Global Woman PEACE Foundation in Washington, D.C. recognized Chattanooga native and Gandhi's Be Magazine Editor-in-Chief Missy Crutchfield with a Global PEACE Award in Journalism and Social Media during their annual "Walk to End FGM" events on Saturday.
The "Walk to End FGM" is an annual event to raise funds for reconstructive surgeries for survivors of Female Genital Mutilation and also to raise awareness of this global issue impacting girls and women. It is the hope of "Walk to End FGM" organizers that one day in the near future there will be an end to the horrific ritual of FGM, which is a human rights violation.
Ms. Crutchfield was interviewed for the Global Woman PEACE Foundation and shared her story of how when her father, the late Ward Crutchfield (who passed earlier this year), was serving as the Senate Majority Leader in the Tennessee Legislature, she played an instrumental role in getting legislation drafted and introduced to make FGM illegal in the state of Tennessee.
"When I first heard about FGM I was blown away, and I sort of froze up in horror that this could happen," said Ms. Crutchfield in a blog interview with Global Woman PEACE Foundation. "When I learned about it, it was a pretty graphic experience. And I had some material I was reading as well, and I just could not believe the cutting and I remember seeing the crusty, dirty razor blades and thinking, this is how HIV is spread and other infections and diseases that are happening to these girls; not to mention the horrific pain and experience they have with them the rest of their lives.
"So how do we stop this, how do we stop this nightmare of health and human rights abuse? Then I found out FGM is sometimes happening in America, and I thought I can do something about this. At the time, my father Ward Crutchfield was the senate majority leader in the state of Tennessee, and I had come to him with some legislative bills in the past and he would always make me defend them. He also introduced me to people in the Tennessee General Assembly where I had interned, so I could make connections in Nashville and get some advice. I had advocated for some previous bills in the past and had some success, so I came to him with this and said, 'This is unbelievable and there’s no reason not to have this bill.' Tennessee needs to send the message across the country, saying 'We don't do this to our daughters or women. FGM needs to be considered a crime in the state of Tennessee and in the country'."
Senator Ward Crutchfield agreed to sponsor the bill. Ms. Crutchfield added, "When the bill was getting ready to go to the floor of the state legislature, two of the most powerful African American women, Senator Thelma Harper and the late Speaker Pro Temp Rep. Lois DeBerry marched into Ward’s Senate Majority Leader’s office and said, 'Ward, we love you, but we want to take this bill to the floor.' And he said, 'Absolutely!' I think he was tickled and proud of this moment for his daughter and for all women, girls, as well as the country. The bill was voted unanimously. I later shared a copy of the bill with the domestic violence groups I had met with in the state of Florida and they started working on it as well. The next thing you know, Washington finally got off their hands and passed the bill to protect our women and girls from FGM on a national level. Not long after the FGM bill was passed, I had the opportunity to perform in “The Vagina Monologues” and also read one of the 'Not-So-Happy' facts for the performance. The 'Not-So-Happy' fact I was given to read was the one about FGM. I felt like this coincidence was God’s way of saying, 'Well, done. Well, done, my daughter'."
Although FGM has been outlawed in the United States, it still occurs under the radar and among immigrants from countries in Africa and the Middle East where FGM continues to be practiced to this day.
This year, Gandhi's Be Magazine and Gandhi Global Center For Peace contributed $500 to Global Woman PEACE Foundation to fund reconstructive surgeries for survivors of FGM.
Ms. Crutchfield said, "As one of our program partners, Gandhi Global Center For Peace raises money each year to help support Global Woman PEACE Foundation in providing reconstructive surgeries to survivors of FGM. Our team goal for 2017 is $5,100 to pay for three surgeries for women who have suffered this brutal ritual. We would like to invite everyone to contribute something to our IndieGogo campaign which we just launched today or join our team and walk with us at the 'Walk to End FGM' in Washington, D.C. in 2017."
Donate to the "Gandhi Global Center For Peace End FGM Challenge" IndieGoGo Campaign here: https://igg.me/at/bKZsJvTnBh8.
For more information on how to join the Global Woman PEACE Foundation annual "Walk to End FGM" or for more information about the global efforts to end FGM, visit Gandhi's Be Magazine (www.bemagazine.org) or Gandhi Global Center For Peace (www.gandhicenterforpeace.org).