By Jeanose Lexima
Art and Music have always lifted me, not to mention when the lyrics speak the truth.  This morning, I heard Mr. Rovics’ What If You Knew, and I thought:  “If  I knew, I would do something”. This is why I started the Women On Change Blog.  I know so many women struggling on many fronts in their lives.  I decided, I would speak up and say what I believe.  What’s more essential is giving others who are like me a chance to also speak about how they feel.  As much I believe women must lead the world for true change, they need to learn how to speak about their suffrage and many of them are still unable to do so. Part of the oppression of women is because we chose, at times, to be silent for many different reasons.
What would have happened if women did not speak up about sexual assaults in the U.S. Military?  What if you knew while fighting for your country, you were doing the right thing, but yet your country was fighting to keep you silent from being free.
What if you knew Israelis and Palestinians were both fighting to live together in peace and security?
What if you knew women were dying daily because they are simply women? What if you knew that women were being executed for sleeping around to feed their children that men help created?
What would you do if you knew someone was being discriminated against because of the color of their skin?
What if you knew those who should protect you can also hurt you?
What if you knew that WAR is not the answer and occupation is not the answer? Would you fight so families can be together on both ends?
What if you knew today was a day that Troy Davis was being executed for a crime he said he may have not committed?

What if you knew some were dying daily around the world because of what BP, Exxon and Chevron are doing to our environment?
What would you do if you knew a woman was being raped because a man has the right?

What if you knew the billionaires and millionaires were using their power to keep you silent every day? Would you get your arms together with your friends and build a social movement to fight against them?
Would you fight for the things that you knew were happening or would you be silent?
Today, as you go about your day, think of what you should do, knowing the things happening around you.

Speak up now and free someone.

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Jeanose Lexima is the founder of Women On Change blog

Tags: billionairs, BP, Chevron, discriminated, Exxon, Israelis, millionaires, occupation, Palestinians, peace, protect, rape, security, sexual assault, silent, Speak up, U.S. Military, war, women

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 21st, 2011 at 09:46 and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.