Letters to the Moon....

The month of March is International Women’s Month. For the past 6 weeks, I have been reading about some phenomenal women. I thought that I would honor the month by sharing the women I find inspiring, empowering, and whose stories need to be told. Phenomenal Women Mum Bet, born into slavery in the 1740s, and was owned by a judge in the state of Massachusetts. When she overheard her owner and others draft the state constitution, she heard the thought that “all men are created equal.” She consulted with a lawyer: "I heard that paper read yesterday, that says, all men are created equal, and that every man has a right to freedom. I'm not a dumb critter; won't the law give me my freedom?” In the year 1781, she sued the state of Massachusetts for her freedom.  In a landmark decision, Mum Bet won her case! Her court case helped end slavery in Massachusetts. She later changed her name to Elizabeth Freeman to celebrate her newfound freedom. https://www.elizabethfreemancent

Part Two-My “Me Too” Story Trigger Warning: Sexual Abuse, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Misconduct I have had several misconceptions about the Me Too movement. Like many Americans, I have heard many sexual assault survivors share their stories on the news. In some cases, it was hard for me to believe the accusations made, to fathom that these things even happened, given the celebrity accused. Within these accusations, my focus was on the celebrity, not on the men and women telling their stories. I think that has been true for society as a whole. When an accusation against a celebrity comes out, we automatically think of the person accused, the celebrity, not the survivor. This is a natural thing to do. We know these celebrities. They are part of the lexicon, part of our culture, part of the American experience. It can be hard to believe an accusation about a celebrity or famous person, especially if that person has meant something to you. Celebrities are lauded for their per

Part One: “Me Too”-The Movement Trigger Warning: Sexual Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Assault, Rape It has been an incredible year for women around the world. When the United States had the chance of electing the first woman to the office of President of the United States, the Electoral College instead elected a man who has been accused of sexual misconduct by 21 women. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-running-list-of-the-women-whove-accused-donald-trump-of-sexual-misconduct_us_57ffae1fe4b0162c043a7212 Since our current President’s inauguration, there have been two Women’s Marches around the country. It was a tremendous success, with marches in several cities around the country and around the world. http://mashable.com/2017/01/21/womens-march-aerial-photographs-video/#70YH45nWEOqW After the Women’s March last January, a new social media campaign took wing in 2017, called “Me Too.” Women in the entertainment industry began to come forward and tell t