International days of this and that (1)

I am a woman although some would not consider me to be. I am almost 21 and it almost never counts for anything much. I am also from "The Deep South" of the US. That is, more specifically, Alabama.

I am proud that the world has decided to recognize woman on one day (two if you count Mother's Day) of the year, so very appreciative that they can give up one year of their lives for women. But, do they? I mean, do they really stop and take notice? Sure, people like you, editors, writers, politicians, leaders of governments, they are obliged to care. What about the rest of the world? How do we make them care?

I wore my red ribbon yesterday to school and to work. Do you know how many people asked me why? Do you know how many people said, "huh?" when I told them that it was World AIDS Day? Too many. I wore the ribbon so that I could remind people, as well as myself, of the ever-growing concern for women less fortunate than myself. I wore it to remind myself to be in prayer for those I know who are plagued by the awful disease. You know, women are starting to take more notice of Breast Cancer Awareness and the pink ribbon, but could it be because they know someone who has breast cancer, or they have it themselves?

We, in America, are not as aware of the AIDS epidemic as we should be, especially with the amazing rate at which the disease is spreading throughout our country. People still have the backwards mentality to think that if someone has AIDS/ HIV then they deserve it. I want to shout "wake up!" to these narrow-minded people.

The truth is, we have not moved an inch past where Alabama was in the 1960s. We are still as racist as we were then, only now, the racism extends an ever reaching arm to homosexuals, to women, to Buddhists or people of any other religion outside of Southern Baptists, and to those living (if you can call it that) with AIDS.

Oh, I am proud to be an American. But I am prouder to be a woman. Especially when there are women like Ms. Win and the ever-courageous Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the rightful leader of Myanmar. Women of the world, wake up and MAKE your voice heard! How can you sit quietly anymore?