HOW TO OBTAIN PHOTOS
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From: Srey L.
Date: Friday, August 15, 2008, 4:27 PM
Subject: How to Obtain Photos
Reply to: 263380
ID: 263387

We would like to put the two Torch of Hope stories in our newsletter. Kimberly, is there a way for us and others to get a copy of the Beijing photo you shared?

Thanks again for your positive inspirations!

Srey Leak

--- On Thu, Aug 14, 2008, Srey Leak wrote ---

Dear Kimberly King,

I send this story to my friends in Cambodia and they are are carrying the torch of hope, too!

Thank you for the beautiful message and picture from Beijing in 1995. This was very good idea to ask these questions at just the right time. It is important to keep asking 'what about the women and girls?'

Happy to see such a positive response. Thanks for this news.

Srey Leak

--- On Wed, Aug 13, 2008, in msg263376, Rhonda Barker wrote ---

Thank you, Kimberly, for these eloquent and heartfelt accounts!

Sophia is indeed alive and moving across the world as evidenced by the flight of this "torch of hope."

Congratulations on starting this wave of loving light! What wonderful and inspiring news!

Rhonda Barker

--- On Wed, Aug 13, 2008, in msg263370, Kimberly King wrote ---

A Torch of Hope Connects the World!
Crossing 5 Continents in 4 days -- and counting.

Dear Sophia Sentinels of Hope:

I am writing to share an unexpected consequence related to the story I posted last Friday called "A Torch of Hope: Beijing Then and Now". The story correlates the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games with the opening ceremonies of the Fourth UN World Conference and NGO Forum for Women in Beijing 1995, marking memories of where we have been and raising new questions about how far we've come.

I shared the article with a couple of networks and was pleased to receive a few positive comments about the spirit of the story. What I never anticipated is that this little "torch of hope" would then be carried across the country and around the world, from woman to woman, reaching dozens of countries on five continents -- and counting!

I have been surprised and delighted to open my mailbox and discover yet another touch-point where the "torch" has landed. I've shifted from being amused to being truly amazed and humbled by the power of a simple message honoring our history, our humanity and our indomitable capacity for hope.

This is a powerful testimony to Something...Something that will no longer be denied.

I stand in awe today, observing that even in the midst of our chaos and confusion,
our conflict and concern, somehow Sophia Rises...

She ALWAYS Rises. And She Always Will.

Fly High, Sophia! May your Torch of Hope and Wisdom light the way for us all.

Kimberly King

--- On Fri, Aug 8, 2008, Kimberly King wrote ---

Carrying a Torch of Hope: Beijing Then and Now

A lavish opening ceremony and spectacular lighting of the Olympic cauldron will formally begin the Beijing Games tonight, as 205 nations, 11,000 athletes and the eyes of the world are trained upon China under the banner "One Dream, One World."

As tonight's moment approaches, many of us working in the women's world movement for the past decade and beyond will be spirited back to memories of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the NGO Forum for Women held in Beijing in 1995.

Each of the parallel conferences had official opening ceremonies and their own events, representing a historic moment for Beijing and the world. The two conferences, together and separately, were the largest ever sponsored by the United Nations.

Questions around security, privacy, censorship, politics, environment and human rights were all part of the controversy and commentary as it is today. As discussions around these elements proliferate, I can't help but wonder how much different things are, and are not, for the people of China and the women of our world, then and now.

Throughout the past few months, I've spent numerous hours reviewing official documents, accounts and archival film clips from this pivotal milestone in feminine history. I have considered thoughtfully the nuances and legal-ease of the Beijing Platform for Action, as well as detailed accounts of the grueling and challenging process of how this Declaration was borne. I can feel the pulse of possibility from the nearly 50,000 attendees and their countless supporters back home, as well as their vision and determination to weave the world into a better place.

And the Dream continues...

Today I spend most of my time busily working on another "herstoric" gathering, this one the Sophia Women's World Conference to be held in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2010. Our vision is to carry this Torch of Hope into a new constellation of collaborative relationships and multi-sector alliances for change. We touch this mantle reverently, knowing we stand on sacred shoulders, following footprints that have gone before us toward a grand horizon yet to come.

May Sophia Guide Us with Her Wisdom, Compassion and Love.

Kimberly King
Sophia Women's World Conference
Chair, Global Communication and Media
Co Chair, International Partnerships Council

NGO Opening Ceremony - Beijing 1995

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