Yesterday, April 14th, marked the one-year anniversary that over 200
school-girls were kidnapped from their dormitory by the terrorist group Boko
Haram.
These girls were studying for their exams! And in the middle of
the night, armed men ripped them from their beds. #bringbackourgirls was
the viral rally cry all over social media. Many questions still exist; but the
fact remains that many of the girls have still not been brought back to their
families, their homes, their friends, their siblings, their school.
A few weeks ago, one of my best girlfriends (Tiffany Grosso) and I
attended an Eve Ensler Production of “Emotional Creature.” The productions are
done all over the US to raise money to end violence against women and girls
around the world!
Emotional Creature is Eve's musical about the thoughts,
struggles, and triumphs of girls -- from deciding on the right kind of boots to
deciding how to escape being sold into sex trafficking. It is about the issues
girls around the world face and despite the very
different situations what it means to survive as a girl today.
One short skit done before the show was about three middle-aged
American women who had just embarked on a girls-weekend vacation. One of the
women (a corporate CEO) had taken the other two on a surprise trip using
her private jet. All three were excited for a crazy few days together – away
from the pressures of kids, husbands, home-life and work. The two other women –
along for the ride-- are giddy as they stand in the middle of the jungle asking
“What are we going to do? Where are we? What fun do you have in store for us?”
The CEO says to the two of them, “We have done so much in our lives.
We have run marathons, built companies from the ground up, had children, gotten
married, beat cancer and accomplished many things.”
She pulls out three guns and hands them to her friends, “And now we
are going to get those girls back!”
The other two look at their friend with horror, wondering if she gone
mad. They are just regular women, not fighters, not military. How can they
actually go get over 200 girls who have been kidnapped and being held hostage?
“You wanted to do something that mattered; you wanted to do something
exciting; well here we are. I am sick of just tweeting about it. I am sick of
raising money for things, doing fundraisers, talking, drinking wine and writing
checks. Nothing ever happens. Remember in college, we were going to “take back
the night?" Well, did we? NO. I am sick and tired of it. So, I am going to
do something about it. Are you girls in?”
The friends are still horrified, and it takes some convincing, but
they agree to join in the fight to go get those girls back. They are tired of
the rhetoric and feeling powerless. “Let’s go get those girls.”
A very intense and powerful scene!
Don’t you feel like those women sometimes? I know I do. I know for many
attending the show, this was one of the most powerful scenes of the night. It
resonated. Tiffany is an activists; she has produced and directed multiple
V-day shows; danced for 1 Million Rising; is a healer, a life coach, a Reiki
and a masseuse; a mom of three young boys; a wife; and a thought leader.
She and I have raised a ton of money for charities. We have run marathons for
cancer, leukemia, domestic violence and children’s groups. We have given to the
Sandy Hook promise for gun violence and Moms Demand Action.
Yet, terrible stuff still exists in the world, and it hard to still
watch it exist.
Like the actors in the skit, we tweeted about those girls too. We
tweeted to do something about gun control; about the 26 angels killed a Sandy
Hook. We tweeted and posted on Facebook hashtags for social change….
#blacklivesmatter #icantbreathe #freetibet #torture #genderequality #nofracking
#endracism #marriageequality #transgenersupport #savethetatas; #sextrafficing
#humantrafficing #vday #1millionrising and so many others.
We ARE those women on the stage. We share the frustration, the feeling
of being powerless -- the heartache. We want a world for girls that is
safe and worth living in. And really, not just for girls, but for everyone.
Yesterday, students and families around the world marched together for
the Global School Girl March. I didn't march because I was on a plane traveling
and life, work, kids, bills, sleep all get in the way. But, I sure wanted to!
Because
being dropped in the middle of the jungle isn't an option at this point!
