Emancipating the Genders!

It was Emancipation Day here in Washington DC yesterday, and I managed to spend the day doing activities that honor women's empowerment. In the morning, I attended the seminar "Engaging Men in the #MeToo Era" hosted by Tony Porter and A Call To Men, where I connected with representatives from the YWCA, the DC Rape and Crisis Center, the Men Can Stop Rape, the Men's Story Project, the Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women, the US Army Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Academy, and others. Tony discussed the progress being made since the dawn of the battered women's movement, and how we have come a long way from the traditional teaching of manhood that was simply "Don't Hit Girls, and Respect Your Mother." He highlights that we are the first generation that men are being asked to challenge our debilitating notions of manhood and teach a healthier manhood, where man are no longer encouraged to reject anything feminine, and where women are no longer deemed as less value, the property of men, sexual objects. 

Then in the evening, I sang out with P!nk's Beautiful Trauma tour, as she vaulted across the arena performing a number of her hits including "Raise Your Glass", "Try", "Just Give Me A Reason" and her recent hit "What About Us" before concluding with "Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken", the song she performed at the Grammy's this year in light of the ongoing scandal regarding women in entertainment. 

Lastly, follow the progress of legislation coming this month working to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, and let your public officials know this Women's History Month, you want organizations that support victimized women and members of the LGBTQ community, to be able to do more.