Thug Life Army

Woman's Empowerment Gathering for Woman's History Month focuses on solutions in Post/Katrina Climate. The Historical gathering of woman in D. C. on March 11, 2006 is in honor of Woman's History Month, and also kicks-off, "The Woman's Empowerment Movement for Self, Family and Community", a run-up activity organized by African American Holiday Assoc. (AAHA) in support of the 10th Anniversary of the Million Woman's March, Oct. 25, 2007.

The historical Mini-Conference of 30 or more profound woman will gather in honor of International Woman’s Day (March 8), Woman’s History Month and the 9th Anniversary of the Million Woman’s March.

“The Woman’s Empowerment Gathering” will take place, Saturday, March 11, 2006 from 3 – 10 p.m at the Kima Charter School, 100 Peabody Street, N.W. (corner of Peabody and Blair Road), Free and open to the public, with donations of $5-$10 receiving a door prize for their contribution. The event is organized and sponsored by the African American Holiday Association (AAHA) as the kick-off for AAHA’s “Woman Empowerment Movement for Self, Family & Community”, as a run-up activity to the 10th Anniversary of the Million Woman’s March.

The new, Woman’s Empowerment Movement, called in 2003 by Sister Ayo Handy Kendi, will mobilize a Million Woman to raise the conditions of woman of African descent in a 2 year, love-in-action Initiative of Spiritual/Moral Upliftment, Sister Love Unity, Wellness, Cultural, Educational and Prosperity self-help as we “Each One, Reach One – Each One, Teach One” to “Raise a Woman to Raise a Nation”.

Co-sponsors of the March 11 “Gathering” include the Kima Charter School, VLB Productions, WPFW's In Our Voices and Sophie’s Parlor, a Pacifica-Radio affiliate and will include a cross-section of spiritual leaders, healers, educators, activists, nation builders, performers and artists, with invited guest, Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and Sister Pam Afrika, International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abul Jamal.

Handy-Kendi, founder/director of the non-profit, membership organization, the African American Holiday Association (AAHA), served as the first Regional Coordinator of the D.C. Metropolitan-Area for the historical, 1997 Million Woman’s March (MWM0 that mobilized an estimated 500,000 to 2.5 million people to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, on a damp, chilly October 25th, 1997, two years after the inspirational Million Man March. AAHA has also organized several, local MWM anniversary gatherings since then.

In 2003, at the Great Black Peace March, Handy Kendi, issued a call for a new movement for Woman’s empowerment and as the founder of BLD, issued a national call for “Sister Love” as the global intention for the 14th Black Love Day (BLD) on February 13th, 2006 in Black History Month. On the eve of Woman’s History Month, 2006, Handy –Kendi announced, as “Sister Love” helps the Black Diaspora woman come back to self-love and love of her sisterhood to heal some of the issues that divide us, i.e., the Diasporan intra-racial stereotypes, dating/ mating competitiveness, workplace achievement dynamics and class issues, AAHA encourages that the next step is for us to put love-in-action for empowerment -- offering the tools, information and opportunities necessary to not only survive but to thrive.

Woman’s History Month allows us to honor how far woman have come, and the “March 11 Mini-Conference Gathering” will inspire us to overcome the many issues that still challenge Black women, today, especially in the climate of post-Katrina, to unify and take better care of themselves, so that we can better care for our families and our communities focusing on empowering solutions, role-modeling, mentoring, volunteerism and educational alternatives that are working. After several million people marches, we have proven that we can bring together a huge gathering – now it’s time to make history with a movement of a million woman who have the means, to reach out and lend a helping hand to support another million woman in their spiritual, moral, health wellness, economic and educational upliftment”,

For further information on the “Gathering” or action steps of the Woman’s Empowerment Movement contact: AAHA  www.aaha-info.org