We Shall Shine...

International Women's Day has been celebrated on March 8th since the early 1900's.  All over the world activities are held celebrating Women and their social, economic and political contributions and achievements. Our city marked the celebration with a reception and an international program on Thursday this year since the 8th fell on a Sunday. Both community and university groups sponsored the event including the AAUW-La Crosse Branch; UW-L Office of International Education; League of Women Voters-La Crosse Area; School District of La Crosse; UW-L Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department; World Services of La Crosse; International Women's Group of La Crosse; Gundersen Global Partners; and YWCA-La Crosse. Some 300 women and a handful of men filled the Hall of Nations on the UWL campus.
  
The panel consisted of women from the four countries of Kyrgyzstan, Croatia, Botswana and Iran. Most presented a brief intro about their homelands, discussed their personal roles and journeys as women in their immigration and some reflections on the ways women have overcome barriers in their countries.

Our first presentor was from Kyrgystan. Dressed in her native dress, we viewed maps to understand where her homeland is located in Central Asia and understand the importance of its Russian occupation along with a recent movie trailer video to illustrate how after a second war a woman came into power. 



Martina Skobic of Croatia, director of UW-L's College of Business Administration MBA program, spoke of close family units and neighbors who watch out for each other. She said there is gender equality in her country with women's rights being protected; 92% of Croatian women are educated, 54% with doctorates and 50% as physicians. Women are paid 11% less than men.  Her own personal  journey had her family being displaced to Spain and coming to the US in1995. She has become acclimated to a less touchy society. Culture shock also included the unusual request to be asked to bring food to someone else's house as a guest/ if a guest brings something they take the leftovers home. I also had wondered if the latter was just a Midwestern custom/ commonplace nowadays.

Botswana born, Kedibonye Carpenter, shared her name's translation as 'I have seen trouble' as traditional families name children after life situations. Her life she says resembled the Amish lifestyle and a lack of modern conveniences. Her education was shortened to 7th grade as her family didn't have the money to pay for a uniform and shoes. Her mother who makes baskets belongs to a cooperative which markets her products as well as many women's.  She used to go through the trash to find anything to read. Her education here has been a dream as she would never have imagined being able to receive a degree in La Crosse at Viterbo University in Public Health with dreams of future studies. Kedibonye appreciates the power education gives a person. 

Iranian born  Sheida Babakhani Teimouri, a UW-L's assistant professor of Economics spoke about being born in the 80's during wartime but was pretty sheltered from the war. Her father stressed the importance of learning English and we all laughed to hear her best lessons and role model were from watching Oprah Winfrey. Receiving a high score on an entrance exam enabled her admittance to one of Iran's best universities where after completing 4 years of studying economics applied to study abroad in the U.S. She was the only person she knew to apply to study economics abroad and the chances of receiving both a scholarship and visa were doubtful.  Everyone told her she was crazy and even her professor refused to write her a letter of recommendation saying as a single woman she would be corrupted by Western Society.

“I grew up in a suppressive society where people discourage women. But when I look back on my childhood, I always smile. At the end of the day, my family had way more influence on me than my society. A discouraging society is not good, but maybe it makes you more determined.”

Global education enlightens all of us as to the similarities we share as women and the fight that still remains to become equal... A U.N. agency lamented that a baby girl born today will be 81 before she has an equal chance of becoming a CEO. Meanwhile we will continue celebrating International Women's Day.

Here's a link to the UN's song :ONE WOMAN