International Women’s Day
March 8th is International Women’s Day, when the world takes a moment to step back and commemorate the achievements, and activism of women.
Well-behaved women rarely make history. –Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Too much of history has centered around erasing, denying, or minimizing the contributions of people who make up slightly more than half of the human race, and acting as if their achievements are some kind of aberration or new fad. They are not.
It takes courage to speak the truth and change the way the world works, but only by doing so can we build a better future. So, here’s to the women who “misbehaved” to make the world a better place—Cheers to that!
Some days I am more wolf than woman, and I am still learning how to stop apologizing for my wild. –Nikita Gill
We here at SloCo do not believe that the wild, within us or outside of our door, is anything to apologize for. Nature has made each of us what we are: tree, sloth, wolf, or woman, we have each been optimized by three and a half billion years of evolution to be something unique, something amazing, and a part of the wilderness that is our origin and our home.
We don’t save the forests because they are a nice place to have on the other side of a window, but because they are a part of our hearts, minds, and spirit. So, here’s to the wild women—Cheers to that!
Surround yourself with people who are going to lift you higher. –Oprah Winfrey
The best part of working in conservation is the awesome people you work with. There is nothing better than working WITH others, cooperatively rather than competitively, towards a shared passion and goal. SloCo was founded by a woman and has retained many women in strong leadership roles in order to lead by example that achievement is not a zero-sum game.
This attitude is what makes SloCo’s community-based conservation initiatives so successful and so sustainable. So, here’s to the women who win, and who share their victories with others—Cheers to that!
There is a moment where you have to choose whether to be silent or to stand up. –Malala Yousafzai
Sloths do not have voices—we must speak for them. The forest has no language—unless we learn to listen. When people and places are threatened with “development” that leaves no room for nature or diversity, no room for animals, individuals, or cultures to call home, it can feel very lonely.
When people stand up for what they believe in, not just for themselves but for others, we will find that the truth has a profound power to change the world for the better. So, here’s to the women who will not go quietly—Cheers to that!
How wonderful it is that nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. –Anne frank
The goals of social and environmental justice are long and far-reaching, but just because they are ambitious does not mean they are unachievable!
The future is not something you wait for, it is something you work for, and we are here to work for it, every single day. So here’s to the women who set the future in motion—Cheers to that!
-Ames Reeder
