Thursday, March 8, 2012
In honor of International Womens Day, the United States Human Rights Network (USHRN) stands in vigilant solidarity with the women of the world: more than half of planet Earths entire population. Our solidarity is vigilant because the forces that seek to strip women of their most basic human rights have not slowed down; indeed, they seem to have increased their determination to succeed during this election year. It is not lost on the USHRN that the birth of International Womens Day in the US, which dates back to 1909, comes from the labor movement. The vast majority of women in the United States have always worked. Most of these working women some of whom were the descendants of those brought here against their will from Africa to labor for free; others who emigrated from Europe to escape poverty and disease were forced to labor in harsh, unsanitary and dangerous conditions. Sometimes these women labored alongside their children; other times they were forbidden to. Women in the United States are still the majority of workers, and many of these women are still immigrants. Today, they mostly emigrate to escape the poverty and disease of political and socio-economic war caused by United States foreign and economic policies. In addition to performing the lowest paid and less-skilled jobs, these women must also contend with a xenophobic climate that is reminiscent of the early 20th century, as well as the threat/promise of deportation and family separation. On this International Womens Day 2012, all women within the United States regardless of citizenship status or economic background, race or ethnicity face serious threats to their reproductive health and their right to bodily integrity. We are hard pressed to name a period when we have seen such attacks on the rights of all women to decide when they should parent, when they should not parent, and how to most effectively parent the children they already have. As of this writing at least two women have been criminally convicted of theft for attempting to send their children to schools outside of their home districts stealing their children's education. Meanwhile, several states*require* a woman to receive an ultrasound before she can receive an abortion a medically unnecessary and invasive procedure that many feel is nothing more than state sponsored rape. The USHRN believes that *Human Rights* include civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights, and that human rights can *only* be fully secured and protected through building social movements. One of the primary goals of the USHRN is to link US-based human rights activists with the global human rights movement. That movement calls for an end to war and poverty; full employment, decent housing and education for all; quality, affordable health care for all; equal pay for equal work and a decent, living wage: and respect for Mother Earth which includes sustainable development, access to clean water and healthy food. Together, We Will Win! For more information email i...@ushrnetwork.org<i...@ushrnetwork.org?subject=International%20Women%27s%20Day%20Statement> . Visit www.ushrnetwork.org. -- *The Cyberground Railroad: **Black Los Angeles' News and Views Source | * *cybergroundrr.com, facebook.com/cybergroundrailroad, twitter.com/cybergrrr* [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:laamn-unsubscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:laamn-subscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:laamn-dig...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:laamn-ow...@egroups.com?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:la...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/laamn@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: laamn-dig...@yahoogroups.com laamn-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: laamn-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
