I was moved by a presentation that my friends did a few weeks ago about how their book club (after reading the book Half the Sky)  birthed something terrific.    Read about them as the real housewives of West Vancouver in Vancouver Sun here.

So on Saturday May 12, we set up a huge booth in support their cause.    So by donation, people could get some nice images for their mothers and relatives.

Read more by clicking the image below.

Why kenton headshots is passionate about this:

I know that I am a son of woman, husband to a woman, a brother to women, and a father to a woman.    Woman are important to the shaping of our world.    They have shaped me and my story.

I am forever grateful to the people who hold “half the sky.”  My mother became the primary bread winner when my father almost died.    She sacrificed a lot and was not able to be there for us but gave her life to feed us.   My grandmother pitched in and loved us the best she could while my father found his way with his disability.

Some of the most powerful and influential voices are those of  women.   My sisters championed us throughout our childhood and gave us a moral compass to find our way.  Some wonderful elementary teachers looked out for me when the tragedy struck our family.  In junior high and high school a couple of teachers challenged me to dream big and think outside the box not knowing my history.  Through university, work, and grad school, female colleagues and professors shed light along the way and inspired me.   My life coaching training facilitators were empowered women who told us, “you can move mountains!”

Powerful stuff, eh!

The reality check is that I have heard stories of women and how they have been wrongly treated.   They faced prejudice and injustices for just being women – leaders, wives, and daughters.    I got to weep with some of them.   My mother and grandmother were brought up in a culture where they were devalued because of their gender.     They were less because they were not born as “sons.”   It is hard to shake that mentality.   My father made things right for my sisters even though some of it was not intentional.    My sisters are champions.

When I watched Born Into Brothels, that was when I began to realize the cycle and oppression women face.  Most recently, watching Miss Representation, got me asking the hard questions again about raising my daughter to know that she is not defined by her looks but by her personhood.      Over the past few years, I have been involved in organizations who are helping restore women and offer them wholeness.    I had the privilege to be at summer camps  to speak to young women and young men about these issues and challenge them to think differently.

Recently, my wife and I watched  Miss Representation  a documentary about how media affects women and how people are trying to create change.    When the my friends shared about their HALF THE SKY event the following week I  knew I had to be a part of it.  I hope you will too.    Even if you can’t make it, bookmark their website and check out the different groups we are supporting.