Here at Linwood a lot of our work focuses on empowering women, seeking to "journey alongside" our sisters in whatever their story may be. However, we recognize that men, our brothers, are very much a part of this conversation and this work. We need each other as we work towards wholeness and healing. We need brothers who are willing to stand up, speak out, and act on behalf of their sisters- globally. At LHM, we have some amazing men who have partnered with us in various ways (you know who you are!). I propose that Fridays be dedicated to hearing from men, those we know, you may know, and from around the world. So, every Friday I will be posting a story that gives a brother some room to speak.
What do you think?
This week, I want to share an article with you that initially inspired this idea. World Pulse Magazine has a brilliant section entitled "Through His Eyes." In a similar way to what we will be atempting to unearth on Fridays, World Pulse has an entire column dedicated to hearing about and from men around the globe that are standing with women to end violence, inequailty, exploitation, etc. However, there are only two articles! My hope is that, together, we can discover how men are partnering with us to expose truth, seeking justice and healing for women.
A man by the name of Satish Singh began a movement called Men's Action for Stopping Violence Against Women that began in Uttar Pradesh, India, and is now over 100 villages strong. In fact, the government has requested Singh's network be in all 75 states in India. Singh's network seeks to "change the way men think about violence against women" in a country that has staggering statistics concerning the widespread abuses of women and girls (Ramanathan, 2010). Singh has an army of men throughout India committed to protesting violence against women, supporting survivors of violence, educating entire villages, and committing to be role models for men and boys in their communities. Read the full article here and watch Shishir Chandra, below, describe one of the organizations recent campaigns.
-Emma
Ramanathan, R. (2010, April). Not alone anymore.World Pulse Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.worldpulse.com/magazine/columns/through-his-eyes/not-alone-anymore.