Bernice Ende rode into Rochester, NY yesterday and stopped at the Susan B. Anthony House. She’s off on a two-year plus journey from the east to the west coast. Along the way she’s presenting a slide show that’s inspired, in part, by Montana’s suffrage centennial in 2014. Escorted into the city by mounted police, Bernice visited the Mt. Hope Cemetery to see the graves of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, and her next stop: the Susan B. Anthony House. She’s getting a great deal of attention, and this is good news for those of us working to bring the past into the present day. Check out her web site. “Let us never forget the women who gave their lives to bring us liberty,” is the message Bernice is carrying. Safe journeys!

IN OTHER NEWS: Being born a girl means you are more likely to be subjected to violence, disease, poverty and disadvantage than any other group on Earth. In the documentary film, ” I am a girl,” we meet 14-year-old Kimsey from Cambodia who’s forced to sell her virginity at 12; Aziza from Afghanistan, who will be shot if she goes to school; Breani, a teen living in a ghetto of NYC and dreaming of stardom; Katie from Australia who’s recovering from a suicide attempt; Habiba from Cameroon, betrothed to a man 20 years her senior; and Manu from Papua New Guinea, about to become a mother at 14 following her first sexual encounter. As they come of age in the way their culture dictates, we see remarkable heart-warming stories of resilience, bravery and humor. Nominated for four Australian Academy Awards including Best Documentary and Best Director, this inspirational feature-length documentary paints a clear picture of the reality of what it means to be a girl in the 21st century.

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