Keep On Rockin' Girls

So many great women I want to salute this week, so I'll throw a bunch out there with links to read more about them and just a little blurb from me on why I admire and or respect them. Some are women of history, others are out there making a difference today. Some are activists, some are artist, some are both. They are/were all cool ladies.

Jane Addams(1860-1935) - Founded social settlement Hull House in 1889. Served on Chicago Board of Education, helped found NAACP, labor mediator and activist, child welfare advocate who lobbied successfully for the passage of America's first child-labor laws, helped found the ACLU, active in women's suffrage movement. A life long pacifist and peace activist, she founded the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi - Leader of the democracy movement in Burma, now called Myanmar by the ruling military junta. When elections were held in 1990, Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won in a landslide. The ruling government refused to recognize the results and placed Suu Kyi under house arrest, as well as several other leaders of the pro-democracy party. She has lived most of the last 14 years restricted from leaving her home. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

Ani DiFranco - A kick ass singer/songwriter, folk/punk goddess. She has sold millions of records without ever signing a contract with a record label, as she sells all her music through her own Righteous Babe Records. She can write songs about politics, love, rape, forgiveness, female stereotypes, and corporate control of the media. And she rocks. She also campaigned for my man Dennis Kucinich in the Democratic primaries.

Emma Goldman(1869-1940) - One of my biggest heroes. At the turn of the 20th century she was one of the highest profile advocates for free speech, labor unions, gender equality, the right to birth control, and even gay rights. For her ideas, such as speaking out against the draft, she was imprisoned on several occasions. The U.S. government had her deported in 1919.

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn(1890-1964) - Organizer for the International Workers of the World (IWW) by the age of 17, founding member of the ACLU, fighter for the cause of women's rights. Jailed for her political activities under the evil Alien Registration Act.

Sister Helen Prejean - I never thought in a million years I'd put a nun on my admired women list, but here she is. A tireless advocate for abolishing the evil that is the death penalty and a member of Amnesty International, this is one Catholic who's found a better way to spend her time than bashing gay people.

Sinead O'Connor - Yes, I really mean this. She rocks my world. A voice unmatched in modern music, several of her albums rank in my list of best ever. But she really solidified her place in my heart with two great statements. First, her refusal to allow the U.S. national anthem to be played over the sound system before one of her shows. And of course, the tearing up of a picture of that misogynist Pope John Paul on SNL. I loved that so much.