While the holiday gets little attention in the U.S., people in other areas of the world whoop it up, as evidenced by the many events listed on this slightly more commercial International Women’s Day site. (There are 238 events IWD events listed for the U.K., but only 124 in the U.S..)

I’m all about celebrating women here at Mombian, though, so here’s a topic for discussion today:

How has either being a mother or being LGBT changed your awareness and/or involvement in women’s rights and issues?

I feel obliged to point out, however, that while the NEA has a fascinating and packed Diversity Calendar, worth a read, there is one major heritage month missing from it. In June. Can you guess? Harumph.

Still, the good doctor himself remains a favorite of mine even now. In honor of the event, I invite you to leave a comment with any or all of the below:

• The name of your favorite Seuss book.
• A rewritten Seuss title, giving it an LGBT theme. (Of course, One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dad, Blue Dads has already been done for real.) My entry, in honor of the high-protein, low-carb diet I had to be on while taking one particular fertility drug: “In Vitro Fertilized Eggs and Ham.”
• A Seuss-style stanza about your family.

I am a member of the Amazon Associates program, and get a small referral fee from all purchases made at Amazon.com via links on this site. You are under no obligation to purchase through them.

As Martin once said, ‘We are all tied together in a single garment of destiny… an inescapable network of mutuality… I can never be what I ought to be until you are allowed to be what you ought to be.’

Therefore, I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream to make room at the table of brother and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people.

After the jump, a number of books for young children about Dr. King. What struck me most about these books was the quality of the illustrations, consistently a notch above the average in children’s literature, and a fitting tribute to their subject.

• Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King Jr., by Jean Marzollo is one of the few books geared for the preschool age group. As such, it is very simplified, but still manages to convey a sense of why we celebrate Dr. King’s life. A forward gives suggestions on how to explain his death in age-appropriate ways. The oil pastel and scratchboard illustrations by Brian Pinkney are full of feeling.
• Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by Doreen Rappaport, aims at children a few years older. It’s a little more in depth, and doesn’t shirk from explaining that the civil rights marchers “were jailed and beaten and murdered.” It’s notable for the large-font quotations from Dr. King throughout the text. Bryan Collier’s watercolor and collage illustrations are evocative and dramatic. Both Collier and Rappaport received Coretta Scott King Book Award honors for previous works.
• My Dream of Martin Luther King by Caldecott Honor winner Faith Ringgold has also gotten excellent reviews for this age group, but I have not had the opportunity to read it myself.
• I’ve Seen the Promised Land: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by another Coretta Scott King Award-winning author, Walter Dean Myers, is a little more text heavy, probably best for the older elementary ages. Leonard Jenkins keeps up the run of excellent artwork with his vivid paintings.
• I Have A Dream contains the text of Dr. King’s most famous speech, with illustrations by 15 Coretta Scott King Award-winning artists. The book shows us how emotional words can translate into emotional pictures. Each of the artists also explains his or her approach to the project. The pictures should appeal to young children of all ages, especially those who have read one or more of the titles above. Older children may want to delve into the text itself.

This is not a comprehensive list. Please feel free to add your own recommendations in the comments.

I am a member of the Amazon Associates program, and get a small referral fee from all purchases made at Amazon.com via links on this site. You are under no obligation to purchase through them.

May the year be full of love, happiness, peace, and equality for all.

Special wishes to same-sex couples in New Hampshire who are now able to marry. (It is, however, rather cold here in New England at the moment. I suggest a Polarfleece theme for your reception.)

A nod, too, to Californians, who are welcoming three pieces of legislation that expand rights for LGBT people:

• The Marriage Recognition and Family Protection Act, which states that same-sex couples married in any state or nation anytime before the passage of Proposition 8 must be recognized as married spouses in California. The new statute also confirms that same-sex couples married outside of California after November 5, 2008, must be given all of the rights, protections and responsibilities of married spouses under California law, with the sole exception of the designation of “marriage.”
• The LGBT Domestic Violence Programs Expansion Bill, which expands access for LGBT service providers to a state fund within the California Emergency Management Agency, which supports LGBT-specific domestic violence programs across the state. The new law also allows for more than four organizations to apply for programmatic funding each fiscal cycle and eliminates the requirement for providers to offer shelter – impediments to many smaller LGBT organizations.
• Harvey Milk Day, which will be celebrated on May 22, 2010, the first time in the nation’s history that a state will officially recognize and celebrate the contributions of an openly LGBT person with an annual “day of special significance.”

Having said that it is not a part of my own family tradition, I should add: Last night at dinner, we were talking about various holidays. Helen’s side of the family is white and Protestant, and mine is Eastern European Jewish, though not observant. I’m a practicing atheist who spent my grad school years studying the medieval Catholic worldview. Our son, raised in our “We celebrate everything!” tradition, at one point proclaimed, “Let’s celebrate Kwanzaa!” and proceeded to demonstrate that he knew quite a lot about it, including its purpose and the meaning of the colors on the Kwanzaa candles. Let’s hear it for our modern, multi-cultural public education system. He was quite adamant that he wanted to observe it because he likes the idea of a harvest festival and celebrating people of all skin colors.

I can’t argue with that, although I am also aware of the dangers associated with cultural appropriation. Still, I see nothing wrong with simply talking about each of the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa during the course of the week. We’ll use it as an opportunity for raising our cultural awareness as well as discussing some of the commonalities across all our observances. Gotta go look up some kid-friendly poems or other short readings that might apply. (Suggestions welcome.)

Whatever holiday or holidays you observe, may you rejoice in your family’s heritage and your own unique interpretation of it.

Posting will be light here for a few days as I spend time playing with my son’s new toys. (He’ll have a lot; we can take turns.)

Mix 1/4 cup plain, dry oatmeal (regular or instant) with about 1/2 tsp each red and green decorative sugar crystals.

My son’s room parent added this note to the bag:

On Christmas Eve,
Sprinkle this magic reindeer food
On your lawn.
The magic glitter
Sparkling in the moonlight
And the smell of oats
Will help guide
Rudolph to your house!

Anyone have any other traditions for feeding Santa and his team? (Me? I’d go multi-culti and leave him some latkes.)

Here’s how it works:

To participate in the campaign, we encourage families to send holiday cards to the First Family, and share their photos and this message:

“Season’s Greetings, from our family to yours. May the next year bring peace and equality for all.”

Please send your holiday cards and photos to:

Family Equality Council
Attn: First Family
P.O. Box 206
Boston, MA 02133

or send a digital version to tina.walker-morin@familyequality.org by January 1, 2010. We encourage you to send your holiday cards as soon as possible so that we can compile all of the images into a holiday package to be delivered to the First Family.

Visit the partnership’s Web site for more details.

Sponsoring organizations include Center Kids: A Program of the New York LGBT Community Center; COLAGE; Equality California; Equality Federation; Family Equality Council; Family Matters: a program of the San Diego LGBT Community Center; L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s Family Services Program; Lesbian and Gay Family Building Project; the Mega Family Project; National Center for Lesbian Rights; Our Family Coalition; Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG); and the San Francisco LGBT Community Center.

I say, while you’re at it, send cards to all of your state legislators and members of Congress.

Look for Erin Lee and Marci here on the first Monday of each month, or visit their homepage, www.gottaplay.org.

I’ve created links to Amazon for the full albums (click the album image or name), plus links to Amazon MP3 downloads, when available, for those who want only the singles. (Click the song name.) I also have a widget after the jump that will let you preview most of the songs without leaving Mombian.

One of the cool things about being a performer who sings for children – come December you get to celebrate every holiday, not just the one your own family celebrates. Hanukkah, Christmas, Solstice, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Day– you name it, we sing about it.

What all these holidays have in common is the joy of sharing them with family and friends. So here are some beautifully written songs by award-winning singer/songwriters about all of the wonderful people in our lives. These are some of our favorite songs that celebrate love, family and friendship.

“Family” (Patricia Shih, Your Imaginengine! [Not yet on Amazon, but available from Digstation and (soon) the artist's Web site, where you can also hear a sample.]

Patricia Shih has just released her newest CD and it has possibly our favorite song if hers on it – “Family.” Patricia knows that families come in all shapes, colors and sizes. She also knows that sometimes you create a family from neighbors and friends – whether you are related or not, “Where there is love there is always family”. Patricia seems to have created her own family of top-notch musicians and vocalists to join her on this song – and yes, Brady Rymer fans, that is Brady singing along.

“You Are My Friend” (Pam & Greta’s Magical Music Express, Friendship Stew)

Pam Donkin and Greta Pederson will have everyone singing along with this celebration of friendship. The harmonies are gorgeous, the images are easy for even the youngest listeners to understand, and the heartfelt message is simple and straightforward: “You are my friend; I will be there for you.” This is a great song for you and your child to sing to each other and to the people who are special to you.

“Next Year” (Erin Lee & Marci, Snowdance) is about a child taking stock of this year’s accomplishments: he can play the piano, ride a bike and write poems; but he has problems making friends. As the year comes to a close, he sets an even more meaningful goal for the next year: finding a friend to share all of his newfound talents.

Here are some activities to get this song off the ipod and into daily life: Sometimes kids have trouble making friends. Talk about ways you could help out another kid who is struggling to make friends. What new skills did you learn this year? What are your goals for next year?

I am a member of the Amazon Associates program, and get a small referral fee from all purchases made at Amazon.com via links on this site. You are under no obligation to purchase through them.