So... What Was That International Women's Day Thing?

Cincinnati women got caught up in the excitement

IWD is an annual commemoration that originated in 1909. The international community uses the day to acknowledge and celebrate the women who keep the world on track. (Yeah, we do) 

And because, in America, we have a president who publicly demeans women and threatens to undermine the gains it's taken decades to achieve, March 8, 2017, took on a whole new sense of urgency. 

It even gave us a whole new hashtag, #BeBoldForChange.

Official IDW logo

IWD #BeBOldForChange

It didn't occur to me that lots of folks (translate that to mean MEN) didn't know anything about the annual celebration of women around the world. One of my clueless millennial male relatives posted his charming puzzlement on Facebook, "I have never heard of "Woman's Day until now." I suppose a lot of women didn't know about IWD either, but now they do.  


Of course this year, the celebration was bolder and more noticeable, especially with all those activist women donning red. Women didn't just commemorate the day with colors. Motivated by 45 and his dark house of cohorts, women accepted the call to rally, march, protest. Women stayed home from work and stopped shopping. Women were challenged to withhold their services to help others understand what a difference their absence makes.

As Internationalwomensday.com explains, women were encouraged to use IWD as an opportunity to...

• "celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women because visibility and awareness help drive positive change for women

• declare bold actions you'll take as an individual or organization to help progress the gender agenda because purposeful action can accelerate gender parity across the world"

Honestly, we do keep the world on track

Like the sign says "Everything is a Women's Issue." That was the point of a "Day Without Women." Women really do keep the world on track, still we are systematically taken for granted. Now more than ever. 

Here in Cincinnati, Ohio, and America we are threatened with the same male domination issues third world women have been battling for years. Many of us thought we were done with that.

In 2017, the international celebration of women took root and grew. It was such a timely idea, women across the USA, including an energetic Cincinnati group in Piatt Park, Downtown took on the challenge. 

In case you didn't get the connection, these calls to action are in the same vein as post-inaugural marches and rallies in January.

Yeah. We have to do something. 

#BeBoldForChange
Carol 

Withrow Vandalism Defaced a Historic Landmark

Photo by Dale.Browning@TechCollaboration.com, GFDL
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3098833on

If you live in My Cincinnati, you probably know about the vandalism at Withrow High School. I'm a Withrow alumnus, so the vandalism, the overt racism, the vicious intent struck me as particularly senseless. When I heard about the incident, my still nerdy little Withrow heart broke a little. My eyes teared up as I hummed the Withrow Alma Mater. 

"Gentle slopes and lofty towers,

radiant in the sun.

Arching bridge and shaded valley,

All our hearts are won.

Withrow's beauty,

Withrow's splendor,

fill our hearts with pride.

Love for you, our Alma Mater

ever will abide"

Okay, so humming Withrow's Alma Mater might sound like emotional overkill, but the racial/racist implications are pretty overwhelming.

Cincinnati Women Marching

I've been in mourning? That election thing had me flat down, disappointed, and disengaged. 

• I changed my Facebook profile pic to a big black block. 
• I watch only aging comedy reruns because the mainstream channels keep showing too much of  #thatguy. 
• I've mourned and grieved and stuck my head in the proverbial sand.
• I've eaten a lot of potato chips.
• I've lived in a dream world where Obama was named President for Life.

But when the Obamas said goodbye this week, it hit me hard. I really had to deal with my inner anti-trump issues. 

No, I won't accept it and move on!

No, I didn't finally face up to the 2016 Election results by hosting an inauguration viewing party. No, I didn't toast our new "prez" with a smile and a hip-hip-hooray. 

Nope. 
Couldn't do it! 

Instead, I marched!

On January 20, a big dose of orange reality slapped me in the face. I rode downtown with my daughter, scoured the city for a parking space and walked to Washington Park with about 12,000 other Cincinnatians. (Gentrification is really changing our inner city. I hardly saw any black people.) I participated in the Women's march and went home feeling renewed, exhilarated and ready to take on the world. 

Not Anti-Trump

Contrary to foxy opinion, the weekend march in Cincinnati wasn't anti anything. (We did that a few days after the election.) Those marches might have seemed slightly anti-Trump because the crowd gathered to show support for a range of causes the Trumpster has spoken out against. 

As with the wildly newsworthy marches across the country and around the world this weekend, our Cincinnati march of concerned citizens was decidedly PRO.

Pro-Women
Pro-LGBT
Pro-Black Lives Matter
Pro-Choice
Pro-Muslim
Pro-Mexican
Pro-Immigrant
Pro-Earth
Pro-Love
Pro-Pu--y



Okay, there were a few anti-Trump signs and there was one very catchy anti-Trump chant. Somebody had to do it.

Is my mourning-America period over?

Sadly, no, because, as a woman of color, I sense a growing danger for my race and others. 

I'm still in mourning for my country but I also have hope. I hope that the orange man and his cabinet of deplorables won't dismantle the America we know and love. 

I have hope that this won't happen because his alt right-leaning actions are bringing Pro people together. We'll fight for rights every step of the way and since the majority of those Pro people are white, we probably won't get arrested or shot in the streets of Cincinnati. 

I just hope the White House crew understands that the whole world is watching. 

Carol, the Nice Lady still-in-Mourning

Election Gloom, Despair, & Agony... Ohhh

So #thatguy won last night

I didn't watch the election returns. Instead, I watched comedy reruns on Me and Laff TV. In fact, I didn't know he#thatguy had won until I received a "Why Neo-Nazis love Trump" email on my phone early this morning. Then I knew for sure, as it was talking about him and his racist friends in the present tense. Like it's still a relevant thing.

He's not our president...not yet, so I feel perfectly okay not giving him his winner's respect at this time. Once he takes the oath of office, I will try to hold my tongue. (Although that mode of behavior is not likely to stick.) 

As for now, I believe I'll break out in song. 

Yes, I'm feeling the gloom and despair. I'm feeling the heartache and agony that an atomic-bomb loving bully will be running our country for the next four years. Let's hope it's not longer than that. But, unlike many people have done over the past eight Obama years, 

• I will not call #thatguy nasty names. 
• I will not tell lies about the things he does or does not do. 
• I won't post fake photos on Facebook. 
• I will not say he's selfish or childish or call him a bully... although plenty of us know he is. 

I don't have to do any of these things because his actions prove all of the above. 
Still, I will give #thatguy the respect his office is due. 

Okay, maybe not, because I still believe that we are stronger together. I also believe #thatguy and the way he spreads hate and divisiveness are unAmerican. 

That sort of behavior deserves no respect at all.

Written by Carol, the Nice Lady
2016

Let this fun and crazy video motivate you to vote

I'm all hyped up about this election. 

I cast my vote a few weeks ago because I could and because I was too excited to wait. I really don't understand people--especially my people--who bypass the voting privilege altogether. (You know the whole disenfranchised folks fighting and dying for the right to vote thing.) That's real and it fires me up every time. 

My hype-ness scaled to straight-on overdrive when I viewed this not so traditional get-out-the-vote video. It's funny and fun. The ensemble of quirky TV personalities showcases Rachael Bloom, the "My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" actress who regularly breaks into song for no apparent reason. If a little crazy is what it takes to get you to the polls, push play, please and then share it with a voter you love.  

This video gets to the point with "We Are the World" reminiscent style. That is if "We Are The World" were infused with a dose of fun and a spoonful of profanity. 

Naughty Word Warning! 

If you don't like mixing and mingling your politics, fun, and naughty words--and/or you're one of those people who get angry over humorous digs directed at He-whose-name-cannot-be-said, this video might offend you. So Don't watch it!

I don't use profanity myself, but I understand that sometimes you need a good 4-letter word to get people's attention. Besides, the naughtiness is what transforms this video from a traditional voting rant into a few minutes of political fun. 

P.S 
This video is subtly Pro-Hillary and anti #thatguy but there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Written by The Nice Lady,
who is pro-Hillary and doesn't care who knows it!

Will Cincinnati help deliver the first Madame President?

HIllary Rally Photos courtesy of Gregory Reese VIP Photography

Just in case you didn't hear the news, Hillary was in town yesterday. The crowd cheered and shouted. The enthusiasm was contagious; and yes, I was shouting along with everybody else. 

This is my blog. It's about my Cincinnati, so I won't pretend to be unbiased, fair and balanced, or impartial. I am not a Trump fan. I don't like Trump and I don't care who knows it!

As a child born and raised in the 60s and a woman, wife, and mother who dealt with the sexist norms of the 70s, I can't even handle hearing that man's voice. I'm looking forward to Hillary breaking that high glass ceiling and putting #thatguy. 

I love my city. We are Ohio. What we do is crucial to the overall outcome. I sincerely hope Cincinnati voters are up to the challenge of delivering our first "Madam President" to the White House door.

Feeling the love on the banks of the Ohio

Hillary Clinton's October 31st rally at Smale Park was a multicultural lovefest by "..this grand river..." (I forgive her generic reference to our beautiful Ohio River. I know she's been crisscrossing the USA a lot lately.) That minor faux pas and the non-Kentucky "...over-the-river..." reference didn't stop the rally from being a warm and fuzzy gathering of like-minded, non-angry voters. Soooo different from those Trump/Pence anger fests so often highlighted in the news. 

Alicia Reece, Denise Driehaus, Aftab Pureval, Ted Strickland, and other local Democratic candidates fit perfectly into the evening's multicultural theme. This beats the Angry folks doing  Trump rally duty.

Gabby tugged at the heart

If the signs and music didn't make rally-goers feel the love and excitement, Arizona Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords surely did. After a 2011 gunshot wound to the head, she made a phenomenal recovery. Residual walking and speaking difficulties are a constant reminder of that tragic event. 

Gabby's unfortunate experience turned her into a dedicated advocate for gun reform. She and her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, travel the country in the "Vocal Majority" bus speaking out against gun violence. Gabby explained how she's looking forward to saying, "Madam President" next January.

Loved the signs

Political rally rules required that attendees leave their quirky signs at home. Some folks broke that rule, but it gave the event a humor boost and illustrated the diversity of the crowd. As you would expect, there were a bunch of Stronger Together signs passed out by the staff. Then there were trendy offerings like Nasty Women Vote and "love trumps hate." 

And, yes, I saw a few African Americans for Hillary signs, but I must point out the big difference between these signs and the #blacksfortrump signs photographed at Trump rallies. The A-A signs at the Cincinnati rally were actually hoisted and waved by African Americans. Imagine that!

Photos courtesy of Greg Reese, VIP
Written by Carol, The Nice Lady who reminds you to vote

...unless you plan to vote for #thatguy.

Do the I Love Cincinnati (Selfie) Shout!

When  you meet Greg Cameraman Reese, it only takes a few minutes to figure out who he is and what he wants. He’s the “I Love Cincinnati” guy and he wants to capture you on video. He wanders Downtown Cincinnati streets with his video camera at the ready, and when he asks people to shout “I Love Cincinnati,” they usually do.

It’s AllStar Week in Cincinnati and Greg wants to capture 4,192 people doing the “I Love Cincinnati” shout. He wants to share them on Youtube.com and his facebook page, Do the Cincinnati Shout. It’s a really cool goal, and he’d love your help.

Do a Selfie Vid Shout or a Selfie Photo Shout

If you run into the Cameraman, give him a Cincinnati Shout. If you don’t, you can still shout out your love for the Queen City when and where you please. Just do a Selfie Video, either all by yourself or with your buddies. Shout “I Love Cincinnati” and then share it on the Do The Cincinnati Shout Facebook Page.

And if you don’t do video clips?

#ilovecincinnatishout

• Make it a Selfie Photo Shout
• Snap a Selfie
• Use an editing app to add words to your photo or...
• Make an “I  Love Cincinnati” sign and hold it while you shoot your Selfie Photo Shout
• Post your photo to the Do the I Love Cincinnati Shout Page

WCPO.Com and on Channel 5 News have shared the Cameraman’s simple goal. King Arthur, a New Jersey talk jock, interviewed him on his show as well. In just a few days, The Cameraman has captured Color Run crowds and a Chi-Town group doing the shout. A DeeJay finessed a crowd on Fountain Square into a Cincinnati Shout while jamming their little hearts out.

Greg’s even captured Cincinnati’s head honcho, John Cranley, doing a low key Mayorial shout. (Check him out on the Do the Cincinnati Shout Facebook page) With All Star Game crowds all over Downtown Cincinnati, the Cameraman has a lot of ready-made photo ops. He’s steadily inching toward his goal.

#Ilovecincinnatishout