May Day! May Day! 360 Women and Girls Died in a factory yesterday

 We all know better; yet still women and girls of low income are forced to work in conditions that murder them.  Not 100 years ago, yesterday.
Please, take moment and read this and then take action by at least signing this petition.  And then boycott Walmart, JC Pennys, Sears who use these death traps to manufacture their cloths.  Shame on them all.

The email below is from Sumi Abedin, a young woman from Bangladesh who survived the tragic Tazreen garment factory fire on Nov. 24, 2012 in which 112 of her co-workers were killed. Sumi has started a petition on org.credoaction.com, calling on major American corporations to take action to prevent further deaths in their supply chains, and demanding full and fair compensation for all workers injured in recent tragedies. On May Day, CREDO is proud to stand in solidarity with workers all around the world who are organizing to get the dignity and basic human rights they deserve. We urge you to support Sumi's campaign by signing her petition. Tell Walmart, Sears, JC Penney and major American brands: Ensure basic safety and human rights of workers in Bangladesh. I started my own campaign on CREDO's new site that allows activists to start their own petitions. My petition, which is to Walmart, Sears, JC Penney and major American brands, and their suppliers in Bangladesh, asks the following: Take immediate steps to deploy safety improvements in your supplier factories by joining the legally binding Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Agreement and pay the compensation owed to injured workers and the families of workers killed while sewing your clothing in Bangladesh. Furthermore, work with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed's government in Bangladesh to allow workers to form unions and improve safety and health inspections in your supply chain. I feel lucky that I survived the fire last November, but my heart hurts for all the victims of the Tazreen fire, the recent Rana Plaza building collapse and for the hundreds of other workers who have been killed in Bangladesh at factories where clothes were being manufactured for Walmart, Sears, JC Penney and other American retailers. Over 360 people have died in Bangladesh since last week, after the collapse of an eight-story factory building where clothes were being manufactured for American and European consumers. Although workers had their doubts about entering the building since cracks had developed on the facade, managers forced the workers to enter the building and work as usual. The disaster at Rana Plaza is now the deadliest incident in the garment industry in known history. Two of the brands identified in documents found in the rubble are sold at JC Penney. The building collapse is but one in a series of disasters that could have been prevented, had the largest apparel buyers learned from earlier tragedies and adopted the safety measures urged by unions and labor rights groups. In December 2010, 29 workers perished in the That's It Sportswear factory fire, where clothing destined for JC Penney was found. Then, just last fall disaster struck again. The fire at Tazreen, a supplier to Walmart and Sears, took the lives of 112 garment workers. These are only three of the dozens of preventable incidents that have taken garment workers' lives in Bangladesh. This pattern of fires and building collapses will not end unless retailers make real change in their sourcing practices. As noted in a powerful New York Times editorial, "the severity and frequency of these disasters are an indictment of global clothing brands and retailers like Walmart, H&M and the Gap, which buy billions of dollars of clothes from Bangladesh but have so far refused to demand and pay for adequate safeguards at the factories that fill their orders." Enough is enough. We cannot let American companies get away with ignoring basic safety violations and human rights abuses. Click here to learn more and add your name to my petition to hold Walmart, Sears, JC Penney and other American retailers accountable in the wake of recent garment factory disasters in Bangladesh. Thank you for your support. Sumi Abedin org.credoaction.com helps activists like you make progressive change and fight regressive policies by creating online petitions. Click here to start a petition today. This petition was created on org.credoaction.com, a new people-powered platform that allows activists to start and run CREDO-style campaigns.

April 30th

On this day in 1997, as 42 million television viewers watched "Ellen" revealed she is gay.

Born this day in 1877, Alice B. Toklas, author and mostly known as the life companion of Gertrude Stein. Tolkas met Stein the first day she arrived in Paris, France. I believe it was love at first sight. Together they hosted the Saturday night Salons at their now famous address,27 Rue de Fleurus. Their guest list was the who's who of the avent-garde of the early 20th century. To drop a name or two, Picasso, Pound, Hemingway. Stein would sit and speak her mind- and Alice, her muse, would bake,cook and listen. Alice typed each page Gertrude wrote. Stein's most famous book was The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas published in 1933. Toklas outlived her dear one by 20 years. She wrote a couple of cook books and magazine articles. Sadly, Stein's family withheld the famous Cezanne painting Gertrude willed to Alice, making her living conditions...humble. If they had married; this story would have eneded happily.

I wonder if Ellen selected the date of Alice Toklas's birthday as an homage to two women who lived their gay lifestyle out loud in the early part of the 20th century.

Born this day in 1816, Charlotte Bronte, well known author. A poet and novelist and the oldest one of three famous, mysterious and sickly sisters. Charlotte is best known for her novel, Jane Erye which was published in 1847 under her pen name Currer Bell. It was an immediate success. Charlotte's other pen names were, Lord Charles Albert and Florian Wellesley. Charlotte's younger sisters were, Emily, who wrote, Wuthering Heights and Anne, who wrote, Agnes Grey. Their brother Branwell was a painter and poet. Their childhood was filled with creativity. Drawing and writing about their make believe world ,Angria. Sadly,Emily and Branwell died in 1848 and Anne in 1849. Charlotte died during her first pregnancy in 1855 at the age of 38. Charlotte was considered a visionary and a modern woman. Her point of view on relationships between men and women- in one word- equality. Marriage was a union mutual respect. Charlotte received many marriage offers. And in 1853 accepted Rev. A. B. Nicholls,a man she did respect, but did not love.
There are many articles, books, films, paintings and drawings (thanks to Branwell), and websites that go into great detail and theory about Charlotte Bronte and the Bronte family. I recommend the following.
www.victorianweb.org/authors/bronte/cbronte/lowes1.html
I Love Charlotte Bronte, Michelle Daly 2009

“I am neither Man nor Woman – I come before you as an Author only.” Charlotte Bronte

April 1

The truth is finally revealed, as Matilda Gage wrote in 1874,"George Washington was a woman! A tall woman, but a woman." Washington understood the importance of hiding her identity and did so by pulling out all of her teeth and by using a masculine mouth piece, white wigs, rouse, and those frilly white shirts. But, the greatest faux was her marriage to Martha or should one say Martin. Martin was a man who enjoyed cross dressing as much as Georgette. April Fools!

Born this day in 1776, Sophia Germain,French mathematician, physicist and philosopher.
Known for her number theory and her work on Fermat's Last Theorem, was used by mathematicians for hundreds of years. Germain was the first woman awarded the grand prize from the Paris Academy of Sciences for her essay on "elasticity theory."
To get notice for her work, Germain used the name, M. LeBlanc to correspond with fellow mathematician; allowing her work to speak for itself. Disapproval from her family and knowing because she was a woman, she could never work professionally in science- Germain worked her whole life as a mathematician. And her fellow scientist also supported and respected her because of her great mind. And no April foolin'.

Be a Feminist and make the world a better place for all!

International Women's Day

 

March 8th is International Women's Day; this day is a celebration of the female of all ages. Remembering our struggles and standing strong for a future that welcomes all girls and women into a world of equality.
Remember a feminist is a person who believes in equal rights for women. Be you a boy, a man, a girl, a woman, a transgender. Any human being can be called a feminist.

 

Be a Feminist and make the world a better place for all.