St. Patrick’s Day, Mount Holyoke, and UN

St Patrick’s Day

I read a couple of days ago that St. Patrick wasn’t Irish. There weren’t snakes in Ireland so he couldn’t have rid the island of snakes as legend says. The original color of the day honoring him was blue!

I’m not even going to look up the article to share with you. That’s how little attachment I feel to this day.

So why am I making my headers green? Just for fun.

What I am looking forward to this afternoon is a party! It’s to celebrate the 50th birthday of my friend and fellow Mount Holyoke alum Jacquie.

She suffered a stroke 13 months ago and is making great strides in recovery. I’m so glad her husband is holding this party to honor her, their daughter who turned 10 recently, and his turning 60 last year.

Several Hours Later After the Party

We’ve now been to the party and come home! It was truly lovely.

Jacquie looked gorgeous in a royal blue blouse and colorful beads. Her hair was arranged in a beautiful and flattering style. Jacquie’s dad, sister, and cousin were there. A band played.

Mount Holyoke Women at the Party

There were several Mount Holyoke women from Jacquie’s class, ’91, and surrounding years. One of the women looked at me and said, “You’re Ms. Onyemelukwe, right? I’ve been to your house!”

Before her stroke, Jacquie was a major organizer of Mount Holyoke Neighborhood Dinners. She arranged these for alums in Westport and nearby towns more than once, usually at our house.

Another said, “I knew your daughter Beth (Mount Holyoke class of ’89). She was a good friend of my roommate; they sang together.”

In addition to the fun connections the atmosphere was warm and friendly. Larry, Jacquie’s husband, made a brief speech. He thanked us all for coming and thanked the friends who have provided support over the last months.

He brought tears to many eyes when he said, “Just before her birthday a year ago, we weren’t sure if Jacquie would make it. She did, and I’m very grateful. I can’t imagine life without her!”

CSW and USNC 

CSW is the UN’s annual Commission on the Status of Women, always held in March. The priority theme is on empowerment of rural women and girls. And you surely remember USNC: the United States National Committee for UN Women.

“UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.”

I’m on the board of the USNC, which is how I got my pass to get into the UN for this year’s CSW.

Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria at CSW

There are always hundreds of “parallel” events surrounding CSW. On Tuesday morning I went to the presentation by the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria. The most interesting speaker was Justice Suzette E. Nyesom Wike.

She said that there are many international treaties and protocols that protect women and girls. The Nigerian government is a signatory to these. But there has been little or no action. She urged audience members to lobby their representatives to enact legislation to enforce these protections. The Nigerian Sun online had an article today about the event.

I met an anaesthetist from Uyo University Teaching Hospital named Catherine! Not a common name among Nigerians! Did you know that the words for a doctor who administers anesthetics are different in Britain and the US? I didn’t. She would be called an anesthesiologist in this country. 

I also learned that the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria is part of an international organization of women in medicine. Does my daughter know this group exists? Is she a member? I’ll find out.

USNC at CSW

The USNC presented an event on Thursday as another of the “parallel: events. Ours was a panel discussion on women in media, especially film. Terry Brackett, my fellow board member, chaired the panel. She heads a film festival that the Sarasota Chapter of USNC puts on every year.

The three speakers, two from nonprofits and the third an academic, were excellent. The professor, Dr. Heywood, looked quiet and demure. She became animated as she described Queen Njinga who was a major figure in 17th century Angola in southwest Africa.

Njinga was fluent in Portuguese, but insisted on using her native language in negotiations. I don’t know if Dr. Heywood approves of this YouTube depiction with a different spelling of the name but I liked the music!

The course she teaches at Boston University on Women, Culture and Power must be fascinating.

Jamie Dobie, another panelist, is Executive Director of Peace is Loud. Their mission is “to generate a groundswell of people committed to building a culture of peace.”

According to Terry, Peace is Loud is having an impact. They use media and events to highlight women actively engaged in peace-building, thus encouraging others.

I didn’t get to the other events on Thursday that I had planned for. Still I had a good sample of CSW. There’s another week of activities, but I think I’ve had my share for this year!

Let me know if you attend any! Most of the “parallel” events are open to the public and don’t require a UN pass.