Born near Mayesville, S.C. on July 10, 1875, on a rice and cotton farm in Mayesville, South Carolina (Sumter County), Mary Jane McLeod was the fifteenth of seventeen children, some of whom had been sold into enslavement. In order to do their best by their children, her parents sacrificed so they could buy land to farm. After attending college, Mary started a small school for African-American girls with went on to become Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona, Florida. While in Florida she was active with the black woman’s club movement. She also served on the national scene as president of the National Association of Colored Women. In 1935 she founded the National Council of Negro Women, an advocacy group created “represent the national and international concerns of Black women.”

She was invited to attend the Child Welfare Conference called by President Calvin Coolidge in 1928. In 1930 Herbert Hoover appointed her to the White House Conference on Child Health. In 1936 Bethune became the first African American woman to head a federal agency as director of the Division of Negro Affairs and served as Special Advisor on Minority Affairs under Franklin Roosevelt.

Mary’s legacy continues to live on after her death in 1955 from a heart attack.

• - In 1985 the U. S. Postal Service issued a stamp honoring Bethune’s contributions to America.
• - In 1989 Ebony Magazine listed her on their list of “50 Most Important Figures in Black US History”, and named her again in 1999, Ebony Magazine included Mary McLeod Bethune as one of the 100 Most Fascinating Black Women of the 20th century.
• - In 1991, the International Astronomical Union named the Bethune Patera on planet Venus in her honor.
• - In 1994, the National Park Service acquired Bethune’s last residence, the Council House at 1318 Vermont Avenue, NW: the headquarters for the NACW. It became the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site.
• - There is a historical marker in Mayesville, Sumter County, South Carolina commemorating her birthplace.
•     

Dr. Bethune has become the first Black and the first woman of any race to be memorialized by a portrait that will hang permanently in the State House of South Carolina.

This is one of my favorite films – I love the music, the songs, the artistic filming techniques, Antonio Banderas, and the story of a strong woman who encouraged the people to become politically engaged, to help themselves and their situations. I chose to highlight this movie during Women’s History Month because it was during the Peron Administration that the women of Argentina gained the right to vote. And because it was a reproductive health issue that ultimately killed Eva Peron.

The film takes us from Eva’s early childhood, beginning at the funeral of her father, and takes us through her struggles of trying to “make it” in the big city (Buenos Aries). As her career as an actress grows, Eva meets Juan Peron, a soldier an up-and-coming politician. During this time (May 1944), the broadcast performers were ordered to organize themselves into a union. This was the first and only union permitted to operate in Argentina, and after its formation, Evita was elected its president. Juan Peron and Eva soon married, and ultimately, won the Presidential election – due, in large part, to the outpouring of support from the poor, who identified with Eva and her humble beginnings.

After their election, Eva dedicated herself to expanding the rights of the poor and women. She became a major player in the fight for women’s suffrage, stating on February 27, 1946:

• “Women must affirm their action. Women must vote. A woman is the moral foundation of her home and she must occupy a place in the complex social framework of her people. The new necessity of organizing more extensive and reformatted groups demands it. The transformation of the concept of what it means to be a woman demands it because women have made more and more sacrifices in order to meet their obligations without asking for even minimum of rights.”

In Madrid, on June 15, 1947, Eva declared that “This century will not go down in history under the name of “Century of World Wars” … but rather with a much more significant name: “The Century of Victorious Feminism.” Argentine women gained the right to vote on September 23, 1947.

Towards the end of the film, Evita’s “rainbow started to fade.” Other characters begin to comment on how “she’s lost a little of that magic drive.” In reality, Eva developed cervical cancer. Eva underwent a series of operations, including a hysterectomy, but the cancer was too advanced, and she died on July 26, 1952. Evidence suggests that Eva was never told about the cancer, and instead, was informed that she had a simple uterine problem.

According to a 2002 article by Dr. Albert B. Lowenfels:

• “Evita Perón had several risk factors that led to the eventual development of cervical cancer. Sexual activity presumably began at an early age. She married a man who had had multiple sexual partners. Even more important, Juan Perón’s first wife, Aurelia Tizon, died from cervical cancer when she was only 28 years old. We now know that infection with human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted disease, is the main cause of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer resembles various nonmalignant venereal diseases in that it is associated with promiscuity. In addition, there was another possible risk factor; Evita’s mother died of cervical cancer at age 77.”

This is a beautiful film, full of music and song, and tells a story of intrigue, politics, what people will do to gain political power, and how quickly that power can be taken away. Keep an ear out for the songs “Goodnight and Thank You,” “Peron’s Latest Flame,” “And the Money Kept Rolling In (And Out),” and “A Waltz for Eva and Che.”

On March 10th, community members across the nation will be advocating prevention and showcasing their red pumps to raise awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls. The Red Pump Project is an initiative working to promote HIV prevention through education, and open dialogue about the issues that surround sexual and reproductive health.

Reasons why I love this:

• - It’s Women’s History Month!
• - It creates conversations that matter, increasing access to education and community counseling and clinical services
• - It motivates others to be involved in the movement towards getting 1,000 people tested nationally
• - It raises awareness about funds needed for HIV/AIDS service organizations
•     

I think that people feel the power of a campaign like this, and get excited about becoming stronger advocates. Who would have thought that wearing red pumps would be empowering? It’s because of organizations like the Red Pump Project that we transform the meaning of something material, into something meaningful and valuable in the world of women’s health and HIV prevention.

On March 10th I will be rocking my red pumps, and my son will be rocking his red elmo shoes to raise awareness in our community. I encourage you to do the same, and walk tall. We are representing women and girls impacted by HIV, we are the ambassadors for prevention and education.

You can take part in The Red Pump Project and show your support for HIV/AIDS prevetion by signing the Bill of Rights.

Tell Themis working hard with students on KIB, the South Carolina Youth Council for Policy Change, to organize events, recruit new advocates and spread a message about responsible reproductive health policies. We have been all over the state!

Many campuses in South Carolina have been hosting a play called the Vagina Monologues., and KIB Council members have  been regular attendees. Maria Jackson, of the College of Charleston, and Tim Allen, of University of South Carolina, petitioned at showings of the play at their campuses, and worked to bring awareness about reproductive health abuse to their campus. 

Brittany Pack of Converse College organized a sexual health jeopardy event and Maja Myszkowski of Clemson hosted Clemson’s annual Sex in the 21st Century Series.  Both young ladies got to see what college students really know about sexual health in South Carolina. Many students were shocked that teenagers, ages 15-19, who do not use a contraceptive the first time they have sex are twice as likely to become mothers as teenagers who use a method.

This year let’s celebrate Women’s History Month by working for better reproductive health policies with Tell Them.  Please look out for events planned on your campus to get more involved, and invite our staff to give presentations to your class or group.

To accomplish our goals, we need to get as many people involved with the march as possible.

On Thursday, we announced our new Tell-A-Friend Giveaway. We want to reward our hard-working volunteers and advocates for bringing their friends to a party, or sending our information on the march to their contacts. Beginning last Thursday, for every friend that you get to sign up for the march, you will get one entry towards winning an $1,800 diamond and gold Slane & Slane necklace from Sylvan’s.

It’s really simple to get your entries to count.

Refer your friends to the website, and when they sign up on our new, faster form, they simply enter YOUR name in the “How did you hear about us” field. Every time your name is entered, you get another entry.

We really want to reward Tell Them members and marchers for all their hard work during the march. Please, keep emailing this out to your friends and get them to sign up. We already have one person with 27 entries!! Think you can top that?

 Now that we’re in the final stretch of the Virtual March, we really need YOUR help. Call, email or forward information to your friends, coworkers, family- anyone who you think cares about these issues. We have over 2,500 voices ready to go next week, and want to make sure that every person has a chance to speak.

7 days left- let’s get more marchers and get ready for next week!

Tell Them has some extremely exciting news to share!

One lucky Tell Themmarcher will win this beautiful Slane & Slane 18K yellow gold diamond bee necklace, valued at $1800.

So how do you enter the contest? By getting your friends to sign up for the Virtual March!

How the contest works:

• First, invite your friends to register for the march.
• When they fill out the online form, they MUST put your name in the How did you hear about us? field.
• Every registration form that references your name provides you with one entry in the Jewelry Giveaway drawing. (So if five of your friends sign up and reference your name, you will have five entries to win.)

The Jewelry Giveaway drawing will take place March 24 at noon.

The winner will be announced here and on the Tell Them “From the Hive.”

We are SO excited about this giveaway. The necklace is BEAUTIFUL and features a bee, which is clearly our favorite symbol. This has been such an amazing ride, and we’d like to thank our marchers by rewarding their continued efforts. Please, RECRUIT YOUR FRIENDS and you’re entered to win!

MAKE SURE YOU TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO WRITE YOUR NAME IN THE “How Did You Hear About Us?” FIELD! If your name isn’t included, you won’t recieve an entry.

The Virtual March is almost here! Now, more than ever, it is important to personally recruit every last supporter out there. Invite your friends, your spouse, your partner, your family members, your coworkers. Just imagine how our numbers would swell if every marcher recruits at least two others. We can make a difference!

   Contest Rules:

To be eligible for the drawing, you must meet the following three criteria:

1. You must be at least 18 years of age.
2. You must be a South Carolina resident or a student enrolled in a South Carolina institution of higher learning (a valid government- or institution-issued photo ID will be required if you win)
3. You must have registered for the Virtual March to the Statehouse by computer via www.tellthemsc.org by no later than 11:59pm on March 23, 2010 in order to be eligible to participate this drawing.

Click here for complete giveaway rules

The statistics are astounding. More than 60% of high school seniors have had sexual intercourse.[1] 3 out of 10 young women will become pregnant at least once before they turn 20.[2] South Carolina has the 8^th highest AIDS case rate.[3] Young people ages 15-24 account for almost half of new STI cases in South Carolina. Births to teen mothers cost South Carolina taxpayers $156 million annually.

As the Tell Them website states, “As a community, we must acknowledge and address the fundamental issues that underlie these numbers. We can then work together to build capacity, on both local and statewide levels, to promote the healthy development of our young citizens.”

It is critical that South Carolina policymakers hear from us. They need to know where their constituents stand on the issues of unintended pregnancies and STIs. Without responsible public health polices, many of South Carolina’s “at-risk” populations – young women in our poorest and most rural counties- will not have access to medically accurate information and services.

Your representatives and senators need to hear from you. Join the Virtual March and Tell Them. Stand together with voters across the state and make a profound statement towards changing South Carolina.

[2] Carol J Pardun, K. L. (2005). Linking Exposure to Outcomes: Early Adolescents’ Consumption of Sexual Content in Six Media. Mass Communications & Society , 75-91. http://teenmedia.unc.edu/pdf/Mass.pdf 

[3] Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008, August). HIV/AIDS Among Women. Retrieved November 2009, from CDC Website: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/women/resources/factsheets/pdf/women.pdf

On this International Women’s Day, we now have one more reason to celebrate. Again, a woman has crashed through that “glass ceiling” and made things possible for women across the globe. This year’s theme, “Equal rights, equal opportunity: Progress for all,” has a new meaning this morning, as a woman has overcome history to receive the recognition she so rightfully deserved.

International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the artistic, economic, political, and social achievements of women. Occurring during Women’s History Month, today is a national holiday in some countries, where men and children give gifts to the women in their lives.

In this moment of celebration, we take pause to recognize those women across the globe and right here in our own communities, who are still being oppressed. In South Carolina, women’s healthcare and rights are being trampled on and destroyed by our lawmakers.

The women of South Carolina can change this. We can come together, and with a unified voice, illustrate that we deserve to be celebrated, that we should be respected, and compel policymakers to pass responsible reproductive health policies. Join the Virtual March, and together we can keep the moment of history changing in our favor.

“If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!” ~ Sojourner Truth

Each day throughout March, Tell Them will be tweeting out facts about strong women from history. We’ll also be sharing statistics about modern women, and want to foster discussions about where we go from here.

It should come as no surprise that our Virtual March will take place in March. This is a phenomenal way to show that women around the state (and really, across the country) have tremendous power when they stand together.

To get you in the mood for Women’s History Month, I wanted to share a few numbers about women living in the United States today. These are all taken from the U.S. Census Bureau (Last Revised: December 16, 2009):

• 153.6 million: The number of females in the United States as of Oct. 1, 2007. (The number of males is 149.4 million.)
• 82.8 million: Estimated number of mothers of all ages in the United States.
• $32,649: The median annual earnings of women 16 or older who worked year-round, full time, in 2006.
• 26.8 million: Number of women 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more education in 2006, more than double the number 20 years earlier.
• Over $939 billion: Revenue for women-owned businesses in 2002. There were 116,985 women-owned firms with receipts of $1 million or more.
• Over 7.1 million: Number of people employed by women-owned businesses. There were 7,231 women-owned firms with 100 or more employees, generating $274 billion in gross receipts.
• 84,000: Number of female police officers.
• 9,000: Number of female firefighters.
• 315,000: Number of female lawyers.
• 278,000: Number of female physicians and surgeons.
• 37,000: Number of female pilots.
• 202,000: Number of active duty women in the military, as of Sept. 30, 2006. Of that total, 34,000 women were officers, and 168,000 were enlisted.
• 30%: Percentage of women who volunteer. The corresponding rate for men is 23 percent. Overall, 36 million women perform unpaid volunteer activities.

Let’s stand together this March, and provide for the next generation of female movers and shakers. Join the Virtual March and demand responsible reproductive health policies from our representatives.

HAPPY WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH!