Apollo Theater

Last night, Randi and I went to V-Day: Chicks Rock at the Apollo. It was an amazing night featuring speeches and performances by incredible women. That list would include: Eve Ensler, Marissa Tormei, Vanessa Carlton, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Marie Wilson of the White House Project, reps. from Rock the Vote, Hazel Goodman, Isabella Rosaline, Charlotte Martin, Toni Childs, Kate Clinon and We Got Issues.

What's incredible is that in this country where women fought to win the right to vote and we pride ourselves on democracy, 22 million women didn't vote in 2000 and 16 million eligible women aren't even registered, according to V-Day.

There are plenty of reasons I can give why women should vote, but perhaps, the three who said it best were Yanar Mohammed, founder of the Organisation for Women's Freedom in Iraq, and Zoya, a member of The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, and Malalai Joya, who was a delegate to Afghanistan's constitutional council and received death threats for speaking out. (find out more about them at: www.rawa.org, www.equalityiniraq.com, www.geocities.com/malalaijoya/ )
They detailed how women in their countries, which we supposedly attacked to bring freedom to them, are still living in fear and under oppression, fighting for their rights and for their lives.  (See Laura Bush's lies on this very subject in her GOP convention speech at wWw.gopconvention.org)

So please make plans to be at the polls on Nov. 2. And bring along other women you know. And if you're not registered, there's still time. Visit rockthevote.com or vday.org to get help. 

Be heard.