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IIn 1981, the National Institute for Women of Color (NIWC) was established to build a strong national network for women of African, Alaska Native, American Indian, Asian, Hispanic, Latina and Pacific Island heritages and to advance the issues of Women of Color. These efforts resulted in National Strategies Conferences for Women of Color in 1982 and 1983 in Washington, DC, 1984 in Reno, Nevada and 1987 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. NIWC also published three Fact Sheets on Women of Color and as well as several NIWC Brown Papers—researched writings on issues of concern to Women of Color.

In 1986, in response to the suggestion of Pat Williams, Ohio University administrator, NIWC proclaimed March First—the first day of Women’s History Month—as National Women of Color Day. Since that time, Women of Color Day Programs have been held across the United States and in other countries.

In 1988, Suzanne Brooks, then Affirmative Action Officer of Penn State University, began developing a group of practices and traditions to be used when Women of Color Day is commemorated. Ethnic dress, for example, is a characteristic tradition at Women of Color Day events, as are awards presented to “Outstanding Women of Color.”

In 1991, as Director of the California State University Multi-Cultural Center, Brooks implemented the first Women of Color Day program in California at that university. She directed subsequent programs there until 1995. Thereafter, Brooks began the work of converting a national observance into an international one. In 1998, she developed a special cultural ceremony for Women of Color Day, providing a unique worldwide tradition to can be shared. In 1999, with funds from a New Work Award to her as a poet and support from a local restaurant, Brooks organized and implemented the first Sacramento Community Women of Color Day Program. In 2000, the program was moved to Sacramento public television station, KVIE-Channel 6. Programs for 2001, 2002 and 2003 were also held there. In 2004, the Sacramento Community Women of Color Day Program was held at the Cosumnes River College Recital Hall.

Women of Color Day Kits have been developed by Brooks to facilitate the implementation of the Women of Color Day ceremony and to raise funds needed to speed worldwide recognition of this much earned and deserved day. The kit provides a meaningful way to carry out the ceremony and call attention to the “Spirit of Women of Color” which comes from cooperation, collaboration, mutual respect and love of cultures. The kit includes candles, a sample program outline, a program booklet and tee-shirt, all bearing the official logo of the International Association for Women of Color Day. Other products, including the official award plaque, cup with the Women of Color Day logo, and CD’s by Suzanne Brooks are available online at http://www.creativeconsys.com, the website of Suzanne Brooks’s parent company—a social entrepreneurship. Books by Suzanne Brooks are available at http://www.authorhouse.com or in local retail bookstores. ISBN numbers for the books can be found on the authorhouse or Creative Concepts Systems websites. Sales of all of these products support the work of promoting Women of Color Day worldwide.

In addition to other products, “Spirit of Women of Color”—The Exhibit has been developed to trace the events leading to the establishment of Women of Color Day and the evolution of the International Association for Women of Color Day. “Spirit of Women of Color”—The Exhibit was first presented publicly at the National Town Meeting for a Sustainable America in Detroit, Michigan from May 2-5, 1999. Both the Women of Color Day Kit and “Spirit of Women of Color”—The Exhibit are currently undergoing revisions which will be completed by November, 2004..

The International Association for Women of Color Day is a social entrepreneurship—a business operating in the public interest and established to promote the worldwide observance of Women of Color Day—a day in which the contributions of Women of Color—now including Aboriginal, African/African Diaspora, Alaska Native, Asian, Caribbean, Latin American, Maori, Native American Indian, South Sea and Pacific Island, and Indigenous heritages throughout the world—are recognized and honored.

The International Association for Women of Color Day is not a membership organization but a network for those who wish to conduct Women of Color Day observances. We provide guidelines, suggestions, and encouragement. There are no meetings or dues. “Networkers” are asked to supply information regarding their events which will be posted on the website of The International Association for Women of Color Day. This work is supported through the sale of related and associated products, a speaker’s bureau, diversity training and other services.

Of course, one need not be a woman of color to have the spirit of women of color which includes a willingness to cooperate and collaborate, a love of culture and the desire to honor women of color for their contributions and achievements.

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n earlier days Fastelavn marked the beginning of a period of fasting. It was the day when you prepared yourself for fasting (Lent) by eating as much as possible. Fastelavn also meant having a lot of fun - playing games, dressing up and partying.

While many of the customs have survived, most people no longer fast on Fastelavn, however children still wear costumes and play the traditional Fastelavn games. One of these is the so-called “beating of the barrel” or “knocking the cat out of the barrel” game. In medievil times this game was taken very seriously - a live cat would be placed in a barrel, and the barrel was beaten with sticks until it broke and the cat escaped. It was then chased out of the town, and people believed that it would take the collective bad luck and evil spirits of the town with it.

These days the game is symbolic and definitely not played with live animals. Children gather around a barrel (filled with candy and fruit and usually decorated with black cats), which hangs from the ceiling or from a tree (depending on the game being played indoors or outdoors). They then take turns hitting the barrel with a wooden club until the barrel finally breaks. The lucky child causing the barrel to fall apart is crowned “the King or Queen of cats” and is given a golden paper crown.

Fastelavn buns are a popular seasonal treat. Made from pastry dough and decorated with icing, they can be found in virtually any bakery or konditori at this time of year. In the traditional Fastelavn song (which every Danish child knows by heart), young rascals demand the famous buns from their neighbours, sweetly threatening to “make trouble”.

Another Fastelavn activity is going from door to door in the neighborhood singing and then collecting candy or money - very similar to the American tradition of “trick or treating” on Halloween.

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International Women’s Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for “liberty, equality, fraternity” marched on Versailles to demand women’s suffrage.

The idea of an International Women’s Day first arose at the turn of the century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies.

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IWD Website

Feel free to send each other good wishes for this day!

MISSION

The Random Acts of Kindness™ Foundation inspires people to practice kindness and to “pass it on” to others. We provide free educational and community ideas, guidance, and other resources to kindness participants through our website at www.actsofkindness.org.

ABOUT THE FOUNDATION

Through the dissemination of ideas and the development of materials and programs, we have helped our kindness coordinators – including educators, students, community members, faith groups, service clubs, and others – incorporate kindness into thousands of schools and communities. As people tap into their own generous human spirit and share kindness with one another, they discover for themselves the power of kindness to effect positive change. When kindness is expressed, healthy relationships are created, community connections are nourished, and people are inspired to pass kindness on.

Established in 1995 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is a resource for people committed to spreading kindness. We provide a wide variety of materials on our website, including activity ideas, lesson plans, project plans, teacher’s guide, project planning guide, publicity guide, and workplace resources on our website at www.actsofkindness.org – all free of charge.

The Foundation is privately held and funded. We accept no donations, grants, or membership dues. We do not provide financial assistance to individuals or organizations. The Foundation has no religious or organizational affiliations; we encourage the practice of kindness in all sectors of society.

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is the United States delegate to the World Kindness Movement, an organization that includes various nations. People in these countries promote kindness within their countries’ borders and are creating a global network of kindness and compassion.

As people from different cultures and from all walks of life are joining to spread kindness, they are creating a powerful, synergistic action throughout the world. Please join us in bringing kindness and compassion to our local and global communities!

Here is a list of upcoming kindness events:

Every Day!
See our monthly kindness calendars: click here!

2006: February 13-19
Random Acts of Kindness Week

2006: November 13-19
World Kindness Week

2006: November 13
World Kindness Day

View an archive of stories of kindness..

When you come to the land and you plant any tree, you shall treat its fruit as forbidden; for three years it will be forbidden and not eaten. In the fourth year, all of its fruit shall be sanctified to praise the L-RD. In the fifth year, you may eat its fruit. -Leviticus 19:23-25
There are four new years… the first of Shevat is the new year for trees according to the ruling of Beit Shammai; Beit Hillel, however, places it on the fifteenth of that month. -Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1
Tu B’Shevat, the 15th day of the Jewish month of Shevat, is a holiday also known as the New Year for Trees. The word “Tu” is not really a word; it is the number 15 in Hebrew, as if you were to call the Fourth of July “Iv July” (IV being 4 in Roman numerals). See Hebrew Alphabet for more information about using letters as numbers and why the number 15 is written this way.

As I mentioned in Rosh Hashanah, Judaism has several different “new years.” This is not as strange a concept as it sounds at first blush; in America, we have the calendar year (January-December), the school year (September-June), and many businesses have fiscal years. It’s basically the same idea with the various Jewish new years.

Tu B’Shevat is the new year for the purpose of calculating the age of trees for tithing. See Lev. 19:23-25, which states that fruit from trees may not be eaten during the first three years; the fourth year’s fruit is for G-d, and after that, you can eat the fruit. Each tree is considered to have aged one year as of Tu B’Shevat, so if you planted a tree on Shevat 14, it begins it second year the next day, but if you plant a tree two days later, on Shevat 16, it does not reach its second year until the next Tu B’Shevat.

Tu B’Shevat is not mentioned in the Torah. I have found only one reference to it in the Mishnah, and the only thing said there is that it is the new year for trees, and there is a dispute as to the proper date for the holiday (Beit Shammai said the proper day was the first of Shevat; Beit Hillel said the proper day was the 15th of Shevat. As usual, we follow Beit Hillel. For more on Hillel and Shammai, see Sages and Scholars).

There are few customs or observances related to this holiday. One custom is to eat a new fruit on this day. Some people plant trees on this day. A lot of Jewish children go around collecting money for trees for Israel at this time of year. That’s about all there is to it.

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For many centuries, the people of Japan have been performing rituals with the purpose of chasing away evil spirits at the start of spring.

Around the 13th century, for example, it became a custom to drive away evil spirits by the strong smell of burning dried sardine heads, the smoke of burning wood and the noise of drums. While this custom is not popular anymore, a few people still decorate their house entrances with fish heads and holy tree leaves in order to deter evil spirits from entering.

In modern days, the most commonly performed setsubun ritual is the throwing of roasted beans around one’s house and at temples and shrines across the country. When throwing the beans, you are supposed to shout “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” (”Devils out, happiness in”). Afterwards you should pick up and eat the number of beans, which corresponds to your age.

As all traditional festivals, setsubun is celebrated in many variations throughout the country.

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To use them, right click on the image of your choice and choose ’save picture as’.

Insert the images into your Valentines productions!

The images are royalty free, but please do not use them for commercial reasons.

Click here for the link.

1. Write the message when you are in the mood for love!

2. Clear your mind and focus on your loved one. Perhaps have a photograph nearby to remind you of their star qualities.

3. Play your favourite music - get the atmosphere just right!

4. Work on a rough piece of paper first and note your beloved’s positive points and your plans for your future together.

5. The opening and closing of the message has the most impact.

6. Personalise the message and write from your heart.

7. Don’t use CAPITAL letters as it LOOKS AS IF YOU ARE SHOUTING..

8. Be truthful and don’t make promises you can’t keep.

9. Check your spelling.

10. Add your email address if you want a reply!

The day is now most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of “valentines.” Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, the practice of hand writing notes has largely given way to the exchange of mass-produced greeting cards. The Greeting Card Association estimates that, world-wide, approximately one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. The association also estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all Valentines cards.

There are many stories that we found to explain the origins of Valentines day, all of them related to stories of love…

1. The 3rd Century Priest
In the first search on the net, there may have been a 3rd century priest who rebelled against Emperor Claudus II’s ban on wartime marriages. According to the legend, Valentine would conduct secret marriages, until he was found out and subsequently killed on February 14, about 270 AD.

How lucky we are to have evolved..

2. The Valentine Sight Saver
Valentine was an early Christian in Rome, during a time when the Roman regime was not in favour of Christians. Emperor Cluadius II put him into prison. He saved the sight of his jailer’s blind daughter and then wrote secret love letters to her, signing them, “Your Valentine”. Valentine was beheaded on February 14 because he refused to cease practising Christianity.

3. A mis-pronounced Name
According to legend, Valentine’s name was “Galantine”, meaning gallant, a word associated with courtship. The mis-pronounciation is apparantly due to the way medieval French peasants pronounced the letter “g”.

4. Valentine was African?
Another source states that a Saint Valentine suffered in Africa with a number of companions.

5. February 14 as the day for birds to pair up and mate
In England, during the middle ages, it was popular belief that birds started to find their mate on February 14. A good enough reason as any to celebrate love and romance. The concept became popular amongst believers and they began to celebrate by exchanging love letters and simple gifts, like flowers.

This year, we are collecting your Valentines messages on our Malawi blog. The reason is simple. Malawi is the Warm Heart of Africa, so what better place to send your message than that?

Click here for the link.

Source Links:

http://ancienthistory.about.com
http://www.wikipedia.org
http://www.stvalentinesday.org