{Forces for Change}

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, is the guest editor of the September issue of British Vogue (out today!) titled “Forces for Change” — learn about her empowering vision for women and girls and the world:

From Chevaz Clarke at CBS News:

“To have the country’s most influential beacon of change guest edit British Vogue at this time has been an honour, a pleasure and a wonderful surprise,” the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful, said of the historic collaboration. “As you will see from her selections throughout this magazine, she is also willing to wade into more complex and nuanced areas, whether they concern female empowerment, mental health, race or privilege.”

From Page Six by Elana Fishman:

“The Forces for Change” issue highlights a “diverse selection of women from all walks of life, each driving impact and raising the bar for equality, kindness, justice and open mindedness,” according to a post from the Duchess and Duke of Sussex’s official Instagram account shared.

Jacinda Ardern

The lineup, photographed for the cover by Peter Lindbergh, includes models/activists Adwoa Aboah, Adut Akech and Christy Turlington, Somali boxer Ramla Ali, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, diversity advocate Sinéad Burke, “Crazy Rich Asians” star Gemma Chan and actress and LGBTQ+ advocate Laverne Cox, notably the first trans person to ever appear on the title’s cover.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

It also features actresses/activists Jane Fonda, Salma Hayek and Yara Shahidi, Royal Ballet principal Francesca Hayward, body positivity warrior Jameela Jamil, feminist author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and teen climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Additionally, there’s a 16th spot on the cover featuring a silver reflective mirror, so readers can see themselves amongst these change-makers.

Also inside the issue? An exclusive interview between Markle, 37, and former first lady Michelle Obama as well one between Prince Harry and legendary primatologist Jane Goodall, along with a guest editor’s letter penned by Markle.

Adut Akech

“These last seven months have been a rewarding process, curating and collaborating with Edward Enninful, British Vogue’s editor-in-chief, to take the year’s most-read fashion issue and steer its focus to the values, causes and people making impact in the world today,” the Duchess of Sussex told the magazine.

“Through this lens I hope you’ll feel the strength of the collective in the diverse selection of women chosen for the cover as well as the team of support I called upon within the issue to help bring this to light. I hope readers feel as inspired as I do, by the ‘Forces for Change’ they’ll find within these pages.”

Greta Thunberg

Enninful told British Vogue that Markle declined to appear on the cover herself. “From the very beginning, we talked about the cover — whether she would be on it or not,” he explained. “In the end, she felt that it would be in some ways a ‘boastful’ thing to do for this particular project. She wanted, instead, to focus on the women she admires.”

Still, according to Lindbergh, that didn’t stop Markle from being hands-on when it came to photographing the issue’s cover. “My instructions from the Duchess were clear: ‘I want to see freckles!'” the famed photog told the glossy. 

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Click here for more about the 15 women and girls featured, link to Huffington Post UK....

{Put a Woman in Charge}

Enjoy this YouTube video of the wonderful Keb' Mo' and Rosanne Cash singing "Put a Woman in Charge" [click here]

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PUT A WOMAN IN CHARGE 

Way back when

In the beginning of time

Man made the fire then the wheel

Went from a horse to an automobile

He said, “the world is mine”

He took the oceans and the sky

He set the borders, built the walls

He won't stop ’til he owns it all

And here we are

Standing on the brink of disaster

Enough is enough is enough is enough

I know the answer

Put a woman in charge

Put the women in charge

The time has come

We've got to turn this world around

Call the mothers

Call the daughters

We need the sisters of mercy now

She'll be a hero

Not a fool

She’s got the power

To change the rules

She's got something

That men don't have (Yes we have)

She is kind and she understands

So let the ladies

Do what they were born to do

Raise the vibration

And make a better place for me and you

Put a woman in charge

Put the women in charge

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

We're gonna feel the magic

When the girls take over

It's gonna be fantastic

(We need more women in charge)

Put a woman in charge

Put the women in charge

[Written by John Lewis Parker, Keb’ Mo’ & Beth Nielsen Chapman 

Release Date: September 28, 2018]

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[This post is dedicated to artist Jennifer Hawkins Hock with love and appreciation...and birthday wishes!! xoxo]

{Kick Like a Girl!!!}

Congratulations to Megan Rapinoe and...

...Rose Lavelle and...

...all the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team members for winning their 4th World Cup title!!

 {And thanks for kicking like a girl!} 

{What the Constitution Means to Me}

“Fifteen-year-old Heidi Schreck put herself through college by giving speeches about the U.S. Constitution. The Obie Award winner resurrected her teenage self in order to trace the document's profound impact on women's bodies—starting with her great-great-grandmother, a mail-order bride who died under mysterious circumstances. This witty and searingly personal exploration breathes new life into our founding document and imagines how it will shape the next generation of American women.” [from the New York Theater Guide]

“Heidi Schreck’s affecting disquisition on the U.S. Constitution is an eye-opener—and a jaw-dropper,” wrote Marilyn Stasio for Variety. “The big reveal is that the actual word woman is not even mentioned in our Constitution. (Pause here for gasps from the audience.) Not once. Not in the Amendments that filled in the gaps. Not even in the Fourteenth Amendment that validates the equal rights of emancipated slaves. In fact, the Fifteenth Amendment specifically guarantees the right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude without acknowledging the inclusion of women in that right.” [Read the entire review.]

Thanks, Heidi, for educating us all!!

[Click here to see Heidi interviewed on the BUILD show]

{Ordinary Angels}

Thanks to those "ordinary angels" in my life...xoxo

{Share & Celebrate}

"Share our similarities, 

celebrate our differences...."

-M. Scott Peck

{Top Feminist Moments in 2018}

The Top 10 Feminist Moments 

That Defined 2018

...enjoy the short video...

{Self-Hatred Goodbyes}

Enjoy an interview with the joyful Katelyn Ohashi, an amazing UCLA gymnast and poet, and her remarkable, awarding-winning coach, Valorie Kondos Field.

In the interview (link below), Katelyn reads an excerpt from her poem, "Self-Hatred Goodbyes" and Valorie shares from her book, Life is Short, Don't Wait to Dance.
Like what people say when watching Katelyn perform now, "I can't help but be joyful," that's also what you'll say after listening to this interview on "Good Morning, America" from early January. It's a '10'...!

(Need to catch up what happened? Read about and watch Katelyn's dazzling gymnastics routine...and learn of her inspiring journey.) xoxo

{Vibrate Love}

...vibrate love...

...vibrate love...

...vibrate love...

{Take a Deeeeeep Breath and...}

...now, again.... xoxo