Welcome to CHICKS ROCK!

I am so thrilled about this new component to TWM and can’t wait to hear from all of you – whether you are commenting, posting as a guest blogger or giving your two cents about our Friday Forum topics. We want this to be the place for you to connect with other women, make your voice heard, share your experiences and develop a deeper understanding of your world and the world around you as a result!

When the whole blogosphere exploded, we knew it would be a great way to engage the 2,000+ women who have been part of our community over the past seven years. This could offer a new way to participate and be more involved in what we are doing, as many of you cannot always get to our events, but continue to be very interested in and connected to who we are and what we do. And, of course, we also thought entering the blogosphere would be a great way to reach many, many more!

Oh – and at this point, you might be wondering who I am. As founder of The Women’s Mosaic^®, I wanted to dedicate my life to a company or organization that I was passionate about; one that incorporated and utilized all of my talents, skills, abilities. For years I searched for it – and to make a very long story short – I decided to create it. I knew that by allowing myself to express who I was, I would provide opportunities for other women to do the same. It is my belief that the world needs for women to be heard, and to add their creativity, intelligence and energy to making this planet the very best it can be – the empowerment of women both here and abroad is an essential key to creating positive change in this great big messy world of ours.

You will hear from me from time to time, but the focus of this blog will begin with our wonderful contributors Kekla, Sally and Pauline. Most importantly, it will consist of each and every one of you – who you are, how you experience life, what you want to talk about, and how you can support and help each other with an encouraging word, a relevant resource, or just by sharing something you have gone through, knowing that women who read it will know they are not alone. That in and of itself is quite powerful.

So, if you are not already on our mailing list, be sure to sign-up (via the box on the right) to be in the loop with what we are doing. And because TWM is a grassroots nonprofit organization that relies on financial contributions from the public, please consider becoming a member or making a donation to support our work to make every woman a CHICK that ROCKS!

About Me...Where Do I Begin?

When I think of who I am, I think of many things. For starters, I see myself as a woman, an American, my parents' oldest child, my siblings' big sister, and a friend. Then I think of myself a first generation American with Indian immigrant parents. I know that at first glance, most people see a woman with brown skin, who may or may not be an American. Once upon a time, I used to feel insecure about this perception. Now, I don't have to make excuses about my identity to anyone, and I don't have to limit myself to one category. Thankfully, we live in a country that is more accepting of people defining themselves with multiple labels. At the very least, it is not as strange as it used to be.

I was born and raised in New Jersey, and yet I have never thought of myself as a "Jersey Girl." While I currently live in the suburbs of my birth state, I have also had the privilege of living in New York City, London, and Indonesia for certain periods of time. As a closeted "wanderlust addict," I strongly believe that living and traveling in other countries is the best education a person can have, but not everyone may agree with me on that theory.

Since becoming a member of The Women's Mosaic (TWM), I have also learned how important sisterhood is in my life. TWM's concept of unity and diversity co-existing and flourishing together is something I can fully understand and embrace in my own life. Because of my natural restlessness, I may succumb to my nomadic impulses and live abroad again. Even if I leave the U.S.A. to work and live elsewhere, I will always be connected to my family, my friends, and TWM. I am so glad to be a part of an organization that really speaks to me!

Breaking Out of the Box

I've often wondered: What's the point of labels anyway? Conservative or liberal… black or white… gay or straight… man or woman… As if we're all one thing or another, rather than a point on a scale that changes with time. As if we all fit in tidy little boxes that always look the same inside and out.

I've never been a big fan of labels. Ever since high school, I've been silently protesting them whenever I see the word "Optional" next to a question asking me to check the appropriate box. The only label I've ever been comfortable giving myself is "Feminist" because it always grows with me.

Perhaps that is what drew me to The Women's Mosaic.

As an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, and the oldest of three daughters, I grew up very sheltered. Whether or not we have ended up with the "American Dream" can be debated, but living here has caused a great disconnect in my beliefs or passions, and those I am supposed to have.

With The Women's Mosaic, I was suddenly able to connect with women of various backgrounds who were open and eager to share their range of experiences. These women were also not afraid to say they don't fit into boxes and admit they can't live their lives according to traditional labels. You can never know just by looking at someone at a TWM event what their story will be. I LOVE THAT!

So hopefully you're okay with the fact that you'll never really be able to figure me out, because I am. And hopefully you didn't already start preparing a box just because I call myself a feminist — you may need to throw that out.

Though, if you insist on keeping me in the box, make it a nice, bright, colorful one with a big purple bow on top!

A Brief Introduction

People often ask me about my name. Kekla. I suppose that is as good a place as any to begin an introduction, even in a forum such as this one, where there will be no official shaking of hands. Does my name define me? Maybe. At least, more so than anything else does. Kekla means sunrise, or morning star, in Bassa, a language spoken in Cameroon, West Africa, where my father was born and raised. He and my mother, who is an American of Dutch and Scottish ancestry, decided to give my brother and me Bassa names so that we would always be in touch with the Cameroonian half of our heritage, despite living in the United States.

I got the name Kekla because I was born early in the morning; my parents looked at me, and it just seemed to fit. Still does. I like my name: the letters it uses, the sound it makes, the way it looks on paper in lots of different fonts. Even more, I like the things it symbolizes: warmth, new beginnings, light and possibilities. I like that it begins to tell a story, even before the person hearing it knows what the rest of that story will be. My name says that I am not just an ordinary woman, not just a normal American, not just a typical bi-racial American (if any of those things even exist). Rather, it invites you to listen a little closer. There is something more there. It doesn't tell you all of who I am, but it tells you I am someone.

I first encountered The Women's Mosaic five years ago, at a time when I was looking for inspiration, looking to define myself, looking to connect with people who could help me understand what this world is about, and how I can best live in it. These questions continue, but I have learned that TWM is a wonderful place to explore the answers.

I am still writing my story, day by day…