For the past ten days, I've been posting on my Facebook Author page, tributes to different women who have made contributions to our world or lives that made a difference.
Here are the highlights:
1. MARTHA MUNGER BLACK (1866-1957)
Adventurer, Member of Parliament
First woman Member of Parliament from the North
A pioneer during the gold rush years in the Yukon, she was the inspiration for Georgia Charles in my novel, Winter's Captive. Georgia fashioned a doll named Martha as her focal point during childbirth. If you wish to read more about this amazing woman follow the link below for a bio of Martha Munger Black. http://bit.ly/1EQteUw
2. IRENA SANDLER
1920-2008
Died at the age of 98
Irena Sandler got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto as a plumber. She courageously smuggled babies in her tool box and carried larger children in her sack. She also trained her dog to bark when the Nazi soldiers were near, which muffled the sounds of the crying children. She helped save more than 2,500 children & was eventually caught & tortured. Sandler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize but was not selected. She kept the name of all 2500 children and tried to match them to their families after the war. Most of the children's families had been killed.
3. BLACKWELL, ELIZABETH
1821–1910
A PIONEER IN WOMEN’S MEDICINE
1ST FEMALE PHYSICIAN IN UNITED STATES
American physician, b. England; sister of Henry Brown Blackwell. She was the first woman in the United States to receive a medical degree, which was granted (1849) to her by Geneva Medical College (then part of Geneva College, early name of Hobart). With her sister, Emily Blackwell (1826–1910) who was also a doctor, and Marie Zackrzewska, she founded (1857) the New York Infirmary for Women and Children, which was expanded in 1868 to include a Women's College for the training of doctors, the first of its kind. In 1869, Dr. Blackwell settled in England, where she became (1875) professor of gynecology at the London School of Medicine for Women, which she had helped to establish. She wrote Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women (1895) and many other books and papers on health and education.
4. Michaëlle Jean
The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean (2005-2010)
Social Activist, journalist, documentary filmmaker, governor general and secretary general of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (presently in a 4-year term).
Michaëlle Jean was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She immigrated to Canada with her family in 1968, fleeing the dictatorial regime of the time.
After studying comparative literature at the Université de Montréal, she taught Italian in the Université’s Department of Literature and Modern Languages. During her studies, Ms. Jean worked for eight years with Quebec shelters for battered women, while actively contributing to the establishment of a network of emergency shelters throughout Quebec and elsewhere in Canada. She later ventured into journalism and became a highly regarded journalist and anchor of information programs at Radio-Canada television and CBC Newsworld. She is married to Jean-Daniel Lafond and they have a daughter, Marie-Éden.
Michaëlle Jean was the 27th governor general of Canada, from September 27, 2005, to September 30, 2010.
5. & 6. CHRISTINA AGUILERA VIDEOS THAT INSPIRE AND EMPOWER WOMEN
7. THOMPSON, NORMA
INT'L WOMEN'S DAY FINAL TRIBUTE: is to a woman who’s not famous or infamous. She isn’t a scientist, a political or religious leader, mountain climber, or a survivalist of abuse or physical trauma. But she has the job of heroine in my books. She didn’t ask for this role. It came to her by default, only because she was the only sibling out of four who lived close by and was there to be caregiver to first my father, and then my mother. She’s my sister, Norma Thompson. The rest of us siblings can rest easy, knowing she’s there to handle the financial affairs of our 92-year-old mother, her needs outside of the care home, and the emotional issues when our mother just needs someone to hold her hand and assure her all is well. With health issues of her own, which have at times made it difficult for my sister, Norma has never shirked this huge responsibility. She has weathered the upsets, the bitterness, the whining, the crying, and dealt with the arguments she had no answer for that come with our mother's Dementia, and has at times been quite exhausted. I’ve experienced my sister’s feelings of guilt when she wanted to run away and forget it all. But she didn’t. For her dedication as our mother’s caregiver, not out of duty but out of love, I honor her on Int’l Women’s Day. She is my heroine.
IN THE SPIRIT OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY, WINTER'S CAPTIVE, BOOK 1 OF THE GEORGIA SERIES WILL BE OFFERED FREE FOR MARCH 7 & 8. USE THE FOLLOWING LINK TO CLAIM YOUR COPY, WHICH WILL BE ACTIVATED FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. MEANWHILE, CLICK HERE AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR (ME).
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