"Sometimes you find a cause, and sometimes the cause finds you"  - Salma Hayek

I was perusing the gossip blogs, as I do in my down time here at work, and I saw this photograph of Salma Hayek.  I was briefly annoyed, she had her adorable little bundle of joy – Valentina like 2 months ago – and now she's out looking gorgeous, tearing up the red carpet, posing for the paparazzi...  I mean I've never given birth before, but I can't even pull it together like that after a vigorous walk, you know?   But Hayek, who is known internationally for her acting, being gorgeous and as executive producer of ABC's quirky comedy UGLY BETTY, won my admiration when I read an article about her in Marie Claire magazine in back in 2002. (Yes I read Marie Claire in 2002, get over it.)

In 2004, Salma testified the following before the United States Senate: 

"…I learned that a friend of mine was being beaten by her husband. Though I tried, I was not able to convince her to leave her husband – even though I knew, and she knew, what kind of damage domestic violence was causing her. At the time, I considered that a personal failure.
I was completely outraged – that women could endure such pain. I could not help my friend, but I decided I could help others. I visited domestic violence shelters and listened to the stories of other battered women. I saw the impact that domestic violence had on their children. I began to see why it was so hard for them to leave. So, in 2004, I joined the Avon Foundation in their campaign, Speak Out Against Domestic Violence.