I AM A WARRIOR !!

It finally happened on Saturday night...after weeks of waiting. Myself, along with 3 other amazing women from our community, became "Vagina Warriors." (please see the entry from February 22 for full details of what it means to be a "Vagina Warrior"...it's not an easy job but somebody's gotta do it!) We were honored following an outstanding performance of "The Vagina Monologues." What an evening!

The 2005 Vagina Warriors: from left, Susy Woods, Candi Clouse, Mary Ratliffe, and Me

Mary and I - Mary was honored for her work at the local rape crisis center.


Candi and I

Candi is the coordinator of the Women's Issues Caucus at the Univerity of Illinois at Springfield. She also coordinated the entire event. Congrats to her for a successful evening!

Dennis and I

Dennis is a co-worker, an attorney, and friend, advocating for victims of domestic violence.

Heather and Claire are other Vagina Warriors that I know, both working to advocate for victims of violence. I was surrounded by warriors last night and I share my honors with all of them. Eliminating violence against women certainly involves teamwork.

There's absolutely no way that I can ignore those Vagina Warriors who have come before me...My Aunt Sue and My Mom...both advocates working to help those children who have been affected by violence in their homes.

In honor of my recognition, my Aunt Sue taught me the "warrior" pose she learned in Yoga class.


And of course we can't forget those who make us laugh hysterically about the good things while we are taking breaks from dealing with the bad. Joe braved the sea of feminists and came to celebrate with me at last night's post-show reception.