The Ides of March

                                                        

My mother was born on the Ides of March.  She loved to quote from the play Julius Caesar, "Beware the Ides of March."  She was often a firebrand, so the saying applied to her as well.  She fought for justice for all.  She was involved with resettlement of displaced persons, migrant health care and education and non-violence.  As a child, I often went with her to her various activities.  I know that they helped to form my view of the world.  She certainly was a great influence for me in many aspects of my life.

I thought about writing something for International Women's Day, but reviewed the history.  The holiday had started as a holiday in 1909.  It was originally started as a holiday by the Socialist Party of the United States, but later was adopted by the Soviet Union after the October Revolution of 1917.  After that it was mainly celebrated in communist countries.  In the West, it began to be celebrated after the UN proclaimed March 8 as the International Women's Day in 1977.  More recently, it has drawn attention to women and families displaced by conflict, rape as a form of oppression in conflicts around the world and families of those who are missing.  These recent issues were all issues my mother concerned herself with during her life.

The photos above are of my mother with her mother (who died in 1942), at her wedding in 1939 (she is the woman on the right, my father is in the center) and with me as a baby.