First ever Day of the Girl proclaimed by City of Seattle Council President Sally Clark
and Lake Washington Girls Middle School.
SEATTLE, October 9, 2012 – City of Seattle Council President Sally Clark and Councilmembers Bagshaw, Burgess, Conlin, Godden, Harrell, Licata, O’Brien, and Rasmussen join Lake Washington Girls Middle School to proclaim October 11th the Day of the Girl in the city of Seattle.
The day aims to highlight the challenges girls face around the world to gain access to education and other basic rights, and empower them to advocate on their own behalf.
Lake Washington Girls Middle School empowers its students to become young women strong in mind, body, and voice, and our students are passionate about supporting the United Nations General Assembly Resolution on the International Day of the Girl Child and the mission of Girls Schools Unite “to galvanize worldwide enthusiasm for goals to better girls’ lives, providing an opportunity for them to show leadership and reach their full potential.”
Lake Washington Girls Middle School student body president Rachel Kaftan ’13 and Head of School Patricia Hearn spearheaded the effort, along with the Seattle Girls’ School chapter of Richard’s Rwanda-IMPUHWE, and other organizations, to have Seattle join with other communities to commemorate the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 66/170, which designates October 11th as the International Day of the Girl Child.
Yesterday the entire Lake Washington Girl Middle School Class of 2013 went to Seattle City Hall to meet with Councilmember Mike O’Brien to accept the official proclamation. Councilmember O’Brien spent thirty minutes speaking to our students about their experiences in middle school, as young women, and as residents of Seattle and Washington State. The group spoke of ways to use their strong voices to make change, and discussed the fact that the past eight years have been the only time in the country’s history when a state’s governor and two senators have all been women. O’Brien offered, “this is the norm in Washington and we expect you all to be leaders.”
Students at Lake Washington Girls Middle School will spend the Day of the Girl working on sister-group video projects focusing on what it means for girls to empower one another to be strong in mind, body, and voice which will be shared on our website in the coming weeks.
Can we have a Day of the Boy, too? Girls are now vastly outperforming boys all the way through the end of college, so I think they have now officially had enough nudging along in school. How about the boys?
I still see many cases where women and girls are dismissed or given second seat in daily matters. When I go to a business meeting with a woman colleague, perhaps 40% of the time most of the discussion will center towards me rather than my colleague who may be more knowledgagle, more responsible, or what ever. Customers and vendors often assume that the man in the room is the leader. At this time we still need to conciously reckognize and take steps to assure women and girls are getting the respect due to them.
I hope that every day is girls day and every day is boys day. Boys and men do have needs and pitfalls to address regarding what is a man today. But, I’m all for girls day. Thanks to all the women and girls who have helped me become who I am. Other than ex of course.
I wish there was a ‘like’ button for this, as is on Facebook. Thanks for your comment and well said. I am grateful for Girls Day. For the most part I think that for my 9 year old girl – the world is her oyster. But then I read the horrific news about the 14 year old girl most nearly brutally assassinated by the Taliban because she wants an education for her self and other girls… the world may not be her oyster, and it surely isn’t for other girls in the world.
So for Seattle and Day of the Girl – Hurray. May this thinking, celebration and honoring continue world wide. Its gotta start somewhere.