Latest News - National Coalition to End Child Marriage and Upcoming Talk

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all doing well, and staying safe during these very crazy times that we have found ourselves in.  Since I last communicated with you, we are in very different times, and of course we all want to press the rewind button and be back to the way we were.  Those were the days!  

Three of my scheduled talks that were supposed to have happened in March, April and May have all been postponed, but the good news is that one is coming up in two days on this Wednesday, May 13th at 3pm, PST.  It will be accessible online via Zoom, and it would be great if you could join us.  Please visit this EventBrite link and please RSVP and register prior to the event.  This event is being jointly held by Ahaana and MiraCosta College.  Ahaana is a local non-profit based here in San Diego, that strives to promote awareness of the South Asian culture, and MiraCosta College is a local community college that is close to my heart as it's where I went to late in life when I was finally able to go to college. I got my Associates Degree from there, prior to going to San Diego State where I got my Bachelor's Degree.  I will be one of the speakers telling their very important stories, and I look forward to seeing you in a virtual setting.

My other great news is that I am now a member of the National Coalition to End Child Marriage!  Previously, I have told you that I'm a member of the CA Coalition to End Child Marriage, and I'm still eagerly awaiting CA to reintroduce legislation to end child marriage in my state of CA.  However, can you imagine how delighted I am to now also be a member of the National Coalition to End Child Marriage?  When you visit the page, just scroll down to where it says "Individual Members", and you will see my name listed!  I'm so proud to be part of this!  This initiative was spearheaded by Unchained At Last and Equality Now.  You may read about these great organizations by clicking on the links that I provided. Also, I'm so excited to share some great news with you that Pennsylvania became the third state to end child marriage - and the first to do so unanimously!  Yes, it's the law that marriage cannot happen until a child is 18, and that's what we've been praying for!  PA is now the 3rd state to end child marriage, and Minnesota might become the next as the Governor just needs to sign the legislation that was passed there last week!  This is progress, and thanks so much to Unchained At Last and to anyone else who has helped towards this change, and worked tirelessly to make this happen.  We all can't stop until we see an end to all human rights abuses such as child marriage and forced marriage in every single state in the USA as well as all over the world.  

Please remember that even during times such as these, human rights abuses continue to happen.  This is a time when situations become even more dire, and parents are trying to force their children into marriage because they are a burden to them.  We cannot let this happen.  Domestic violence is also rampant right now, and is a huge concern world wide. Please refer to this checklist so that you can get help if needed or help for someone you know that may be going through this.  Please remember we are all in this together, and need to be on the lookout for each other's wellbeing during this time.  Stay safe, stay well, and hope to see you on Wednesday.