Launch Day! One woman song for International Women’s Day

It doesn't get any better than today.​

March 8, 2013. A very snowy Friday. Despite the traffic snafus, the room at the UN is overflowing - hundreds of men and women in colorful outfits, excitement bubbling. It's International Women' Day.​

​It's not yet 10am, but they almost won't let me in - it's the overflow room for me. No! But someone snags me and pulls me into the room, to a seat in the front row. It's reserved in my name. Wow.

Isha Sesay, CNN anchor, makes introductory remarks. She says, Today we have a special treat for you - the first theme song ever written for a UN Agency. 

​That would be our song.

Then Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon makes his remarks. He closes his speech by saying, " If we work together - as our new song says - We Shall Shine." 

That would be my lyric.​

Then they played the video for "One Woman." Ms. Bachelet, Exec Dir of UN Women and former president of Chile, sang along; if she could have stood up and danced, I think she might have (that's what she did at the pre-launch sneak performance on Tuesday). ​

​And when it was over, people cheered.  Ms. Bachelet and Ban-Ki Moon gestured for me to stand up, so I did. People cheered. I cried. 

Here's a terrible picture of Mr. Moon shaking my hand.​

And then - how cool is this? - UN Women rented a karaoke booth so people could sing the song. They audio and videotaped the performances for the next fun and fabulous music video for "One Woman."​ ​

May everyone sing this song, in their own language, in their own voice. May we all shine.​

Are you a Latin music artist interested in ending domestic violence?

One out of every three women under the age of 35 has experienced gender-based violence during her lifetime (according to the Ibero-American Youth Organization). And regional statistics in Latin America and the Caribbean are even more terrifying. For instance, in the Bahamas, 17% percent of deaths/homicides in 2007 were as a result of domestic violence.

In September, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Campaign UNiTE To End Violence Against Women invited 26 artists from Latin America and the Caribbean to participate in a workshop in Panama City.

Over three days, those artists used their talent to generate compelling messages and other initiatives to raise awareness of and advocate for an end to this scourge of violence against women and girls.

http://www.saynotoviolence.org/join-say-no/26-artists-unite

Are you interested in being involved? Let us know!