So I meant to write this yesterday, but it's still true today.
It's ridiculous that women, who make up more than half of the population, get one day a year.
I'm not saying it's not an important day. It is. But it shouldn't be. It should be ludicrous.
The One Campaign's latest campaign (yes, I know that was redundant) is called "Poverty is Sexist."
The first line of the letter to world leaders that I signed says, "Nowhere on earth do women have as many opportunities as men. Nowhere."
Think about that. It's a big statement, but I think it's true. Women in the U.S. face discrimination every day, and we're supposed to be sooo advanced and progressive.
But the fact is compared to most places in the world, we U.S. women have it very, very good.
When I lived in South Korea, I was amazed that the person who spoke the best English in my office (where we were teaching English) and I believe had a Ph.D., was a secretary. She served the men and me (the lucky white woman) coffee, among her other duties. And life for South Korean women was better than it is for many women in the world.
Women and girls are affected even more than men and boys by extreme poverty — from healthcare to education to hunger.
So I did something in honor of International Women's Day, but I hope some day I won't have to.
I am encouraged to see so many people sign this letter. There's a long list of people you'll recognize on the website, but among them are Meryl Streep, Bono, Melinda Gates, Unilever CEO Paul Polman, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey (they're practically one person, right?), Condoleezza Rice, and Muhammad Ali.
What's notably lacking from the list are leaders from the faith community.
That's strange, given One's work with churches and faith leaders. I remember their first commercial, where George Clooney and Pat Robertson agreed on something.
I hope Christian leaders will sign on because women in poverty are truly "the least of these." Our voice matters to them. For now, anyway.