in the democratic process. Voters are turning out in numbers not seen in recent history. I've heard stories of individuals, young and old, who, for the first time in their lives, feel they are being heard and can ultimately make a difference.

Forgiving in Rwanda

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:15:01 GMT

By: Norah Bagirinka

I am a Rwanda genocide survivor. I survived many times, and it wasn't even in my power to survive. I survived by the help of some kind people who were able to understand that I needed to live my life through.

Democracy over the Airwaves

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:28:45 GMT

Democracy relies on the participation of all people, not just those vested with formal political power. When a group of women in Nicaragua felt their voices weren't being heard, they took to airwaves and the internet in Observatorios de Transgresion Feminista.

Dictating Democracy

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:13:56 GMT

Can art act as a catalyst for social change? In the United States, where freedom of expression is protected by the first amendment of the Constitution, New York-based artist Sheryl Oring encourages U.S. citizens to take advantage of that freedom with her ongoing performance piece I Wish to Say.

Justice is a Woman

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:46:47 GMT

There can be no peace, and hence, no democracy, where there is no rule of law, where human rights are violated, criminals run free and victims receive no redress. Justice is a key ingredient of democracy. And women have proven to be the key ingredient of justice. In 1999, United Nations Head Kofi Annan announced: "Justice is a woman."

He was talking about Carla del Ponte, the newly appointed General Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Del Ponte was already known as an incorruptible, relentless champion of justice, but she was yet to make history as one of the most important female prosecutors of our time.