Margaret Cho

Today Tuesday February 21, 2012 The WOD is Margaret Cho.
Margaret Cho was born Dec. 5, 1968 and raised in San Francisco.

Her grandfather was a Methodist minister who ran an orphanage in Seoul during the Korean War. Ignoring the traditions of her patriarchal culture, her mother bravely resisted an arranged marriage in Korea and married Margaret’s father who writes joke books – in Korean. “Books like 1001 Jokes for Public Speakers – real corny stuff,” Cho says. “I guess we’re in the same line of work. But we don’t understand each other that way. I don’t know why the things he says are funny and the same for him.”

What Margaret did know is that she didn’t love being a kid. Racing toward adulthood to escape bullying, she began writing jokes for stand up at 14 and professionally performing at age 16. Getting picked on, and feeling disenfranchised, is a subject that’s very near to Margaret’s heart. She has become a sort of “Patron Saint” for Outsiders, speaking for them when they are not able to speak for themselves. “Being bullied influenced my adult life because I grew up too fast. I was in such a hurry to escape that I cheated myself out of a childhood. I didn’t want to go to school any more, didn’t want to be around those people any more. I want to use what happened to me to help other kids.”

In 1994 Margaret developed an eating disorder as a response to criticism about her body. She was so obsessive in her goal to try to be what she thought others wanted, she landed in the hospital with kidney failure. Since she's become an outspoken critic of unrealistic beauty standards.

"Just read an article about myself where I described myself as 'chubby' and I think that it is a fairly unacceptable description, and I want to apologize to myself for saying it, because that is just wrong. I am not chubby – and to call myself that is to endanger the lives of millions of young girls who look to the media to define who they are, who are constantly checking themselves for fear of wrecking themselves, who are afraid to be thought of as 'chubby,' who don’t realize that they are perfect as they are, and it is irresponsible. I fear they will read this article and look at my body and be scared because it is like theirs, and they will then think of themselves as 'chubby' and learn to hate themselves more. To call me 'chubby' is to call a billion women 'chubby' who shouldn’t think of themselves as anything less than hot and sexy and curvy and built. I am not 'chubby.' I am a real live perfectly beautiful woman, and just because I may be larger than the mostly anorexic female population in Hollywood, it doesn’t make me any less desirable or gorgeous because I like food. I take it back, as I must take back all the millions of insults that I hurl at myself without knowing it. I would never, ever say any of the horrible things I say to myself about myself to anyone else, not even someone I hated, because there is no one I could possibly hate that much. We must stop fighting the war against ourselves before we can truly start to love ourselves. We are not 'chubby,' we are perfect. We are beautiful. We are so very very beautiful."

Besides being a comedian, she is a fashion designer, actress, author, and singer-songwriter. Cho is best known for her stand-up routines through, which she critiques social and political problems, especially those pertaining to race and sexuality. She has also directed and appeared in music videos and has her own clothing line. She has frequently supported LGBT rights and has won awards for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of women, Asians, and the LGBT community.

k.d. lang

Happy Birthday to today's Awesome Woman of the Day, k.d. lang, born Kathryn Dawn Lang, November 2, 1951, in Edmonton (or Consort? Found two different accounts), Alberta, Canada. Lang is well-known today as a silken-voiced balladeer, thanks probably to her early "Crying" duet with Roy Orbison http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-EiKPrAOHA but she was known before that in smaller circles as a cowpunk alt-country act, before there really even was such a thing as alt-country.

Which is why I think she's awesome: lots of supertalented people never get the kind of success k.d. lang found (and worked for and deserved), so it was incredibly brave of her to come out as a lesbian AND a vegan while making her living as a mainstream country artist. Twenty years later, I think only one other country artist has come out, and I don't think any of them are out as vegans.

In addition to displaying awesome bravery, Lang is a human rights activist and an animal rights activist. For more biographical details, see, e.g.,
http://www.kdlang.com/bio
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K.d._lang
http://www.askmen.com/celebs/women/singer_150/190_kd_lang.html (cheese warning)
http://folkmusic.about.com/od/artistskr/p/kdlang_profile.htm

Cyndi Lauper

Today’s WOD is Cyndi Lauper, born in New York, NY in 1953 is a singer, songwriter, actress, LGBT rights activist and a True 80’s fashion Icon! As a teenager in the 80’s I loved her style, her music, her voice and most of all her attitude. She had a loyal fanbase of anarchists and outcasts for her funky, punk rock image. She was the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album. Cyndi herself was known for bucking the norm and giving the middle finger to anyone who tried to keep her down. When she lost her voice, she was told by three different doctors she would never sing again. She went on to make 11 albums and release over 40 singles. Her most popular song, “Girls Just Wanna Fun,” was originally written for a man – but Cyndi thought it was sexist and changed the lyrics, and as a result it became one of the world’s most recognizable feminist anthems.

Although Cyndi has had quite an accomplished career, her activism for the LGBT community has made her a woman truly worthy of praise. She embodies her hit song “True Colors”. An unwavering advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality since the start of her career, Cyndi created the True Colors Tour in 2007. The Tour has brought together artists like Erasure, The B-52s, the Indigo Girls, Deborah Harry and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts for shows that successfully merge great music and public awareness about the issues facing the LGBT community.

To further her role as an activist, Cyndi founded the True Colors Fund in 2008. The non-profit seeks to inspire and engage everyone, particularly the straight community, to become involved in the advancement of LGBT equality. The Fund recently launched the Give a Damn Campaign, an extensive and innovative online public education and awareness initiative.

Once again, Lauper will put her money where her mouth is. Cyndi Lauper is set to open a 30-bed housing facility for homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered youth in Manhattan on September 1st. The True Colors Residence, named after her 1986 hit "True Colors," will be located on West 154th St. near Frederick Douglass Blvd. in Harlem. The residence, the first permanent housing facility of its kind in the city, was conceived by the singer, her manager and the West End Intergenerational Residence, a non-profit focused on providing housing for homeless families and the elderly.

Lauper, a longtime supporter for LGBT rights, was moved to pursue this project because up to 40 percent of homeless youth in the city identify as LGBT. "These young people often face discrimination and at times physical assault in some of the very places they have to go for help," she wrote in a letter seeking donations for the residence. "This is shocking and inexcusable!"

"Our primary goal is to provide a physically and emotionally safe and supportive environment that will empower our young residents to be the self-loving, happy and successful individuals they were meant to be," said Lauper.

In appreciation for her work, Cyndi has been honored by many organizations including the Human Rights Campaign, GLSEN and PFLAG.

Cyndi is also a tireless participant in the struggle to end the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Most recently, Cyndi has joined with Lady Gaga to be the spokespeople for the 2010 MAC Viva Glam Campaign and to educate woman about HIV/AIDS around the world.

She also continues to participate in efforts and events for organizations like AMFAR, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Gay Men’s Health Crisis in order to speak out about the need for education and greater resources to fight this disease.

“It’s an honor to always have the genuine affection of the gay community,” Cyndi says. “They have never turned their back on me. I will never turn my back on them. We’ve had a long and enduring love affair.”


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyndi_Lauper

http://www.wegiveadamn.org/

http://cyndilauper.com/bio/

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/cyndi-lauper-opens-shelter-for-homeless-lgbt-youth-20110825

Annie Lenox

The “Awesome Woman of the Day” for today, Saturday, July 16th 2011, is Scottish-born singer, songwriter, activist, and compassionate humanitarian Annie Lennox. Celebrated internationally as an icon, innovator and symbol of enduring excellence, you must know of her internationally acclaimed, award winning musical endeavors with Dave Stewart as the 80‘s duo ‘Eurhythmics’, and more recently as a popular and mega-successful solo artist. But did you know that Annie Lennox is also known, perhaps more importantly, for her numerous philanthropic and humanitarian pursuits?

Ann (Annie) Lennox was born late at night in the Scottish city of Aberdeen on December 25th 1954. An only child, she and her parents lived in a humble two-room tenement house in the industrial area of Aberdeen, where her father worked as a boilermaker in the shipyard. At age four, Annie passed the rigorous entrance exam and gained entrance to the “posh” Aberdeen School for Girls where she was recognized for her talents in poetry, music and drawing. She played the piano and flute in orchestra and military band, sang in the choir, and attended dance classes with Marguerite Feltges who, incidently, introduced her students to a Greek form of dance known as “eurhythmics.” In 1971, at the age of 17, Annie Lennox left Scotland to attend the Royal Academy of Music in London, where, in her words, she felt “somewhat misplaced” and “for three slow years...painfully struggled...perplexed and baffled as to what I was supposed ‘to do’ with my life.” Just weeks before her final exams she left the Royal Academy and “spent the next three years looking for something better to do.”  During that time she met David Stewart, and the rest became pop-cultural music history.

Annie Lennox works tirelessly and has received a variety of awards and recognitions for her charitable and humanitarian work fighting poverty, supporting education, raising awareness of HIV and AIDS, and promoting peace, human rights and social justice. As a long-time public supporter of Amnesty International and Greenpeace, she and Dave Stewart donated all  profits from Eurhythmics’ 1999 Peacetour to these two groups.  After hearing Nelson Mandela in 2003 describe the AIDS pandemic in S. Africa as genocide, with women and children as the “frontline victims,” Lennox experienced a turning point in her life and became an important HIV/AIDS activist. Inspired by Nelson Mandela’s 46664 Campaign and Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), both human rights groups promoting education and healthcare for people affected by HIV in South Africa, Annie Lennox invited 23 of the most internationally acclaimed female vocal artists including Madonna, Celine Dion, Joss Stone, and Pink to join her in recording the song “Sing.”



Later that year, in December 2007, Lennox established the The Sing Campaign, an organization dedicated to raising money and awareness for and giving voice to women and children affected by HIV and AIDS. Since 2007, SING has raised million of dollars world-wide. The money raised by SING specifically helps prevent the spread of HIV in South Africa, but the awareness that SING raises in countries all around the world is just as important. One of SING’s aims is to increase global action to support infected and affected women and children, especially in the UK. See http://www.annielennoxsing.com/about-sing for more info and how you can help this cause.

This Awesome Woman currently holds titles as Oxfam Ambassador, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for AIDS, Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Scotland, Ambassador for HIV/AIDS in London, and UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador. Annie Lennox also receives global recognition for her humanitarian efforts and achievements:  In 2009 she received Save the Children’s  “Amigo do los Ninos” award, given the “Freedom of the City of London” award by the British Red Cross, and was presented with the “Nobel Woman of Peace Award,” each recognizing her services to humanity in the field of HIV and AIDS. In 2010 she was named Barclay’s Woman of the Year, GQ magazine’s Charity Woman of the Year, and received Harper’s Bazaar Lifetime Achievement Award. Most recently, on June 28, 2011, Lennox received the prestigious Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II, for her work as an Oxfam Ambassador fighting AIDS and poverty in Africa (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13940772).

AWU post and comments at http://www.facebook.com/groups/343338393054?view=doc&id=10150315296358055

Joan Baez

Awesome Woman of the Day is Joan Baez, (b 1941) Joan Baez is a singer who possesses one of the most incredibly beautiful voices of our time. She was a full fledged member of the 60s folk movement. She introduced Bob Dylan to audiences (and was romantically involved with him for several years) and and influenced singers such as Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Raitt.

This very talented woman throughout her career gave unselfishly of her time and resources to causes she believed in.

Her first act of civil disobedience was in high school when she refused to leave her classroom for an air raid drill, believing the bomb scares were government propaganda. She was also active in the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley.

In the 1950s after hearing Martin Luther King speak about civil rights and social justice, and the nonviolent movement, was so moved that she marched with Dr. King and demonstrated with him at many civil rights demonstrations including the march from Selma to Montgomery.

She performed “We Shall Overcome” at the 1963 March On Washington. Her recording of “Birmingham Sunday” was used in spike Lee’s “4 Little Girls”

In 1966 the worked with Cesar Chavez for the migrant farm workers and preformed at a benefit on their behalf.

In the anti-war movement Ms Baez was a vocal and active supporter. She advocated withholding taxes used for war and withheld sixty percent of her own. She founded the Institute for the Study of Nonviolence and encouraged draft resistance. Her husband David Harris went to prison for resisting the draft.

Joan held a free concert at the Washington Monument in 1967 protesting the war. It was attended by 30,000 and opposed by the DAR. She marched and demonstrated in many anti-war protests, ending with the “War Is Over” celebration in 1975. When she visited North Viet Nam in ’72 to deliver Christmas mail to POWs and was distressed at the level of human rights violations. Unlike some on the left at that time, she organized a full page advertisement of those atrocities. Ms Baez has been a staunch critic of human rights violations of countries on both left and right. In Chile, Brazil and Argentina she was prevented from performing and subjected to death threats. She has traveled the world bringing food and medicine to troubled regions.

Joan has been a fierce advocate for Gay and Lesbian rights since the late 70s. As in her other causes, she has appeared and organized benefits for them.

In 2006 Joan received the Distinguished Leadership Award from the Legal Community Against Violence for her lifetime of work against violence.

Joan Baez has been and continues to bring light to dark places, and, by the way, continues singing.

AWU post and comments at http://www.facebook.com/groups/343338393054?view=permalink&id=10150314428918055

Carole King

Today's Awesome Woman is Carole King, born February 9, 1942. She is a genius songwriter and, I think, one of the architects of pop music as a genre unto itself, as opposed to just whatever kind of music happens to be popular at any given time. She had her first hit at age 18 (Will You Love Me Tomorrow) and wrote more than 2 dozen hits during the 60s alone. She continues writing, singing, and touring, and her most recent record has sold more than 400k copies.

AWU post at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_343338393054&view=permalink&id=10150233081673055