“If the same number of people were killed for belonging to a certain ethnic group or special group, for being black, Jewish or indigenous, people would react differently. But they are women, and unfortunately people are desensitized,” stated Susan Chiarotty, coordinator of CEVI, in response to one of the questions at a Q&A regarding the womens rights movement in Latin America. According to CEVI, despite 30 years of extensive work in the Latin communities (where women-conscious changes are taking place, albeit very slowly), real progress will happen only when certain aspects of the ‘Hidden Genocide’ are finally publicly acknowledged.

Sexism stems from centuries upon centuries of tradition, entrenched in religion, education, and of course, basic physiology. Technically, the women’s rights and suffrage movement is a really new concept considering how long women occupied their inferior role throughout history. No wonder it has been met with resistance from both men and women since inception; we’re still in the very early stage of making gender equality a reality. Before we can really start making strides, I think we should all take a look at what’s out there and have a good laugh, think, and take action.

As if you really needed an excuse to get your mom a gift! Mother’s Day is one of the happiest days of the year for mothers across the globe, a day dedicated specifically to honoring the giving, kindness, and compassion only a mom can possess. From Mother Goose to Mother Earth, Mother’s Day is a celebration of all those qualities that make our moms unique, strong, and beautiful. So what can you get the person that brought you into this world through sweat, tears, and 34 hours of labor (she …

This Saturday, April 25th, had one of the most motivated volunteer groups (representing both Habitat Young Professionals and Hands on Charlotte), allowing us to finish the roof sheathing almost 4 hours before the assigned deadline – sincerest thanks to all who came, and I hope to see you at the next event! Home ownership is one of the most essential aspects of a successful and enduring community and volunteers just like you help make working families realize this dream – great job!

Bring your friends and join us for this month’s HYPC build day in Charlotte, NC! Habitat Young Professionals will be doing sheathing and 15-20 volunteer are needed. All photos will be posted on PledgeForMoms.org on Sunday evening after the event. Please check back or subscribe to the RSS feed for fast notification and cool site updates. Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte transforms lives by partnering with families and local communities to create and preserve affordable home ownership solutions. All help is welcome!

This month’s Artists for Moms tags are dedicated to Sexual Assault Awareness (green/blue ribbon – President Obama Declares April to be Sexual Assault Awareness Month on April 8, 2009! See the official Presidential Proclamation here), Maternal Mortality awareness (white ribbon) , and the support of our troops (yellow ribbon). Do you have a tag request or need help with your own awareness campaign? Contact me for tips on how to get started with WordPress, Photoshop, Illustrator (and advice on CSS, HTML, MySQL, and Search Engine Optimization)!

Welcome to the Button Project! Every month I will come out with sets of fun buttons that can be easily posted on any blog or MySpace.com page. Currently, I am still working out the functionality of the text area (as it seems to be interfering with my Shadowbox plugin, and wreaking all kinds of weird havoc). Right now all buttons will automatically link back to PledgeForMoms.org so that any one who is interested can get their own. Of course, any user is welcome to change the link to one of their favorite Charity.