California NOW

Leadership in Partnership

Did you read today that the successor for Benazir Bhutto is a partnership of her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, with her 19 year old son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari?  It reminded me of a long held dream ~ leadership carried on in partnership.  A few years ago Oprah Winfrey’s Legends Luncheon, matched pairs of women; seasoned and young African American women: poet to poet, writer to writer, singer to singer, politician to politician, activist to activist.  It was explicit that the senior women were bequeathing responsibility into the hands of the younger ones, but it was not a passing of a baton, rather it was a conscious partnership working together, exchanging expertise and energy, sharing understanding and hope.

Since working on Feminists Who Changed America, 1963 – 1975, I have been around many architects of the Second Wave, our storytellers, our WiseWomen and I also have the great good fortune to spend a lot of time with younger women, who have entirely different lives, issues and challenges.  As the Vice President of Membership of CA NOW I am often asked how to keep leadership strong, with people graduating, moving, retiring.  Imagine pairs, matched by interest and function, coming together to establish and celebrate unity in American Feminism!  I only know how such a possibility would have impacted me 30 years ago.  Who would you have chosen?

Inspiration to Keep Fighting the Good Fight in 2008

In case you need any inspiration to/continue to be a part of the civil rights movement...

Killer Zoo

The killing and maulings by the Siberian Tiger  in SF on Christmas Day seems to be a mystery unraveling. The Chronicle tells us zoo keepers have known since the 1950’s that the tiger’s could access the outside by jumping across the moat. We are also learning that animal care and security have deteriorated at the San Francisco Zoo and at present they have only 1 or 2 security guards to patrol the 100+ acre site after hours. But this is the least of it. It seems that animals are dying due to the horrid life at the SF Zoo.

According to PETA, scientists at Oxford University have concluded that big cats become neurotic when they are confined. (Don’t we all?) Given that the average tiger enclosure is about 18,000 times smaller than the animals’ natural roaming range, it is simply impossible for these animals to express instinctual behaviors, such as stalking out territory in dense forests, choosing mates, running, climbing trees, and hunting.

I just don’t understand zoos, and have boycotted zoos for the last 15 years. We say we have zoos so that we can all learn about the animals that we are keeping in captivity, but what we have learned, over and over again, is that this cruel and unusual environment will provoke many animals to kill. Since 1990, there have been more than 220 big cat attacks in US zoos. Four kids and 15 adults have lost their lives, and more than 50 other people have lost limbs or suffered other injuries after being mauled. 75 big cats, including Tatiana the Siberian Tiger at SF Zoo, have been killed because of these incidents.

The San Francisco Zoo has a lot of changes to make, but they made a good start in 2004 when they closed the elephant exhibit and sent its elephants to a sanctuary. Go to PETA’s Action Center to send a letter to the SF Zoo Director, Manuel Mollinedo, and urge him to make the same compassionate decision for the zoo’s three remaining tigers.

My Favorite CD of 2007

It's Sunday. A slow news day. So, I'll use this opportunity to tell you about my favorite CD of this year. It does happen to be by a friend in my hometown of Athens, GA, known for its music scene (B52s, Indigo Girls, R.E.M., to name a few).

The CD is Out of Place by Megan Baer. Baer wrote the songs on the album (except for an awesome cover of the Beatles' "Things We Said Today," and two traditional numbers) between age 19 and 35. They deal with love and loss, motherhood and self discovery and all are delivered by Baer's voice that is a sweet combination of Sarah McLachlan and Patsy Kline. Baer's partner, Michael Wegner (one of Athens' best and most ubiquitous musicians), beautifully backs up each song with guitar and vocal harmonies akin to the pairing of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.

I approximate that I've listened to this album now one million times. No, really I have listened to it dozens of times and love it more each time. It's perfect Sunday morning music; Americana at its best. Check it out and see if you like it too.

I Fear Huckabee

Candidate for President Mike Huckabee (that sentence makes me want to vomit) was able to show his anti-immigrant bigotry in his response to questions about the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Because (as his own campaign has said) he has no experience with any kind of foreign policy, Huckabee turned the opportunity into a chance to bash immigrants and wear his bigotry on his sleeve. He said that in light of Bhutto's death, the US should, “have an immediate, very clear monitoring of our border, and particularly to make sure, if there’s any unusual activity of Pakistanis coming into the country."

Support for Huckabee has been soaring in the polls (and among the most wacky of the celebrity endorsers). This terrifies me. I'd long thought that if we got Bush and his buddies out of office, things couldn't possibly get worse. I never even thought we'd get someone as bad or worse!

Global Day of Action

The Peoples Movement Assembly of the US Social Forum is inviting everyone to join and organize and action on January 26, 2008. This date will be known as the Global Day of Action where community based organizations and alliances come together to show the people of the world that there is a growing movement of solidarity for justice and peace. Last year 38 million people participated in large protested against the War in Iraq and Afghanistan.

January 26 marks the day to gather in the streets, build momentum and raise consciousness about war, militarism and the Prison Industrial Complex, workers in a globalized economy, women and LGBTQI liberation, indigenous sovereignty, climate justice and fair trade. Chapters can register their actions at: www.wsf2008.net.

La Asamblea de los Movimiento Populares del Foro Social de los EE.UU. le invita a unírse a la gente del mundo para un Día Mundial de Acción

¡De su comunidad al mundo! ¡Del mundo a su comunidad! 26 de enero, 2008

Invitamos a TODAS las organizaciones, redes, alianzas, y colectivos de base en el movimiento social que se unan y organizen acciones para el 26 de enero, 2008.

¿Podemos demostrar a los pueblos del mundo que hay un movimiento cada vez mas grande aquí en los EE.UU. que se solidariza con sus demandas por la justicia y la auto-determinación?

Sigamos ampliando el impulso del Foro Social de los EEUU, porque ¡Otro Mundo es Posible, y Otro EE.UU. es Necesario!

¿Qué contribuirá a este día histórico su organizacion/red/alianza/grupo?

¡Coloque su acción en: www.wsf2008.net, y vea las inspiradoras acciones que los demás han fijado allí!

Leaving on a jet plane...

In just a few days I embark on a journey of a lifetime. My best friend and I are packing our daypacks for a Global Exchange Reality Tour of Guatemala. The idea behind the tour is to educate people about how we, both individually and collectively, contribute to global problems and offer participants an opportunity to examine a situation firsthand. While I have studied, read and listened to the effects of development projects and free trade agreements, I want to understand the issues beyond what is communicated by the mass media or college lectures.

During my 2 ½ week travels, I will visit and work with cooperatives providing fair wage employment and a support network to women in some of Latin America's most impoverished communities, many of which survived violent repression duri ng Guatemala's civil war. I am so excited for this opportunity and I can’t wait to come home and write about it. I have so many questions I want to ask these women activists. I will try to communicate through blog posts and pictures the different stories and experiences we encounter together. If you have any questions, please let me know.

While I chose this trip because of my Spanish language background and availability, I wanted to let everyone know about the amazing women’s rights tours coming up in the New Year! Global Exchange’s Afghanistan, India and Venezuela women-focused tours are held on International Women's Day in March 2008, and the South Africa women-focused tour is held in August on South African Women's Day. These educational trips include meetings with women from all sectors of society - labor, government, education, and the arts - as well as opportunities to examine other aspects of these countries' political and social situation. If you are looking for a place to travel, consider taking a tour that changes the world!

Honor Bhutto, Take Action for Peace

Medea Benjamin, of CodePINK and Global Exchange, has written a characteristically eloquent tribute to Benazir Bhutto. Benajamin calls for the US to cut ties with Pervez Musharraf and ends her essay with the following call to peace:

We, as global citizens, can pay tribute to Bhutto by rising to her challenge. Whether in Pakistan or in our home countries, we can dedicate ourselves to building a world based on tolerance, cooperation and fulfilling the urgent needs of the human family-which are the pillars of a more peaceful world.

I don't know that I've ever read a truer and more imperative call to action. What a fitting tribute.

Revolutionary Women: Letters from a History Nerd

We all know how little women's history is covered in your typical high school, or even college, history class.  When we we do hear about women of the past the stories are often inadequate and incomplete.  The complete stories are so much more intriguing.  I find constant inspiration in the lives of the women who have come before us, particularly considering the obstacles of their times.   

Many of you are, I'm sure, well acquainted with the story of Abigail Adams, wife of founding father and second President John Adams.  Abigail wrote to John during the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and urged him to "remember the ladies."   While this line of her letter has become  a famous feminist statement, her words go on to be much more radical:

"If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation...we have it in our power, not only to free ourselves, but to subdue our masters, and, without violence, throw both your natural and legal authority at our feet..."

Before the formation of our nation Abigail demanded equality and spoke of responsibility to rebel in the face of tyranny.  She saw in the women of her time the strength and will to resist and rise up against unjust misuse of law.  When we see this power-mongering occur today, it is our responsibility as feminists to identify it, expose it and defeat it, wherever we may find it. 

New Year's Resolution? Intern with CA NOW!

We're on the lookout for feminists who are passionate about social change for women and girls. We're searching for activists interested in public policy, grassroots organizing and public affairs to intern in the Sacramento office during the winter and spring. The responsibilities include tracking and analyzing legislation and ballot measures, testifying at the Capitol on behalf of CA NOW, fundraising, research, updating materials and publications and working with our chapters. The work is incredibly rewarding!

Check out our post on the Idealist for all the details and join us! There’s lots of work to be done, and we need your help!