Busi Vilakazi
August we commemorate Women’s Month as a tribute to the 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on August 9 in 1956, to protest the extension of apartheid’s pass laws to women.
They were brave women who stood up against that law.
What I love about this group of women is the fact that they stood together despite their race, in a time when the law separated races.
They wanted to bring change.
This year’s theme is: ‘Women united in moving South Africa forward.’ Now that statement befits the women of 1956 because their act made an impact and they stood together.
Sadly, I cannot attach it to today’s women because we are not united – well, not all of us.
Some women find joy in hurting others.
Women face struggles on a daily basis, but are even too scared to share these with another woman fearing she might judge her.
How are we to move the country forward when we cannot even help one another in times of need?
I feel the hurt as a woman, when I read stories of women (just like me ) sharing their painful stories. Where were the other women to help her in times of need?
We are more concerned about ‘slaying’ (nothing wrong with that – we like to look good) but we forget that there is more to life than just looking good.
We put so much pressure on each other and forget we come from different backgrounds.
When the women marched in 1956, whether they were fat, thin, light, dark, rich or poor they all fought for the one cause that was affecting all of them.
We have so many things affecting women today but we all want to do it on our own.
For this month, let’s reflect on what made these women strong and why we are celebrating them.
Then ask yourself what impact you are making as a woman today.
Women have come a long way in terms of business and the work place but, along the way, we have sacrificed ourselves in the process.
We need to allow ourselves to be weak, to cry, to fail and to make mistakes.
However, in order for us to reach that safe place where we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, we as women need to support each other to provide a safety net from which we can draw strength. I’m all for ‘slaying’, but also for helping those who are not sure about how to ‘slay’.
If you see a sister not doing it correctly, don’t gossip about her. Show her how it is done. If we all support each other we can move forward. During this Women’s Month take the time to help another woman in need.
#womensmonth
