Category: Theme Months & Other Displays

Why IWD?

International Women’s Day is March 8. Join us as we celebrate all month long, learning more about the ongoing struggle for women’s rights around the world.

IWD has been celebrated in various forms for well over a century. According to internationalwomensday.com, IWD “is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for advancing gender equality.” While many gains have been made in some parts of the world since the early 20th Century, the struggle is far from over.

source: canada.ca; United Nations

Canadian law protects women’s rights better than in most parts of the world, yet even here the work is not done. The Government of Canada says that IWD is “a time to celebrate the progress made in advancing women’s rights and highlight the ongoing efforts needed to ensure their full participation in all aspects of society.”

source: unwomen.org

The United Nations IWD “calls for action to dismantle all barriers to equal justice: discriminatory laws, weak legal protections, and harmful practices and social norms that erode the rights of women and girls.

source: unwomen.org

Celebrate International Women’s Day on March, learn more all month long in your School Library, and remember that the struggle for equality will continue every day of the year.

Books for IWD

International Women’s Day is March 8. Read more about the many issues surrounding the human rights of women in Canada and around the world, both historically and in the present, including feminism, representation, healthcare, education, economic opportunities, suffrage, sexual violence, gender roles and much more.

International Women’s Day

IWD is coming up this weekend, Sunday, March 8. Join with us at your School Library as we celebrate all month long by learning more about the complex issues related to the status of women in Canada and around the world. Women’s rights are human rights.

Through most of history, and around most of today’s world, women have not and do not share the same rights as men. Even in Canada, where the equality of women is better than in most parts of the world, there is work still to be done. In fact, there are forces that seek to rollback the gains made over the last century. The struggle for equal human rights for all people, regardless of gender, continues.

Read about feminism and the never-ending struggle for women’s equality. Learn about the ways in which women’s roles in society were severely constrained, and how women’s contributions to history were downplayed or suppressed. Learn more about prominent women at work in the world today. Sample books written by Canadian women and women around the globe. Be a part of the conversation, and take steps toward action.

Irish Heritage Month

March is Irish Heritage Month at your School Library. Millions of Canadians can trace their roots to Ireland, and many millions more around the world are a part of the “Irish Diaspora.” Come down to your School Library in person, and check us out online, to celebrate with us as we learn more about all things Irish.

Science Fiction

Come down to your School Library this month to check out our theme for January: Science Fiction. We have a huge selection of Sci-Fi novels for your enjoyment. On top of that we have Sci-Fi graphic novels, Sci-Fi themed magazines and Sci-Fi Short Story collections. We even have a large selection of non-fiction books that examine Science Fiction in all its forms, including novels, television, games, and movies. Be sure to come down and see what we have to offer. 

Songs of Peace: War Isn’t Murder

Jesse Welles gave us this gem in 2024. Listen carefully, and read the lyrics. You will get the point. This is an anti-war song for our time rooted in the traditions of protest songs from ages past.

War isn’t murder, good men don’t die
Children don’t starve and all the women survive
“War isn’t murder, ” that’s what they say
When you’re fighting the Devil, murder’s okay
War isn’t murder, they’re called casualties
There ain’t a veteran with a good night’s sleep

Let’s talk about dead people
I mean a-dead people
The dead don’t feel honor
They don’t feel that brave
They don’t feel avenged
They’re lucky if they got graves

Call your dead mother, ask her when she died
It’s a deathly silence on the other line
The dead don’t talk, but the children don’t forget
So in 20 short years, you could live to regret that

War isn’t murder, there’s money at stake
Girl, even Kushner agrees it’s good real estate
War isn’t murder, ask Netanyahu
He’s got a song for that and a bomb for you
War isn’t murder, it’s an old desert faith
It’s a nation-state sanctioned, righteous hate

Let’s talk about dead people
I mean a-dead people
War isn’t murder, it’s the vengeance of God
If you can’t see the bodies, they don’t bloat when they rot
And the flies don’t swarm, and the children don’t cry
If war isn’t murder, good men don’t die
So in a short 20 years, when you vacation the Strip
Don’t think about the dead and have a nice trip

War isn’t murder, we should all give thanks
I saw it all in a movie, give it up for Tom Hanks
War isn’t murder, they don’t ship out the poor
And the bullets they fire aren’t part of the cure
War isn’t murder, land is a right
But the banks called dibs, it’s something you can’t fight

Let’s talk about dead people
I mean a-dead people
The dead don’t feel honor
They don’t feel that brave
They don’t feel avenged
They’re lucky if they got graves

War isn’t murder, ain’t a river of blood
Stretching all-through time and raining down in a flood
It’s a dark sacrifice, made on your behalf
So get down on your knees and thank the sweet Lord that
War isn’t murder

Find out more about Jesse Welles, “War Isn’t Murder,” and other protest songs:

Other “Songs of Peace” in this series:

November is Peace Month at your School Library