Women’s Roar Celebration – Civic Ecological Coalition

Celebration of the female roar

Although the lion is considered the king of the jungle, the actual leader of the pride is the lioness. She is the main hunter, protects the cubs and fights off the encroachments of animals, even lions.

In 1971, songwriter Helen Reddy wrote the song “I am Woman”, which included the lines “… hear me roar, too many to ignore.” But one of the key lines was, “And I know too much to go back and pretend,” the idea that women would not be enslaved. Released at the height of the feminist movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s, the song was used as a theme about empowerment and not giving up.

But the feminist movement has existed for centuries because this struggle was about ending sexism and oppression and fighting for equality—in law, voting rights, and society. The movement adopted March 8, the day Soviet women won the right to vote, as Women’s Day to celebrate and recognize that the struggle for women must continue. In 1977, the United Nations officially declared March 8 as International Women’s Day.

The theme of International Women’s Day this year is “For Justice”. Unlike equality, equality means recognizing that people are born in different circumstances and changes are needed to ensure equal access for all. In short, you need fairness to achieve equality. InternationalWomensDay.com states: “Celebrate the accomplishments of women. Raising awareness of discrimination. Take action to ensure gender equality. [International Women’s Day (IWD)] belongs to everyone and everywhere. On means all IWD actions are valid.”

How do we celebrate achievements? We recognize that many of our partner organizations are led by women who work tirelessly to achieve environmental goals. The Texas Health and Environment Alliance (THEA), which hosts its second annual Clean Dirt From Bug fundraiser on March 25 (tickets available here), was founded by Jackie Young-Medcalfe to clean up toxic chemicals in Harris County.

“International Women’s Day is a day to recognize and honor the incredible women who have blazed so many paths throughout history that have enabled other women to become respected leaders around the world,” said Rachel Jordan, Assistant Director of THEA. “It’s also about celebrating my own accomplishments as a young woman in a leadership position and as a successful woman in science.”

Mary Warwick is Executive Director of the Houston Humane Society’s TWRC Wildlife Center, which is committed to providing quality emergency care and rehabilitation to injured, sick and orphaned wildlife. They also educate and involve the public in wildlife care programs. Mary Ann Morris is the Executive Director of the Houston Audubon Predator and Nature Center, which works to protect the natural habitats of birds and humans. Sharon Schmaltz is the executive director of the Houston SPCA Wildlife Center in Texas, which provides short-term and long-term rehabilitation with the ultimate goal of releasing these patients back into the wild. Chloe Dannenfelser is the Texas Coastal Coordinator for the American Bird Conservation Organization (ABC) and oversees SPLASh, a partnership between ABC, the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, and Black Cat GIS. SPLASh holds a Nestfest cleanup on March 14th.

And… Charlotte Cisneros is the executive director of the Civic Ecological Coalition. But there are countless others who need to be recognized not only for the work they do, but because they also serve as role models.

“As a woman in a position of leadership,” Jordan said, “I know there are people who look to me for advice, and I am proud to take on this responsibility, knowing that the number of women leaders will only grow in the next generations. “.

Today we celebrate women in leadership positions, educators, scientists, human rights activists, etc. We welcome equality and the struggle to create a level playing field. And we’re jamming “I am Woman” because lionesses roar too.