Nearly two years ago, just before I was to give a speech before a group of Michigan businesspeople, I met a woman who was wearing a very unusual, intriguing pin.   I complimented her on it and she told me how much she loved it. 

After my speech, the same woman came up to me, handed me the pin and told me she wanted me to have it.   “Oh no, I couldn’t take your pin.  I know it’s very special to you.”  She insisted, but told me there was a string attached to her gift.  “You must promise me that one day you will give this pin to another woman,” she said.  “I am giving it to you with the understanding that you will pass it forward.”  “How long can I keep it?” I asked her.  She simply said, “You will know when it’s time to pass the pin and its power forward."

There is something almost magical about the pin, and I've loved it.  Every time I put it on, I felt empowered by the woman who gave it to me. But as much as I hated to give it up, I have known for weeks that the time had come.  I also knew exactly to whom the pin should go next.  I just hadn’t found the right moment to present it to her.

That moment came this past Friday at a breakfast gathering of the Michigan Women Officials Network.  WON, as we call ourselves, is a non-partisan group of women elected officials, judges, public commission appointees and people committed to increasing the number of women in elected office.    The woman I had in mind would be there.   Blanca Fauble is very special friend who insisted on taking over as my Campaign Manager when I ran for my first political office last fall.   Originally from Peru, she is a bi-lingual, stunningly capable dynamo who gives and gives and gives to others.  The fact that I won my election to the Auburn Hills City Council by a landslide is a tribute to her capabilities.   She is also going through one of those life and career transitions that most of us have experienced.  They are always tough and it is easy, particularly for women, to forget how strong our wings truly are and how high we are capable of soaring. 

Before the breakfast began, I asked our president, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Joan Young, if I could take a few minutes to present the pin.  Judge Young and another officer, Troy City Councilwoman Mary Kerwin, urged me to also use the "pinning" to encourage every other woman in the room to find ways to pass her power forward, as well.  As you can see from the photo, the "pinning" turned out to be an emotional, memorable moment between "sisters."  

Sometimes it takes my breath away when I think about how far women have progressed in my lifetime.  At other moments, I stagger under the weight of how far we have to go to end the oppression and brutalization of girls and women throughout the world.  According to the Global Gender Gap Report, issued annually by the World Economic Forum, not a country in the world has achieved gender equity.  The Scandinavian countries are leading the way.  The U.S. has lost ground, slipping from 27th to 31st in the world on how well we divide our resources and opportunities between males and females.  What did they measure?   Economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, political empowerment and survival.

Monday, March 8th is International Women’s Day.   I hope you’ll join your sisters from all over the world this week to do something special to remind yourself and the women in your life what a powerful tribe we are.   There is a Chinese proverb which says, “Women hold up half the sky.”  Perhaps you've read Half the Sky, written by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn.  It's a spectacular book about courageous women from all over the world who are examples of how we can turn gender oppression into opportunity. If you haven’t read it yet, give it to yourself as an International Women’s Day gift.  And then, pass it on to someone else – a man or a woman – who understands that the world will be a better place when we tap the full power of our feminine strengths and stand side-by-side with men, holding up half the sky together.

The next step, which I dream of achieving in my lifetime, is for women throughout the world to come together into a powerful, collective feminine force field.  That transformation will begin when we learn how to share and combine our individual power.  We must be the wind beneath each others' wings.  Otherwise, none of will reach the heights we could achieve together.  You don't need a magical pin to lift another woman.  Pass your power forward.

Eve Ensler, author of the world-acclaimed Vagina Monologues, has devoted her life to ending violence against girls and women, taking her message all over the world.   She has a new and equally compelling message about the urgency of saving "The Girl Cell," which has been systematically devalued and destroyed in males as well as females.  I Am An Emotional Creature:  The Secret Life of Girls Around the World, based on her years living and talking with girls and women all over the world, is available now for pre-order.  

She recently spoke to a sold-out audience in India.  Click here to see the performance of this wise, passionate and EMOTIONAL woman. 

There are millions of individual stories that begin to personalize for us the depth of the Haitian tragedy.  Here is one that has huge, long-term  implications for the women and girls of our ravaged, sister country.   Three of the most visible and effective women leaders in the country were all killed in the earthquake.   Here is the story of who they were and what they did.  I hope they inspire you to do MORE, as well.   Click here. 

The Pew Research Center has just published a revealing and fascinating look at the dramatic shifts underway in gender roles, particularly as they relate to marriage.  According to the report, "The institution of marriage has undergone significant changes in recent decades as women have outpaced men in education and earnings growth.  The unequal gains have been accompanied by gender role reversals in both the spousal characteristics and the economic benefits of marriage."

Two of the most fascinating facts, to me, were:

• A few decades back, a majority of women said they would consider marrying a man they didn't love -- IF he were a strong financial provider.  In Pew's most recent research, an overwhelming majority (87%) of the American women surveyed said they would not marry a man they didn't love because of his money.  Instead, the top qualities they were looking for in a man were:  intimate communication skills and willingness to pitch in as an equal partner on the homefront.
•  There's been a statistically significant increase in the number of men -- particularly in the 30-44 age group -- who are married to women who are better educated and earn more money than they do.

Here's the link to Pew Research Center's report on:  New Economics of Marriage:  The Rise of Wives. 

If you haven't seen Sandra Bullock's new movie, Blind Side, yet -- Go See It!  Not only is it a great story AND Bullock gives what may be an Academy Award nomination worthy performance.   But here's the big news. 

Variety, the entertainment industry's most important trade paper, has just reported that Blind Side has just become the first-led fillm in movie history to cross the magical $200 million earning mark at the Box Office.   Keep that up and Hollywood may start realizing the power of the pur$e.   Here's the story.

P.S.  I also loved It's Complicated, Meryl Streep's newest movie, and George Clooney's Up In the Air, which was filmed in Detroit.  Both made me laugh out loud -- and think about them long after they ended.

I took my headline directly from the author of this excellent Salon.com piece on the recent furor over the lack of a single woman author on Publisher Weekly's recent list of the Top 10 Books of the year.  What was the controversy all about?  Not a single woman author made the cut. 

What's wrong with that?  To quote columnist Kate Harding, the problem ". . . is not feminists searching the horizon with high-powered binoculars for any slight, but too many other people's deliberate decision to wear blinders."  

I'm deeply concerned that too many people -- beginning with women -- have been wearing blinders for nearly a decade about women's influence as leaders in our culture, organizations and public policy.  Complacency that all is well is the fastest route to losing ground.  It's time to start connecting the dots about how far women still have to go before we become equal partners with men in shaping the world we're leaving for those who will follow.

There wasn't a lot of hullabaloo about long-time Good Morning America host Diane Sawyer finally ascending to ABC's prime news anchor slot.  Remember all the fuss and excitement and pre-Katie hype when CBS News made the BIG LEAP a couple of years back when they named Katie Couric the 1st woman to anchor network nightly news?   Couric paid a high price for being "first" to the network anchor desk and rumors of her imminent firing have rumbled around media circles for a few years. 

The good news is that the "second trailblazer" rarely gets the attention or creates the discomfort with change that the "1st trailblazer" -- in ANYTHING -- does.  But make no mistake:  when it comes to cultural change, trailblazers, firsts and pioneers are only exceptions to the rule unless others follow their lead.

Diane Sawyer is no follower.  But her ascent -- low key as it's recent kick-off was -- to "Top Dog" position at ABC News is huge.  Not just for Diane Sawyer, but for our culture's steady progress toward seeing women in leadership positions.  Here's more on the Sawyer story from the New York Times.

How often does a media juggernaut look to a Michigander for advice? It happened this morning. Diane Tucker, a Washington,D.C.-based columnist for The Huffington Post, profiled me today on women and political power. One of the questions she asked was, "What are the first three things a woman should do who is thinking about running?"  

Here they are:  1) Start telling people you're thinking of running.  You'll be amazed at the encouragement and support you'll get.  2) Figure out why you're running;  best way to do that is to start developing your campaign website.  3) Start raising money -- and begin with people who believe in you and you've supported and helped.   Bottom line:   It's all about numbers now -- we need many, many more women to RUN!   Here's the Huffington Post piece, What's an Underemployed Gal to Do?  Run for Office."  

The Tiger Woods story is too big, too much on everyon's tongue to ignore.  I spent five years covering professional athletes, during my years as a TV sports reporter/anchor for CBS in Detroit.  That's why I wasn't the least big surprised when all the details behind Tiger's perfectly crafted image started coming out.   I hate to see a role model as accomplished and squeaky clean as Tiger Woods fall as hard and fast as he has in the past few days.  But it's his own doing -- not the fault of "tabloid journalism," as he and his image consultants would like us to believe.  A lot has been written since that 911 call to Florida police.  The best commentary I've read is by highly-respected and experienced USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan.  She's been covering superstar athletes for several decades and knows of what she speaks.   Click here for Brennan's thoughts on Tiger's torment.  

Did you know that ski jumping is the only Olympic sport where women are not allowed to compete?  I discovered that when I met fellow International Women's Forum member Deedee Corradini, the former Mayor of Salt Lake City and the current president of the Women's Ski Jumping Association.  

The International Olympic Committee has been fighting tooth and nail to keep women ski jumpers out.  Why?  They CLAIM it's because it's such a dangerous sport and they don't want women injured.  Right!  How about the real reason, which Corradini tells me is this:   Women tend to be lighter than men, which mean they can "fly" through the air further when ski jumping.  Can you imagine the international scandal if Olympic women ski jumpers ended up jumping further than men?

NY comedienne Megan Grano, whose the daughter of Michigan Supreme Court Justice Maura Corrigan, a personal friend, is now taking on the IOC.  Sometimes humor gets you further than powerpoints and facts.  Click here to enjoy this short (2-minute) video on the IOC's fear of women ski jumpers.