Viva la Feminista

There is too much to tell!

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Sun, 20 May 2012 14:30:00 +0000

So I will sum up.

1) I'm headed to DC as one of the top Blogueras for the first ever LATISM Latina retreat. Monday we head to the White House for a briefing with administration officials to discuss issues concerning Latinas. I'll be sure to report on all the happenings over Twitter and Facebook. I'm not sure if I can live blog from my tablet, but we'll see.

2) I entered the Good Maker competition to speak at the TedxUChicago 2013 gathering. I need your vote! Thankfully you can only vote once, so no need to go back every day.

It's been a whirlwind around here! Hope to catch you up when I return.

Should Sheryl Sandberg be a Feminist Role Model?

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:30:00 +0000

Disclaimer: I began this post in August 2011 and with the flurry of activity that is graduate school, I just now completed this thought. Any datedness is my fault, not the fault of my awesome friends who contributed their voices to this conversation. ~veronica

Photo from The New Yorker profile

One day over the summer I realized that Sheryl Sandberg had taken over my inbox.

I had press releases about her TED talk and her Barnard commencement address, with pleas to blog about them. Then came emails about a profile in The New Yorker. People wanted me to know about her and friends wanted to know what I thought of her. Is she a feminist? Is her advice feminist? Should we be playing her TED talk to every woman and girl? Finally my curiosity took over. I dove into the pool that is Sheryl Sandberg.

And I jumped right back out.

My mind was spinning and I wasn’t sure what to think. This is where I usually email a friend or two to talk it out. Maybe start a conversation on Facebook or Twitter. But I didn’t even know where to really start. As I walked my way through Sandberg’s remarks, I knew what I had to do. Assemble a small flock of feminist thinkers:

* Cinnamon Cooper: Textbook editor by day, purse maker by night. She also is the author of Everything Cast-Iron Cooking. Not to mention one of my best friends.

* Kate D.: Fundraiser to feminist organizations aka she writes the grants that fund the revolution. She currently works at a reproductive rights organization in DC. We became friends when she lived in Chicago and we were in the same book club.

* Tina Johnson: Human Resources Consultant. We became friends when we both participated in Leadership Illinois.

* Courtney Martin: Editor at Feministing.com. We met when we spoke on a panel together in 2010.

* Claire Mysko: Author of You’re Amazing! and Does This Pregnancy Make Me Look Fat? I can’t recall how we actually met, but each time we chat I feel like we’ve been friends forever.

* Latoya Peterson: Editor of Racialious and all-around awesome hip hop feminist. We became friends during the third 2008 Progressive Women’s Voices class.

I chose this group of lady friends (including a few who wanted to join us, didn’t have time to contribute) because of their diverse vantage points in leadership, organizational management and feminist thought.
***********

Veronica: Do you think that Sandberg is a feminist? Why or why not? She has implemented a progressive family leave policy, but dismisses affirmative action for women. What does it mean to be a feminist in such a public role?

Latoya: She may not be a feminist in name, but I’d consider her actions and award her the title. True, she could use a bit of education as to what “structural issues” are, since she appears to think that everyone has an even shot - and life just doesn’t work that way. However, she does go out of her way to speak to and address women, and acts a mentor and advocate in the workplace. The sentiment is mixed, but I can think of many other women who don’t mentor, advocate, or even publicly discuss matters of gender.

Kate: I read the article about French feminist Elisabeth Badinter in the July 25th edition of the New Yorker and that piece also focused on this issue a bit. This is nothing new in feminism of course, but I like the acknowledgement (in both pieces) that oftentimes, taking this kind of position is grounded in a level of privilege that most women (or even most people) do not enjoy. So, as Cinnamon says below, I am supportive of practical approaches to advancement for women and I think they’re useful, but I cringe to see them offered as some kind of panacea. Like it’s just that easy, you know? Of course it’s not. It’s kinda like that whole brouhaha with Oprah and “The Secret” a few years back (which I know was blown up and overgeneralized and I’m sure misunderstood by many on both sides, but still) - sometimes there are very real barriers to achievement with which the more well-off feminist thinkers and businesswomen are wholly unfamiliar, and ignoring them is a huge blind spot.The “structural issues” issue, as Latoya mentions above.

Veronica: Is Sandberg the epitome of “a guy’s feminist?” A strong and smart woman who is willing to do the work, has a family and above all rarely blames men or society for women’s lot. She instead points the finger at women. Or is she, as Latoya points out, just blind to the systemic and structural challenges that women face?

Courtney: I’m with others who have talked about her neglect of systemic issues and privilege. She leads the TED talk by admitting that many women in other countries are in a different boat, but doesn’t admit how different many American women’s realities are. The way she flattens out American women infuriates me, particularly as she is being given so much airtime to call attention to the ways in which class, race etc. are still beasts in determining women’s trajectories in life and leadership.

Tina: My personal opinion is Sandberg has been very lucky to be in the right place at the right time; now you can argue this is luck or strategic. There is no doubt she is a bright women who knows exactly how to get what she wants in life. She has been able to find the right mentors and people to help her climbing the corporate ladder. Finding a mentor is a tough thing for a woman (as we read in the article) I worked hard to find a mentor and never was able to make that happen, women didn’t want to help me because I looked like a threat to them and men didn’t want to citing that they were too busy, but I think it was most likely the same reason that was stated in the article.

Sandberg is fortunate to a nanny and people who work to help her at home. But I have to believe that she pays for that with trade-offs that are of her own choosing. I don’t believe she makes a decision without weighing all of the facts and honestly, raise your hands with me, haven’t we all paid someone to clean our houses and help with chores.

Claire: I agree with everyone who has pointed out Sandberg’s failure to address the real systemic barriers women face in the workplace. Pat Mitchell’s criticism of her networking dinners made up of a group of educated, elite women hit the nail on the head for me. It’s this “head in the sand” mentality that kept bothering me more each time I read the article.

And let’s not forget that Sheryl Sandberg’s mentor was Larry Summers. The same Larry Summers who, while president of Harvard, got himself into hot water after making public comments about how he believes there are differences between men’s and women’s “intrinsic aptitude” in engineering and science. The same Larry Summers who played a key role in deregulating financial markets. And we all know how that went. The article raised an interesting issue that most women lack sponsorship from senior male executives—and that Sandberg’s success is due in part to fact that she did have that kind of sponsorship from a man with a lot of power--but in all honesty the Summers brand of power doesn’t really jibe with my feminism. This is not to say that Sandberg necessarily espouses every one of Summers’ beliefs because she was mentored by him or even that Summers is an all-around bad guy. But I do think that when we talk about the importance of giving women access to power, we should also examine what kind of power we’re talking about.

Veronica: Does Sandberg need to “lean in” to Facebook’s board? She uses that term to describe how women need to jump into career opportunities, especially leadership opportunities. There is an importance of women in high positions. When women are a critical mass (at least three) in the board room, women and girls’ issues are on the table. Perhaps if enough women were on Facebook’s board, then the issue of pro-rape pages and groups wouldn’t be an issue anymore.

Latoya: Depends. Would that be a symbolic victory, or does being on the board just make sense for her career trajectory? She may want to use that energy for other projects or other things. I think that Facebook needs to look seriously at the composition of their board, but I don’t think that every woman in the spotlight has to do every single thing. I may be too green in my career to comment effectively, but I thought people joined boards for things they are very, very committed to. Especially folks with a high powered gig. Does she want to go from thinking about Facebook 10 hours a day to thinking about it 15?

Courtney: As others have articulated, I find some of Sheryl’s ideas really resonant, particularly the “lean in” idea. I’ve noticed moments in my own life when I’ve “leaned out” and it rarely had to do with systemic injustice as much as my own fears or insecurities. Her voice will now be in my head in those moments--a real gift. I also like her look at the ways in which women and men cast their success differently. I wrote about both of these elements.

Cinnamon: I think the thing that struck me the most was how her actions seem very inclusive of women and very family/female friendly, but yet she doesn’t seem to rattle the seats of those above her. I wish that was questioned more. Why doesn’t she want a seat on the board at Facebook? And why didn’t the interviewer get Mark Zuckerberg to answer the question about why she’s not on the board. It makes me wonder if she’s just gotten lucky to always find a male mentor who will help her advance, but only so far and when she hits her limit she moves to the next opportunity instead of just accepting the blockage. Considering her role and what she’s done at Facebook already, I think she deserves a board position and I’m shocked that she isn’t fighting for it. Unless she is fighting for it but decided to not make that fight public.

Veronica: Do you think Pat Mitchell and Gloria Steinem should be more public with their criticism or keep it public? Do you appreciate/have public debates with friends?

Courtney: I actually thought this was one of the most interesting things about the piece. Gloria and Pat were able to express their disagreements or disappointments with Sheryl’s analysis without being cast as catty or back-stabbing, as is so often the case when powerful women disagree with one another publicly. It was heartening to me that they felt comfortable being real about their differing view points, without making anything into a personal attack, and that the journalist respected the spirit in which these disagreements were communicated and didn’t manipulate it to create drama.

Veronica: What does a feminist leader/manager look like? What should leadership look like from a feminist?

Cinnamon: I was one of the bajillion viewers who watched her TED talk online a while ago and it has resonated with me. The 3 things she mentions in that talk are great and practical tips for any woman who is working. Her tone in the TED piece is encouraging without sounding antagonistic. And is presented in a way that I don’t feel is pointing the finger at women. However the finger-pointing came through stronger in this article. I think it is not only productive, but necessary to get women to change their actions so they can advance. But if that is done without looking at why women need to “learn” things later in life that men “pick up” along the way, then women can only advance so far. I would like to see her do a follow up video explaining 3 things men can do.

As a feminist and a manager I’ve done a lot of soul searching to make sure that my expectations of my staff and my interactions with them are not affected by any gender differences that I’m aware or unaware of. When assigning tasks, offering feedback, and doing reviews I think about what I’m going to say and why I’m saying it and ask myself if I would say it to someone else on the team who is of a different gender/age/etc. My approach may be different for each person I work with, but I try to make sure that those differences are because of the individuals’ personality and not something I’m bringing. I think this approach has made me a better feminist and a better manager and a better person. And I think Sandberg does that as well. Her making everyone in a meeting scoot together so everyone can fit at a table is one action. This inclusive attitude benefits women and I see it as being very feminist and am surprised she doesn’t.

Tina: While reading Sandberg’s article, I was immediately struck by the fact that at her core she is a servant leader which is probably why many of the things she professes ring true for me. A servant leader as described by Robert K. Greenleaf is “a person who is servant first, who has responsibility to be in the world, and so he/she contributes to the well-being of people and community.”

When I look at the article from that point, I don’t know whether I would call her a feminist leader or some hybrid of the two. I have a difficult time with the title of feminist and what that means to me so I have spent some time soul searching and will continue to see how this manifests itself with me.

I found several themes in the article in addition to servant leadership. I found pragmatic, righteous and social themes in the article which points to the fact Sandberg tries to appeal to all women. Being able to appeal to women is genius in my book. If she can move women toward a call of action, I am right behind her.

Sandberg works hard to hold woman accountable for their actions and to make certain they are held to a high standard. I really like how she talks about the fact we are not leading the lives our mothers and grandmothers led. That portion resonated for me since I have worked hard over my own career to make certain I don’t take for granted what women before me either gave up or fought for. Again, I see that her servant leadership heart is compelling her to reach out and push women to do more and be more and as I said above, her means to call them to action is varied and seems to work.

As far as her work to recruit people to Facebook from Google and other companies, well from my HR background there is nothing wrong with this, we all are guilty recruiting people we know, correct me if I am wrong, but I think this is called ”Networking” and all of the boys are doing it! Of this, for Sandberg it is just more public due to her level in the organization and the fact that she has put herself out there for people to watch her every move. I believe we are still fighting a double standard here, the boys are allowed to have their clubs and hire their buddies, but when women do it, OMG what is the world coming too. I also have to believe since people are calling her to ask about opportunities, they are not happy where they are and/or are looking for the next step. Kudos, to those women who are taking upon themselves to call and ask, isn’t what Sandberg is pushing women to do. Men to it all of the time, ask for the sale, ask for the deal, ask for the job, ask for the assignment and the list goes on. I would be remiss if I didn’t also point out that not only does she recruit people but she develops them. What better way to grow to the next level and again, we see her servant leadership side coming out.

So, is Sandberg a feminist or should we coin a new leadership style here and call her a Servant Leadership Feminist or a Servant Feminist Leader. I am still fuzzy on that whole title thing. I have never been a huge fan of titles, but in this work-a-day world we have to embrace them whether we like it or not. So for now, I think I will join the ranks of Sandberg and be a Feminist Servant Leader and explore what the leadership model looks like for all of us!

Claire: I thought the piece really illustrated the heap of conflicting rules of engagement women face when it comes to leadership. On the one hand, Sandberg used the example of her “aha!” moment when she was embarrassed about being invited to Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit, and was pushed by the event organizer to “own her power.” But wait! The truth is that she’s successful because she has ambition but she’s so modest and “low ego” (says Mark Zuckerberg). And then there’s all that research about the pitfalls of being perceived as incompetent if you’re too nurturing and you invest time and energy in helping others succeed. Which is, of course, exactly what Sandberg does herself when she encourages other women to “sit at the table.” Don’t ask “girly” questions, but okay, let’s talk about the dilemma women face when taking time off to have children. Don’t worry so much about balance. And yet…how the heck do we get to some models of feminist leadership that don’t end up making women feel like they’re performing a tightrope act?

***********
Since this conversation took place, Sandberg has only increased her visibility as a powerful woman who expresses concern over other women for leaning back or opting out. She continues to be asked to speak to young women about leadership and taking control of their careers.

And for the most part, I agree with her. I too have seen women step back, quit before they start. Hell, I've done it. But she rarely addresses the system where women make their choices is just wrong.

Put simply, for women, to choose to not do something is acceptable. It is a seductive choice to make. To "choose" to quit work and stay home is socially acceptable. Yes, I know stay-at-home-moms get a lot of shit about "not working," but as a working mom, their situation is freaking tempting when day after day I stay up far too late to get through my own homework. I'm not complaining about my life, rather I'm admitting that even this feminista mama who loves her work and is in the middle of a PhD program so she can do her job even more kick ass considers chucking it all to stay at home. Is the inertia to work outside the home as strong for SAHM as the pull to stay home in times of crisis or doubt for working outside the home mamas? I think it's that pull that keeps us stuck to the back of our chair, almost physically unable to "lean in" as Sandberg demands.

As we cheer on Sandberg as a role model, I want us to keep in mind where she has learned her business savvy. One of her mentors is Larry "Girls Can't Do Math" Summers. He also doesn't believe that women want to work the kind of hours that Sandberg puts in. He quotes her, not by name, in his infamous speech as he talks about women not wanting to work 80 hours a week:

Another way to put the point is to say, what fraction of young women in their mid-twenties make a decision that they don't want to have a job that they think about eighty hours a week...To buttress conviction and theory with anecdote, a young woman who worked very closely with me at the Treasury and who has subsequently gone on to work at Google highly successfully, is a 1994* graduate of Harvard Business School. She reports that of her first year section, there were twenty-two women, of whom three are working full time at this point.

And yet, many women are waiting with baited breath for Sandberg to lean forward to demand her place on the Facebook Board of Directors. Not one woman sites on that board and who more worthy of the token girl spot than Sandberg? As CV Harquail says:

Leadership requires the leader to use her presence, her platform, and her power to make a difference. And authentic leadership requires a person to align her presence, her platform, and her power to maximize their impact and make her leadership real.

If Sandberg truly wants young women to follow her lead, I believe she needs to do more than become a billionaire and give truly amazing speeches. She can't extoll women to take the reins when she allows (she's second in command and must have some say in the matter) for the board to be composed of only white men.

And that's where Sandberg really gets my goat. Has she hit a glass ceiling herself and pushes young women to make up for her inability to change Facebook's board? Or is it that she doesn't care? The board isn't my only issue with Sandberg, but it's a great manifestation of all the smaller things that irk me. For the most part I like Sandberg's messages, I want young women to feel like they can do anything they set their mind to. However, there's something about Sandberg's messages that makes me hesitant to pay the dues for fan club access.

Many of the students I interact with see Sandberg as a role model. They find inspiration in her words. Perhaps her speeches will result in more women leaders. Only time will tell. Considering I remember what it was like in my early 20s, perhaps they are using Sandberg's words to fortify their own promise to themselves that they won't sit back and let life happen to them...until that day they do sit back. I just hope they don't beat themselves up too much over it.

Sandberg has branded herself a motivator of women. She has challenged us to be a leader in our own lives. And some of us are challenging her right back.

* Sandberg's official biography says she graduated in 1995, thus I assume Summers merely got the year incorrect. If anyone knows that Summers is talking about someone else, please let me know and I'll retract this point.

EarthTalk Tuesday: How to "Fair Trade Your Supermarket"

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:30:00 +0000

EarthTalk®
E - The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: What is the “Fair Trade Your Supermarket” campaign?
-- Brian Howley, Washington, DC

A project of the non-profit Green America, the “Fair Trade Your Supermarket” campaign aims to empower consumers to advocate for more “Fair Trade” products on store shelves at their local supermarkets. Fair trade is a system of exchange that honors producers, communities and the environment by ensuring that farmers and artisans throughout the developing world are paid fair prices for their work and have direct involvement in the marketplace. The goal of the wider Fair Trade movement, according to Green America, is to build real and lasting relationships between producers in developing countries and businesses and consumers around the world.

And that’s where your neighborhood grocer comes in. “While the Fair Trade movement is gaining steam nationwide, most of our supermarkets still carry few–if any–Fair Trade products on their shelves,” reports Green America. “Together, we can put Fair Trade products within reach for millions of Americans.”

And just how does Green America expect us to do this? “First, take stock of Fair Trade products in your supermarket—look for coffee, tea, chocolate, rice, sugar, honey, wine, fresh fruit, and olive oil.” Scan the relevant aisles for third-party certifier Fair Trade USA’s distinctive black-and-white “Fair Trade Certified” label, which is only attached to imported goods where the producers receive fair prices for their products and where strict socio-economic and environmental criteria are met during production. Alternatively, look for the logos of other third-party certifiers such as “Fair for Life” or “Fair Trade Federation” on product labels if you think fair trade versions may be available in a given product line.

“Then, you can encourage the store to stock more Fair Trade products by talking to the store manager as a loyal customer,” adds Green America. They suggest using comment cards, which can be key to getting a store with no Fair Trade items to start carrying them. “Every time you go grocery shopping, drop a comment card in the box asking your manager to stock Fair Trade items.” Of course, talking to a store manager in person may be even more effective, especially if you are armed with a pile of your receipts from the store from the previous month or two to show how much spending power you alone would be able to allocate toward Fair Trade versions of the items you are buying there.

Another creative way to spread the Fair Trade gospel would be by volunteering to hand out free samples of Fair Trade products that the store already sells in order to raise awareness and build consumer demand. “Stores sell more of a product when a sampling table is set out, and if you, your friends and family are working the table, the labor is free for the store too.”

But why stop with your local market? If there is a chain supermarket outlet in your area, take it to the top by writing an e-mail, letter or postcard to corporate headquarters informing them of your desire to buy Fair Trade items in all of their stores. Check out the Fair Trade Your Supermarket website (link below) for more tips on how to make your next shopping trip fairer to the planet and its people.

CONTACTS: Fair Trade Your Supermarket, www.fairtradeyoursupermarket.org; Green America, www.greenamerica.org; Fair Trade USA, www.fairtradeusa.com.

EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

DiálogoEcológico
De los Redactores de E/La Revista Ecológica

Querido DiálogoEcológico: ¿Qué es la campaña "Comercio Justo Para Su Supermercado?”
-- Brian Howley, Washington, DC

Un proyecto de Green America [América Verde], un grupo sin fines lucrativos, la campaña "Comercio Justo Para Su Supermercado" intenta ayudar a los consumidores a recomendar más productos de "Comercio Justo" para los estantes de sus supermercados locales. El comercio justo es un sistema de cambio que beneficia a los productores, comunidades y el ambiente al asegurar que agricultores y artesanos a través de mundo en vías de desarrollo sean pagados precios justos por su trabajo y tengan participación directa en el mercado. El objetivo del movimiento más amplio de Comercio Justo, según América Verde, es construir relaciones más reales y duraderas entre productores en países en desarrollo y negocios y consumidores alrededor del mundo.

Y ahí precisamente es donde entra su almacenero local. "Mientras el movimiento de Comercio Justo gana terreno por todo el país, la mayor parte de nuestros supermercados todavía llevan pocos–o ningún–productos de Comercio Justo en sus estantes," reporta América Verde. "Juntos, podemos poner los productos de Comercio Justo al alcance de millones de norteamericanos".

¿Y cómo espera América Verde hacer esto? "Primero, haga un inventario de los productos de Comercio Justo en su supermercado—busque café, té, chocolate, arroz, azúcar, miel, vino, fruta fresca, y aceite de oliva". Escudriñe los pasillos pertinentes en busca de la distintiva etiqueta en blanco y negro "Certificado Como Comercio Justo" del certificador independiente Comercio Justo USA, que sólo se aplica a bienes importados cuyos productores han recibido precios justos por sus productos y donde se han satisfecho estrictos criterios socioeconómicos y ambientales durante la producción. Alternativamente, busque los logos de otros certificadores externos como "Justo Para la Vida" o "Federación de Comercio Justo" en las etiquetas de productos si cree que versiones de comercio justo puedan estar disponibles en una línea de productos dada.

"Entonces, Ud. puede pedir a la tienda que venda más productos de Comercio Justo hablando con el director de la tienda en su calidad de leal cliente," agrega América Verde. Sugieren usar tarjetas de comentario, que pueden ser clave para conseguir que una tienda con ningún artículo de Comercio Justo empiece a llevarlos. "Cada vez que Ud. vaya de compras, deje caer una tarjetita de comentario pidiendo al director del establecimiento que venda artículos de Comercio Justo ". Por supuesto, hablando con un gerente de la tienda en persona puede ser aún más efectivo, especialmente si está armada con una pila de recibos de la tienda de uno o dos meses anteriores para mostrar cuánto poder adquisitivo usted podría asignar a versiones de Comercio Justo de los artículos que compra allí.

Otra forma creativa de expandir el evangelio de Comercio Justo sería ofrecerse para repartir gratuitamente muestras de productos de Comercio Justo que la tienda ya vende para despertar conciencia y fortalecer demanda de consumo. "Las tiendas venden más producto cuando se arregla una mesa de muestreo, y si usted, sus amigos y familia trabajan la mesa, el trabajo es gratis para la tienda también".

¿Pero por qué parar con su mercado local? Si hay una tienda de supermercado cadena en su área, llévelo a la cumbre escribiendo un correo electrónico, una carta o una tarjeta postal a la sede de la corporación expresando su deseo de comprar artículos de Comercio Justo en todas sus tiendas. Examine la página web de Comercio Justo Para Su Supermercado (enlace más abajo) para más sugerencias sobre cómo hacer su próximo viaje de compras más justo para el planeta y su gente.

CONTACTOS: Fair Trade Your Supermarket, www.fairtradeyoursupermarket.org ; Green America, www.greenamerica.org; Fair Trade USA, www.fairtradeusa.com.

EarthTalk® (DiálogoEcológico) es escrito y editado por Roddy Scheer y Doug Moss y es una marca registrada de E - La Revista Ecológica. (www.emagazine.com). Traducción española de Patrice Greanville. Sírvase enviar sus preguntas a: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Suscripción: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Pida un número gratis: www.emagazine.com/trial.

MIRCI CFP: Adrienne Rich Symposium, Oct. 20, Toronto

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:30:00 +0000

CALL FOR PAPERS

Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement

(MIRCI)

ONE-DAY SYMPOSIUM ON ADRIENNE RICH

October 20, 2012, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

In celebration of the life and work of Adrienne Rich (1929-2012)

Poet, Essayist, Radical Feminist, Anti- War Activist, Mothering Theorist, and Author of Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Institution and Experience.

We welcome submissions from scholars, students, activists, workers, artists, and others inspired by the work of Adrienne Rich.

Cross-cultural, historical and comparative work is encouraged. We are open to a variety of types of submissions, such as: academic papers from all disciplines; presentations by community activists and social service providers; creative submissions - performances, films, storytelling, visual arts; and workshops.

Please send a 250-word abstract and 50-word bio to aoreilly@yorku.ca by July 1, 2012. One must be a 2012 member of MIRCI to present at this symposium.

Demeter Press

140 Holland St. West, PO 13022

Bradford, ON L3Z 2Y5 Tel: (905) 775-9089

www.demeterpress.org / info@demeterpress.org

Disclosure: I am getting a complementary membership to MIRCI and subscription to the journal in return for posting these updates. It is, however, something I would have agreed to do for free because I think their work is so wonderful.

All-aboriginal King Lear at Canada's National Arts Centre

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:30:00 +0000

See the woman jumping? That's one my new friends, Tantoo Cardinal, practicing for the all-aboriginal "King Lear," which opens this Friday at Canada's National Arts Centre. We met on the NWI delegation in January. She talked about this production and was so excited. I wish I could make it up to see it! But if you are in Ottawa, please try to see it...for me!

It's getting some great press about the boundaries this production is crossing:

For decades, Schellenberg was told there simply weren't enough working aboriginal actors to pull off the Lear of his dreams. In 2012, however, director Peter Hinton has been able to assemble not just an all-aboriginal but an all-star team to bring Shakespeare's greatest tragedy to life.

How many times have people of color heard that "there's just not enough of you to do X" ? It takes time and a lot of effort, but eventually dreams are achieved such as this one. It's a grand achievement on many scales. The article mentions that some directors do not believe that Aboriginal actors can even do Shakespeare, thus aren't offered the roles. Then there are some in the Aboriginal community who have rejected Shakespeare. As the article says, there are high expectations riding on this production.

Break a leg, Tantoo & company!

Introducing Earth Talk Tuesdays

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:30:00 +0000

I am proud to announce a new partner for Viva la Feminista! Each week, if the story fits, I'll be sharing the latest EarthTalk column from E Magazine. Environmental issues are definitely feminist issues and even more so feminist mom issues. I felt this way for many years and even felt more connected to the environmental movement before the feminist movement. However, after my trip to Guatemala in January, I am even more certain that what happens to the Earth is an issue for feminists to pay attention to. With that in mind, I present the first in the columns and it hits far too close to home. GREEN CLOUD COMPUTING! OMG, I practically live on the cloud, especially when working with classmates. But read on...Oh! All columns will be in English and Espanol! I hope you enjoy this addition to Viva la Feminista. ~The management

EarthTalk®
E - The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: Why is Greenpeace upset with some leading tech companies for so-called “dirty cloud computing?” Can you explain? -- Jeremy Wilkins, Waco, TX

Leading tech companies like Google, Apple and Microsoft are now offering unprecedented amounts of data storage and access to “apps” on huge Internet-connected servers, saving consumers and businesses the hassle of installing and running programs and storing information on their own local computers.

This emerging trend, dubbed “cloud computing,” means that these providers have had to scale up their power consumption considerably, as they are increasingly responsible for providing more and more of the computing horsepower required by the world’s two billion Internet users. No doubt, sharing such resources on centralized servers is more efficient than every individual and business running their own versions separately. In fact, the research firm Verdantix estimates that companies off-loading data and services to cloud servers could save $12 billion off their energy bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 million metric tons within the next decade. But for the greenhouse gas savings to be realized, the companies offering cloud computing services need to make the right energy choices.

Greenpeace has been tracking sustainability among tech companies for over a decade, and recently released a report, “How Green is Your Cloud?” assessing the green footprint of the move to cloud computing. According to the analysis, some of the major players (Google, Facebook and Yahoo) have gone to great lengths to ensure that significant amounts of the power they need come from clean, green sources like wind and solar. But Greenpeace chastises others (Apple, Amazon and Microsoft) for relying on so-called “dirtier” sources of power, such as coal and nuclear, to run their huge data centers.

“When people around the world share their music or photos on the cloud, they want to know that the cloud is powered by clean, safe energy,” says Gary Cook, a Senior Policy Analyst with Greenpeace. “Yet highly innovative and profitable companies like Apple, Amazon and Microsoft are building data centers powered by coal and acting like their customers won’t know or won't care. They’re wrong.”

Greenpeace’s report evaluates 14 major tech firms and the electricity supply chains in use across more than 80 different data centers that power cloud-based services. Some of the largest data centers are in buildings so big they are visible from space and use as much power as 250,000 European homes. If the cloud were its own country, says Greenpeace, it would rank 5th in the world in electricity consumption.

“Companies like Google, Yahoo and Facebook are beginning to lead the sector down a clean energy pathway through innovations in energy efficiency, prioritizing renewable energy access when siting their data centers, and demanding better energy options from utilities and government decision-makers,” reports Greenpeace. But unfortunately the majority of the industry is not marching in step. As such, Greenpeace is calling on all tech companies with cloud services to develop siting policies based on access to clean energy sources, invest in or directly purchase renewable energy, be transparent about their energy usage, share innovative solutions so the sector as a whole can improve, and demand that governments and utilities increase the percentage of clean, green power available on the grid.

CONTACTS: Verdantix, www.verdantix.com; Greenpeace, www.greenpeace.org.

EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine ( www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

DiálogoEcológico
De los Redactores de E/La Revista Ecológica

Querido DiálogoEcológico:¿Por qué está Greenpeace incómoda con algunas compañías técnológicas por la llamada "computación de nube sucia"? ¿Pueden explicar? -- Jeremy Wilkins, Waco, TX

Compañías tecnológicas prominentes como Google, Apple y Microsoft están ahora ofreciendo cantidades inauditas de almacenamiento de datos y acceso a "aplicaciones" en servidores inmensos conectados a la Internet, ahorrando a consumidores y negocios el jaleo de instalar y operar programas y almacenar información en sus propias computadoras locales.

Esta tendencia naciente, apodada "computación en la nube," significa que estos proveedores han tenido que escalar su consumo de energía considerablemente, ya que son cada vez más responsables de proporcionar el poderío de computación necesario requerido por los dos mil millones de usuarios de la Internet mundial. Sin duda, compartir tales recursos en servidores centralizados es más eficiente que ver a cada individuo y negocio operar sus propias versiones separadamente. En efecto, la firma de investigaciones Verdantix calcula que si las compañías descargasen datos y servicios en servidores de nube ellas podrían ahorrar $12 mil millones de sus cuentas de electricidad y reducir 85 millones de toneladas métricas de emisiones de gas invernadero dentro de la próxima década. Pero para conseguir estos ahorros de gas invernadero, las compañías que ofrecen computación en la nube deben hacer cuidadosas elecciones de energía.

Greenpeace ha estado estudiando la sostenibilidad entre las compañías tecnológicas por más de una década, y recientemente entregó un informe, "¿Cuán Verde es Su Nube"? evaluando la huella verde del movimiento hacia la computación en nube. Según el análisis, algunos de los mayores jugadores (Google, Facebook y Yahoo) se han esforzado mucho para asegurar que cantidades significativas de la energía que necesitan provenga de fuentes limpias y verdes como el viento y solar. Pero Greenpeace castiga a otros (Apple, Amazon y Microsoft) por depender de las llamadas fuentes más "sucias" de electricidad, como carbón y nuclear, para operar sus inmensos centros de datos.

"Cuando la gente alrededor del mundo comparte su música o fotos en la nube, ellos quieren saber que la nube está conectada a energía limpia y segura," dice Gary Cook, un alto analista con Greenpeace. "Sin embargo compañías sumamente innovadoras y rentables como Apple, Amazon y Microsoft construyen centros de datos alimentados por carbón y actúan como si sus clientes ni sabrán ni les importará. Están equivocados".

El informe de Greenpeace evalúa 14 empresas técnicas prominentes y las cadenas de suministro de electricidad en uso a través de más de 80 centros de datos diferentes que potencian los servicios de nube. Algunos de los centros de datos más grandes están en edificios tan grandes que son visibles del espacio y utilizan tanta energía como 250.000 casas europeas. Si la nube fuese su propio país, dice Greenpeace, sería No. 5 en el mundo en consumo de electricidad.

"Compañías como Google, Yahoo y Facebook están comenzando a dirigir el sector por una senda de energía ecológica vía innovaciones en la eficiencia de energía, priorizando acceso a energía renovable cuando eligen donde construir sus centros de datos, y exigen mejores opciones de energía de las empresas de electricidad y el gobierno, reporta Greenpeace. Pero desgraciadamente la mayoría de la industria no marcha a este ritmo. En vista de esto, Greenpeace está urgiendo a todas las compañías técnicas con servicios de nube que desarrollen política de localización basadas en acceso a fuentes de energía ecológica, invertir en o comprar directamente energía renovable, ser transparente acerca de su uso de energía, y compartir soluciones innovadoras de modo que el sector en general pueda mejorar, y demandar que los gobiernos y empresas de servicios aumenten el porcentaje de energía limpia y verde disponible en la red.

CONTACTOS: Verdantix, www.verdantix.com; Greenpeace, www.greenpeace.org.

EarthTalk® (DiálogoEcológico) es escrito y editado por Roddy Scheer y Doug Moss y es una marca registrada de E - La Revista Ecológica. (www.emagazine.com). Traducción española de Patrice Greanville. Sírvase enviar sus preguntas a: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Suscripción: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Pida un número gratis: www.emagazine.com/trial.

Book Release: Mother-Talk: Conversations With Mothers of Lesbian Daughters and FTM Transgender Children

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:30:00 +0000

Demeter Press is pleased to announce the release of:

Mother-Talk

Conversations With Mothers of Lesbian Daughters and

FTM Transgender Children

by Sarah F. Pearlman

Mother-Talk is a collection of stories of twenty-four mothers--twelve who found out a daughter was a lesbian and twelve who learned that a child, once a biological female, was planning to transition to male--capturing the complexity of coming to terms with the loss of a daughter who has changed sex or an anticipated relationship with a daughter, now a lesbian, who lives in a different world and will lead a different life. This groundbreaking book will help other mothers as well as lesbian daughters and FTM transgender children to understand their own mothers, their changed lives, and their determination to remain connected.

Sarah F. Pearlman was selected by the American Psychological Association Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues as the recipient of the 2011 Award for Distinguished Professional Contribution. Employed for many years as an Associate Professor in the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at the University of Hartford, Sarah is now Associate Professor Emeritus. She lives in Boston and is active in LGBT elder organizations.

"Sarah Pearlman is one of the leading lesbian scholars and therapists in the world. She was one of the first psychologists to address issues facing lesbians, and has focused on such topics as gender identity, transgender transition, and feminist therapy for sexual minority women. Her book Mother-Talk, continues this ground-breaking work by describing the experiences of mothers whose daughters come out as lesbian or transgender. I found the interviews riveting. It's clear that the mothers were embarking on just as radical and challenging a journey as the daughters themselves. This book will be a classic for all mothers out there wanting to hear from others who are going through similar experiences." - Esther Rothblum, Ph.D., Professor of Women's Studies, San Diego State University

Spring 2012 / $24.95 pb / ISBN 978-1-927335-05-5 / 6 x 9 / 234 pp.

Please visit our website at www.demeterpress.org for details on how to order this new title!

Demeter Press

140 Holland St. West, P. O. Box 13022 Bradford, Ontario L3Z 2Y5

Phone: 905.775.9089 Email: info@demeterpress.org

CFP: Mothering, Education, Maternal Pedagogies and Motherhood Studies

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement

CALL FOR PAPERS

The editorial board is seeking submissions for Vol. 4.1 of the Journal of the Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement (JMI) to be published in spring/summer 2013.

Mothering, Education, Maternal Pedagogies and Motherhood Studies

The journal will explore the topic of Mothering, Education, Maternal Pedagogies and Motherhood Studies from a variety of perspectives and disciplines. We welcome submissions from scholars, students, activists, government agencies and workers, artists, mothers, and others who work or research in this area. Cross- cultural, historical and comparative work is encouraged. We also welcome creative reflections such as poetry, short stories, and artwork on the subject.

Topics can include (but are not limited to):

Normative & disruptive discourses about motherhood and education; pedagogical othermothering & midwifery; mothering in the academy; teaching & learning from mothers at the margins (mothers of color, teen mothers, First Nation/aboriginal/Native American mothers, low-income mothers; adoptive mothers, queer and transgendered mothers...); maternal pedagogies; empowered mothering & teaching; mothering, education, & disability; education & infertility; men, mothering, & education; mothering & homeschooling; mothering, education, & activism; education & the public/private split; mothers' historical experiences of education; teaching one's actual or surrogate children; navigating cultural expressions of "good" and "bad" mother/ing; second/third shift responsibilities & education; transmitting maternal knowledges; motherhood & online teaching; problematizing the motherly teacher; literary/artistic/pop cultural representations of motherhood & education; teaching and/or learning parenting skills; educating public policy makers about mothering/motherhood; challenges to patriarchal and/or imperialist educational ideologies and practices; motherhood, education,& health; feminist motherlines & education; teaching/learning about mothering/motherhood through new media ; Is a distinct scholarly discipline of Motherhood Studies needed or necessary? What are the benefits and risks of creating a distinct discipline? How do we determine what is Motherhood Studies and what is not? Is such determined by the content and or perspective of the scholarship? Are there methodologies and or pedagogies distinct to Motherhood Studies; what are they? What topics have been well-researched? What areas require further study and research? What are the strengths of Canadian Motherhood Studies? What is the hertory of Motherhood Studies in Canada? Have some regions and universities been more prominent (and why)? What is the relationship of Motherhood Studies to Women's Studies, Childhood Studies, and Feminist Studies? Is Motherhood Studies feminist in its perspective and content? Does it have to be? How does Motherhood Studies relate to the burgeoning studies of fatherhood/parenthood? How do we study motherhood without falling prey to the scholarly limitations of 'identity politics' and essentialism? How do we best develop and disseminate Canadian motherhood studies?

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Articles should be 15-18 pages (3750 words) including references. All should be in MLA style, WordPerfect or Word and IBM compatible. Please see our style guide for complete details: http://www.motherhoodinitiative.org/journalsubmission.html

SUBMISSIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY NOVEMBER 1, 2012! ** TO SUBMIT WORK ONE MUST BE A MEMBER OF MIRCI

http://www.motherhoodinitiative.org/membership.html

Please direct your submissions to: Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement (MIRCI) 140 Holland St. West, PO Box 13022 Bradford, ON, L3Z 2Y5 (905) 775-9089 http://www.motherhoodinitiative.org info@motherhoodinitiative.org

International Women's Day: Raising Empowered Daughters

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:00:00 +0000

This year’s theme is “Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures” and one of the prompts is:

How can we, as a culture and as members of the global community, involve, educate, and inspire girls in a positive way?

This is easy. Listen to girls. Make space for their voices. Educate them.

Of course in reality, it's not that easy. Too often we witness the powers that be conspire to silence girls. It is this silence that Rachel Simmons outlines in her must-read book, Odd Girl Out. When we tell or show girls that their voices are not valued, they silence their feelings, thoughts and yes, actual voices. They turn inward and all the fury they should be screaming about is pushed deep into their soul. And it hurts them.

While a part of the Nobel Women's Initiative's delegation, I lost count of how many women, young and old, happened to mention in their testimonies that at some point in their lives a parent told them that women weren't worth much. That it was no use for them to continue with their education. Some listened to that silencing and dropped out of school. A few raged on with their education. Both groups of women talked about suffering for their choice.

The women who listened felt inadequate to fight for their own rights when police or military forces assulted and/or raped them. They felt duped when multinational companies came into their communities and misrepresented their intentions when pressuring families to sell their ancestral land. Of course they overcame those feelings of inadequacy to find their inner courage to fight like hell.

The women who forged ahead with their education felt the sting of backlash. Their families turned against them. One woman talked about working up the ranks into the police force. Then being raped by her boss. Of course it was her fault for wanting a job in the first place...at least that's what the voices in her head tell her.

In Guatemala, we witnessed grandmothers admit to having been raped when their villages were attacked in the 1980s. We could see that they were courageous, but also unnerved by their own bravery. The women knew they were speaking of things they "shouldn't" be speaking about. But they were linking their decades old rapes with the violence they are witnessing today. And they do not want to see their granddaughters have to live through the same violations.

Often we hear about men "finding" feminism when they become fathers, but we mustn't minimize that some women find their voices when they are now charged with raising a girl.

Instead of waiting for women to find their voice, let's raise girls to use their voices. The hardest part is not only educating girls and telling them that they have a voice, but LISTENING to their voices.

This is what we need. We need to bring our girls to rallies, demonstrations, meetings and everywhere else we are fighting for women's human rights. They need to know that we're out fighting for them, for ourselves. They need to know they are worth fighting for and not in that "Prince Charming saves the princess way" either. Their minds, their bodies, their lives are worth it. Because they are worth it.

EVENT: Blog for International Women's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:30:00 +0000

Get ready feministas!

The online event will run on March 8, 2012.
This year, Gender Across Borders and CARE will host the Third Annual Blog for International Women’s Day, a day where bloggers, writers, and humanitarian organizations are asked to write about the International Women’s Day theme on March 8. This year’s theme is “Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures” and they are asking bloggers to address one or both of the following points:

How can we, as a culture and as members of the global community, involve, educate, and inspire girls in a positive way?
Describe a particular organization, person, group or moment in history that helped to inspire a positive future and impact the minds and aspirations for girls.

Throughout the day of March 8, they will have an ongoing live blog of what you have to say about “Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures” at GenderAcrossBorders.com. They will also feature articles from staff writers about issues that girls around the world face today. Click over to add your blog to the long & growing list of bloggers taking part!

CFP: Performing Motherhood

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:30:00 +0000

CALL FOR PAPERS

Demeter Press

is seeking submissions for an edited collection

Performing Motherhood

Co-editors: Amber Kinser, Kryn Freehling-Burton and Terri Hawkes

Submission Deadline For Abstracts: June 15, 2012

Scholarly and lay observers alike have long recognized the relationship between everyday life and performance. Some hold to a sharp split between that which is authentic, true, or real, on one hand, and that which is contrivance, façade, or "mere" performance on the other. Others indicate that any lines separating "performance" from "life" are indistinguishable or not useful, that all of life is performance, that human interaction of any sort is a text to be read in a variety of ways, that social meaning and identity are in fact performatively constituted.

Judith Butler and others have directed attention to performativity and the way it can contest and disrupt accepted meanings, truths, and values. In the performing arts, artists have questioned, theorized, embodied, represented, and troubled social meanings and subjectivities, and have deployed performance in the service of resistance and change. Performance ethnographers and biographical/autobiographical researcher-performers have explored performance dimensions of identity, culture, ritual, and ceremony, as well as the ways in which research findings can be represented through performance, taking research beyond traditional scholarly venues to reach lay audiences and shed prismatic light for academic audiences.

Performing Motherhood places these ideas center stage in maternal studies.

In exploring the relationship between performance and the maternal, contributions to this anthology will pay particular attention to how mothers effectively exercise agency in personal and/or familial identity, and/or to how particular performances can affirm or activate maternal choices, grounded as they are in given social locations.

We seek the following in particular: 1) essays that are empirically and theoretically grounded that explore/complicate everyday life performances of the maternal; 2) creative performance texts that explore maternal agency; and 3) theoretical or research-based examinations of broad scale maternal performance, from community or global activism to the 'performing arts'.

Questions to consider include but are not limited to:

How do women and families enact/perform mothering in ways inconsistent with widely accepted norms (whether general social norms or assumed "feminist" or "progressive" norms) and how do they make that work for them, personally and socially?
How is maternal identity performatively constituted for the multiplicity of ways that people mother beyond biological ties?
What are some of the micropractices/performances that mothers engage in, or orchestrate in their families, that allow them to live self-determined lives? How does mundane practice/performance complicate and shape individual, familial, and social meaning.
In what ways do particular ritual or theatrical or activist performances suggest or embody affirmations of motherwork, maternal agency, or marginalized maternal voices, and what might these performances teach broader audiences?
How do performing arts practitioners who are also mothers negotiate multiple identities?

Submission Guidelines

Abstracts should be about 300 words, and should identify the theoretical grounding for the essay or piece. Please also include a brief biography (50 words) and identify citizenship.

Complete manuscripts not exceeding 15 pages (3750 words) will be due March 1st, 2013 and should be formatted according to MLA guidelines.

Editor responses will go out early summer of 2013 with final revisions due early fall.

The book is to have 50 percent Canadian content, so Canadian

contributors are especially encouraged to submit.

Send abstracts to: kinsera@etsu.edu

Acceptance is contingent and will depend upon strength and fit of the final essay or piece.

Demeter Press

140 Holland St. West, PO 13022

Bradford, ON L3Z 2Y5 Tel: (905) 775-9089

www.demeterpress.org / info@demeterpress.org

EVENT: YWCA to “Rock Away Racism”

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:08:00 +0000

Rock Away Racism
Thursday, Feb. 23
6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Hard Rock Hotel
230 N. Michigan Ave.

Hosted by the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago’s Future Leaders Council

The concert event is focused on celebrating Chicago’s diversity through music and will feature a variety of artists, including Endiskize, Jeff Goodwin & Jamiah ‘On Fire’ & The Red Machine & DJ Madrid. Katrina Lynn of Savvy Talk radio will be the hostess of the event.

Through Rock Away Racism, the YWCA honors Black History Month and those who worked toward racial and social justice, while also spotlighting an issue that continues to impact our society today. “As an organization committed to the elimination of racism, the YWCA works to raise awareness through many vehicles,” said Christine Bork, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago CEO. “Music has historically been used to overcome or respond to prejudice and intolerance, and helps us recognize our similarities and appreciate our differences.”

General admission for the event is $35.00 (VIP admission is also available). To purchase tickets or for more information about Rock Away Racism, please visit www.ywcachicago.org.

Tweet & Rally against attacks on women's health in Illinois

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:20:00 +0000

Attention Illinois readers!

Did you know that Illinois Republicans think that women are livestock? That must be the only reason why they continue to submit bills impacting women's health to the Agriculture Committee.

Want to learn more?

Hands Off Women’s Health Twitter Chat

Lorie Chaiten, ACLU of Illinois, Director of Reproductive Rights, is hosting a twitter chat on Thursday, February 16^th from 1-2 pm discussing the Health and Human Services Plan B decision, the Mississippi personhood amendment, the Komen/Planned Parenthood controversy, the birth control coverage compromise, the attacks on reproductive health care here in Illinois and everything in between. Please follow the hashtag #HOWH (Hands Off Women’s Health) and join in the discussion.

Women Are Still Not Livestock Rally and Lobby Day

Yet again, extremists are trying to close down access to reproductive health care under the guise of protecting women’s health – by ramming measures though the Agriculture Committee (a noted authority on the subject).

Please join Illinois Reproductive Rights Activists next week on Tuesday the 21^st for a rally and lobby day in opposition to treating women like livestock. The t-shirts are will be even more awesome this year, and you will definitely want to get one.

Things will get started at 10:30 am in Springfield, and transportation is available.
Please RSVP: http://action.aclu.org/cows2012.

Can't wait until next week? TAKE ACTION NOW:

Today, HB 4085, the so-called Ultrasound Opportunity Act, was sent to the Agriculture Committee. It could be heard during their Tuesday, February 21 hearing scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

Like last year’s bill, HB 4085 would require that prior to an abortion, the provider must offer the woman to have and view an ultrasound. The woman’s decision must be recorded in her medical record and reported to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The bill contains some vague and non-medical terminology that would be problematic for physicians who try to comply with its requirements. Unlike last year’s version, HB 4085 has no waiting period between the ultrasound and the abortion.

Write/call you state representative and tell him/her to “vote NO on HB 4085”.
Contact information for House members is available at: http://www.ilga.gov/house/default.asp

Next...pass this on!

Valentine's Day Book Review: Outdated by Samhita Mukhopadhyay

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:30:00 +0000

Viva la Feminista welcomes Keidra Chaney of The Learned Fangirl for this Guest Post:

I don’t read dating books. I do date, but I’ve been single more often than not throughout most of my adult life, and I’ve never fit into mainstream “three dates and you’re in a relationship” dating culture. More to the point, the “He’s just not that into you” advice behind most dating literature just makes my flesh crawl. Despite my aversion to dating books (or probably because of it) I was excited to read Outdated: Why Dating is Ruining your Love Life (Seal Press, 2011) when it was first announced, because even though I don’t read dating books, I totally want dating advice.

As a single, dating feminist, there’s not a whole lot of literature out there that speaks to me: even the more ostensibly progressive dating books out there don’t really push hard against gender essentialist, “Mars Vs. Venus” ideas of what it takes to enjoy “normal” romantic relationships. Many feminist books on gender, relationships and sexuality don’t always acknowledge the pursuit of romantic relationships and falling in love as a very real and valid desire for progressive women, some of whom want to figure out how to navigate the murky waters of the dating world just like everyone else .

Samhita Mukhopadhyay, editor for popular blog Feministing, acknowledges all of this in Outdated, framing the book is her own personal relationship history (the book starts with Mukhopadhyay nursing the wounds of a bad break-up) and moving on to her own survey of the relationship self-help aisle of the local bookstore. Through nine chapters, she offers a pointed critique what she calls the “romantic industrial complex,” those persistent myths that seem to define contemporary dating culture: women are longing for a Prince Charming or thwarting intimacy due to their own independence; men are commitment-phobes or ignored “nice guys; single people – but women in particular—in general are sad sacks until partnered.

Mukhopadhyay challenges the idea of partnered co-habitation as the desired goal for straight/ gay/queer romantic relationships and presents the notion that relationships and love can be happily pursued outside of such traditionalist, heteronormative definitions. And sometimes, even while you are having that very conversation with your feminist girlfriends at the local bar after your most recent bad OKCupid encounter, it’s nice to have that affirmed by someone in book form.

It’s also nice to have such serious cultural critique presented in such an accessible way, without falling into feminist scholar shorthand, or coming off too glib or chatty. At the same time, she doesn’t offer any easy answers, either. Mukhopadhyay acknowledges that the love is messy and complicated, especially when one is navigating the gray area between the personal and political. As such, to call Outdated a “dating advice book for feminists” would not quite be accurate but it is a well-presented introduction to a conversation that many single, dating feminists (at least the ones that I know) have been having amongst ourselves for some time now, Outdated opens this conversation up to a broader audience, and definitely a breath of fresh air for the “dating lit” scene.

Grab some chocolate, glass of wine and a copy at Powells or Indiebooks for anytime reading.

Disclaimer: I requested this book for review. Thankfully Keidra was able to pinch hit for me.

* Book links are affiliate links. If you buy your book here I could make a very small amount of money that goes towards this blog by helping me purchase books for school. Thanks!

CFP: Matroreform and Motherlines Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:30:00 +0000

CALL FOR PAPERS

Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement (MIRCI)

MATROREFORM AND MOTHERLINES

October 18-20, 2013, Toronto, ON, Canada

Matroreform, a feminist term coined by Canadian psychologist Dr. Gina Wong, is a psychological, spiritual, cognitive, and emotional reformation of mothering at an intra- and interpersonal level; is a process by which mothers reproduce a new way of mothering apart from her motherline; and it represents an holistic, sociocultural revolution of motherhood at a global level. As a transformative maternal practice of claiming motherhood power, this progressive movement to mothering includes new and empowering motherhood ethos, ideologies, rules, views, and practices apart from one's motherline and apart from dominant and normative discourses of the sacrificial and good mother. Adrienne Rich describes matrophobia as the result of a daughterhood fraught with witnessing the self-sacrificing, capitulating, and self-denial of the mother who is trapped in the oppressive bonds of conventional motherhood. These daughters attempt to extricate themselves from anything remotely close to their mother, which often includes a fear of becoming mothers themselves. Instead, through a process of matroreform, these daughters become mothers and instigate mothering practices and ideas that are right for them; thereby entering new possibilities of what it means to mother. Motherlines: Award-winning poet, author, and Jungian analyst Naomi Ruth Lowinsky notes that our mothers are the first world we know, the source of our lives and stories, and embody the mysteries of origin that tie us to the great web of kin and generation. Motherlines acknowledge the embodied experiences and knowledge/s of mother/child relationships and the responsibilities, challenges, and labour involved in motherwork.Motherline stories contain invaluable lessons and memories of mothering, as well as support for mothers.

This conference will examine the experiences and counter-experiences of matroreform and motherlines that are enduring, severed, or threadbare. We will explore the feminist, political, social/cultural, economic, historical, religious, spiritual, and psychological dimensions of these topics. We welcome submissions from scholars, academics, students, artists, mothers, daughters, and others with experience and knowledge in the areas of matroreform and motherlines. Narratives of experiences as well as cross-cultural and comparative works are encouraged. We also encourage a variety of submissions including scholarly papers from all disciplines, creative submissions, and reflective pieces such as poetry, narratives, artwork, and performance art.

Topics may include but are not restricted to:

Mothering daughters, daughtering, motherhood and oppression, sacrificial mothering, the 'good' mother, empowered mothering, feminist mothering, queer and transgendered mothering, academic mothering, historical accounts, narratives of different mothering; disordered eating, self-esteem and confidence issues, sexual-interference; reproducing mothering, enacting mothering in bold ways, interplay of religion and economic impact of matroreform; attachment, adopting and fostering impact on motherlines, research methods to study matroreform and motherlines, mothering bodies, embodiment, and material site of maternal power and oppression; cross-cultural perspectives and experiences of matroreform/motherlines, bi-cultural identity and motherlines; social media and technology influence on matroreform; mothering in the Information Age; mothering over 40; sexual interference; gender socialization; sociocultural influences; interdisciplinary perspectives on matroreform and motherlines; matroreform and mental health, depression and postpartum depression (debate intergenerational and motherline transmission), medicalization and pathologizing mother's distress; contextualizing mother's suffering; patriarchy and male-based assumptions of women's experiences; mother-blame; counselling strategies and approaches in working to strengthen motherlines and matroreform; ways to counter mainstream ethos of mothering and motherhood.

Keynote Speakers TBA

If you are interested in being considered as a presenter, please send a

250 word abstract and a 50-word bio by March 15th, 2013 to

info@motherhoodinitiative.org and cc to ginaw@athabascau.ca and f.green@uwinnipeg.ca

** TO SUBMIT AN ABSTRACT FOR THIS CONFERENCE,

ONE MUST BE A MEMBER OF MIRCI

Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement (MIRCI)

140 Holland St. West, PO Box 13022

Bradford, ON, L3Z 2Y5 (tel) 905-775-5215

http://www.motherhoodinitiative.org info@motherhoodinitiative.org

Occupy the Pews

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:02:00 +0000

The past week's brouhaha over religiously affiliated entities having to provide their women employees with birth control was infuriating to watch. I agree with the original stance of the White House that churches and houses of worship are exempt. But religiously affiliated hospitals and universities are different. Especially hospitals.

According to Religion & Ethics Weekly, "Catholic hospitals have become the largest nonprofit health care provider in the US, with over 600 hospitals. This year, one in six patients will be cared for in a Catholic hospital." For those of us living in large cities, we have a choice as to which hospital to use. But families who live in rural America have little, if no choice. I believe that even suburban families are also impacted.

But during the past week's "debate" over birth control, Anthony Picarello, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops general counsel finally revealed to the world their ultimate goal - no birth control. I know, I know, some of us knew this already, but it was great to hear it from their mouths and not just feminists piecing it together from other statements. His desire for even a Taco Bell owner to refuse birth control to employees based is just the ultimate.

This Sunday a letter from Chicago's Cardinal Francis George was to be read. I'm not sure if it still will be, but I suspect there will still be some sort of lecture from the pulpit about the evil of birth control as the Church is not happy with the "accommodation" the White House issued yesterday.

The last time I was at Catholic services, I'm pretty sure it was for a funeral. I grew up Catholic, but my mom made it crystal clear that we didn't go to services because of she didn't agree that "they" could tell her what to do about birth control.

But I am asking feminists who do go to Catholic services, Catholic women who use birth control and go to church on Sundays to stand up to the men in power.

Here's where Occupy the Pews comes in:

1) Go to Church as you normally do (Or if it's been awhile, consider attending)

2) When the offering basket comes around, feel free to still donate to the Church, but include a note with your donation telling the Church that you, a donating and supporting member of the Church uses birth control. Attach your name if you are so bold or not if you want anonymity. Just tell them that the women and men sitting in their pews, loves and respects the Lord, but believes in birth control as well.

3) When the lecture happens walk out. This will tell your priest that you do not agree.

These are simple and respectful ways to protest the Church leaders wanting to tell you what to do with your body. Not only that, as the statistic shows, the Catholic Church through their acquisition of hospitals is increasingly telling families of different faiths what to do with their bodies. How's that religious liberty, eh?

The Church moved pretty darn fast to protest women having access to birth control. Imagine if they moved that fast when dealing with priests who rape and abuse children?

My rule would be if a religious entity is doing religious work, their rules. But once they enter into providing services for the masses (hospitals, health care, adoptions) then they need to abide by secular law. If they don't like it, don't do it. Recently a Catholic adoption agency changed to a Christian adoption agency in order to adhere to an anti-discrimination law and retain its lucrative state contracts. So yeah, a compromise can be lived with.

And when should you Occupy the Pews? EVERY SINGLE SUNDAY that you go to Church. A Twitter friend told me that the last time there was a lecture on abortion, she walked right out. I truly believe this statement should come from those of us raised Catholic and especially from those who still regularly attend services, send children to Catholic schools and are connected to the Church.

As I said, I was raised Catholic, but didn't attend services on a regular basis. But I still have an affinity to parts of the Church. When I was in Mexico, I made it a point to visit the Basilica of Guadalupe. It's the church for the Mexican Virgin Mary. I made it a point because my in-laws asked me to "visit and just take a picture." But I believe in the positive images of the Virgin, especially a brown Virgin. When I walked into the square I was overcome with energy. I believe it was the energy of all of those around me. The love and peace was awesome. Then I walked into the old Basilica, I almost cried. I held onto my goddess necklace in prayer. Then I saw this:

The peace and love was gone. Why do they do this? According to polling done in the USA by the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, "a strong majority of Latino registered voters - 74 percent - agrees that a woman has a right to make her own personal, private decisions about abortion without politicians interfering." A display like this just offends those who believe in a woman's right to decide her own fate. Thankfully the goddess and the Virgin (some would say she's one in the same) restored the peace in my heart, but it wasn't the same.

If you do Occupy the Pews, please report back!

CFP: Criminalized Mothers: Criminalizing Motherhood

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

CALL FOR PAPERS

Demeter Press

is seeking submissions for an edited collection

Criminalized Mothers: Criminalizing Motherhood

Co-editors: Joanne Minaker and Bryan Hogeveen

Submission Deadline for Abstracts:June 1, 2012

Alongside the dissemination of toxic neoliberal policies that benefit the richest segments of society, the conditions in which criminalized women mother have eroded. While the affluent savor the fruits of investment into new markets and unfettered movement of capital around the globe, the poor and marginalized find themselves subject to increasing levels of surveillance and social control strategies intended to monitor their movements and intrusively govern their conduct. In the same instant, residues of the welfare state that initially undergirded the well-being of the impoverished and marginalized crumble under the weight of a state that appears unwilling to offer any meaningful assistance. In this ethos of gross income disparities and the vilification of the most marginalized segments of society the criminal justice state manages the excess and punishes the impoverished. Males continue to constitute the vast majority of individuals dealt with by the criminal justice state. Women, especially poor and racialized females, are nevertheless the fastest growing prison population worldwide. Whether through prison, house arrest, probation or restorative justice many marginalized women and girls find themselves subjected to state sponsored controls. Many of these women and girls are mothers. We collectively know very little about the conditions and contexts under which these women care for their children. This collection examines the challenges, difficulties and successes of criminalized mothers. It will highlight innovative programs and enterprising projects that seek to carve out welcome and hospitable spaces for these women. In particular, it seeks to give a voice to marginalized women who are too often silent and silenced by systems of control. The editors seek article length contributions from scholars and practitioners from all disciplines, including (but not limited to) criminology, sociology, social legal studies, education, political science, philosophy, criminal justice studies, geography and anthropology. We are equally interested in auto-ethnographic accounts that detail the frustrations and triumphs of mothers who have experienced criminal justice interventions. Artwork, poetry and short stories are also welcome.

Articles may examine (but are not limited to) the following topics:

Probation and mothering; mothering on house arrest; restorative justice and motherhood; mothering in the context of domestic violence; prison mother/child programs; mothering while incarcerated; criminal justice policies and motherhood; the criminalization of poverty and motherhood; addictions and mothering; mothering sex workers; criminalized girls and mothering; programs for young female offenders and their children; motherhood and risk; surveillance and mothering; ethnography; mothering on parole; racialized mothers; child welfare; foster mothering; immigrant mothers; tensions between rights and needs of children and mothers.

Submission Guidelines

Please submit 250 word abstracts and a 50 word biography and citizenship.

Deadline for abstracts: June 1, 2012. Completed chapters are due June 1, 2013

Please send submissions and inquiries directly to Joanne Minaker

(minakerj@macewan.ca) and Bryan Hogeveen (hogeveen@ualberta.ca)

I'm back!

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:01:00 +0000

Well you'd know that if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, but hey, I'm back here!

I'm still digesting what I heard on the trip. There's a lifetime to digest. A big chunky soup of feminism, violence against women, poverty, foreign policy, privilege, language, love, pain, bravery, history, bureaucracy and tears.

Photo by Judy Rand

I did want to quickly post to say hi to everyone. And to post this fab pic of the delegation on our way to Guerrero to hear from the women of Guerrero. We started out super early, thus me wearing my glasses. A classmate asked me if I went on my trip by myself. I said, "Yes, but soon gained a bunch of sisters." After what we experienced, we are certainly bonded to each other forever.

2012 Blog for Choice Day

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

I know I'm supposed to be talking about 2012 elections today, but today I am in Mexico on the first full day of the Nobel Women's Initiative's delegation. And yes, I wrote this before I left...But I must reflect on my thoughts about being in Mexico on Roe v. Wade Day.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, the number of unsafe abortions around the world are on the rise. Abortions are unsafe when performed by unskilled people and/or under unsanitary conditions. Here in the USA, I am sure we still have back alley abortions. But I think we consider them last resort or hope they are mostly a relic of the past, stories we hear about during abortion speak-outs. A few years ago, I was the emcee at a speak-out and heard Dr. Quentin Young talk about the days before Roe at Cook County Hospital. I'll never forget the look on his face as he described how many women came in bleeding, desperate for assistance.

But as you read this, I'm in a city, Mexico City, where abortion is legal. Just outside the city limits, "thirteen* of Mexico’s 31 states have ...amended their constitutions to protect the fetus from the moment of conception, which may set the stage for greater restrictions in these states’ abortion laws." "According to one analysis, the factors that made this reform possible were the presence of a liberal political party governing at the state level, favorable public opinion and pressure from nongovernmental women’s organizations that promote reproductive rights"[PDF citation] OK, so many I will touch on voting in pro-choice people.

Soon I'll be in Guatemala. There we find, as of 2003, 49% of unsafe abortions are performed by traditional providers. "In Guatemala, poor rural women are three times as likely as nonpoor urban women to have an abortion induced by a traditional birth attendant (60% vs. 18%), and they are far less likely than nonpoor urban women to obtain the services of a doctor (4% vs. 55%). " [PDF citation]

And in Honduras, abortion is prohibited altogether or has no explicit legal exception to save the life of a woman.

Don't fret, I'm not trying to make those of us in the USA feel bad for fighting for our lives. I'm just trying to bring an international perceptive to today's conversation. I will wrap this up by reminding us that the USA does impact women around the world. Our freedom is linked with theirs, theirs with ours. We can't truly celebrate victory in this country until our sisters around the world are also celebrating.

So get out there and register as many pro-choice folks as you can! And get them to the polls in November.

And to see what we're up to in Mexico, head over to the Nobel Women's Initiative's delegation blog. See you back here in February!

Andele Feministas!

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

I'm off to Mexico tomorrow!

I'll return home on January 31st. Until then, you can find me at the Nobel Women's Initiative's delegation blog, Twitter feed, Facebook page and perhaps even their Flickr site.

I am a torn feminista. I am so excited that I'm sick to my stomach about meeting the wonderful women I'll be traveling with, the courageous women we will meet and seeing the beautiful countries we will visit. I am weighed down with the burden that I know this trip will leave me with. This is a fact-finding mission. Meaning we will be doing a lot of listening to women who have lived through some very violent things. It is our job to listen to them, carry their stories and help amplify them for the world to hear. I am packing extra tissues, not for my every-runny-allergy-nose, but for the tears I know I will cry.

But I am equally sad to be leaving my family for 10 days, or as I keep trying to rationalize, 8, since Day 1 I wake up at home and Day 10 I fall asleep at home. The kid is heartbroken. My husband is too, but also worried as hell. I know some of you are as well. Thanks for your concern, but I plan to be home before you even have time to miss me. The sickness I feel when I think of the kid & my husband is seriously going to make me puke. Hopefully that's the only thing that makes me want to puke during the next ten days.

Check back in February when I hope to post reflections about the trip.

Until then,

Peace, Love & Feminism!

According to Honda, your life ends with marriage & the baby carriage

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Have you seen Honda's new ad campaign?

It's called "The Leap List" and I guess the reason I didn't get a pitch about it is that I'm an old married mother. Far past the apparent target audience for "The Leap List."

It's a rip off from the old idea of having a bucket list, but instead of making a list of things to do before you die, it's asking pepole to make a list of awesome things to do before making a big leap in life. Two leaps that Honda thinks you should make lists about? Babies and marriage. Take a look:

So what do we learn here? That men will be restricted from doing awesome things because a baby weighs him down and women can't make movies after they get married.

Oh, that Honda cars aren't for us old married parent types. I'll certainly keep that in mind when it's time *knockonwooditisyearsfromnow* for my husband and I to buy a new car.

Because heaven knows that a Honda can't take the boredom that goes along with fathers and married women.

CFP: Stay at Home Mothers: An International Perspective

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

CALL FOR PAPERS

Demeter Press is seeking submissions for an edited collection

Stay at Home Mothers: An International Perspective

Editors: Elizabeth Reid Boyd and Gayle Letherby

DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS: June 1, 2012!

Stay at home mothers and the 'mommy wars' are a continuing phenomenon worldwide. This book will be the first international edited collection exploring debates and issues surrounding mothers returning to/staying at home from a variety of countries and perspectives.

Stay-at home mothering remains a significant social and gender trend. Over the last decades, there have been many books exploring questions, issues and policies surrounding working mothers. This volume explores the flip side to enable a new discussion: Why are mothers still staying at home? Which mothers? In which countries? Under what conditions? What kind of rhetoric is invoked - personal choice or political push? Which national policies benefit them? Which don't? What debates - and emotions - do they provoke?

Chapters can be written from a national perspective and can include both empirical data on mothers staying at home, including statistical trends, as well as conceptual discussion and analysis. This will enable comparison; it will also provide scope for contrasting views. The book will not be for or against stay at home mothers, though it will include debates around the topic, and, indeed, is likely to provoke them.

Topics can also include (but are not limited to):

Debates about the 'worthiness' of different mothers staying at home such as government funded teen mothers versus wealthy, older 'yummy mummies'; the 'mommy wars' between working moms and stay at home moms; maternal versus paid child care; the persistence of mothering at home and what it means; the take up of maternal (and paternal) leave; maternity payments and childcare policy; state enabling of mothers staying at home; the 'new Victorians'/the domestic goddess and the increasing idealisation of mothers at home; the leisured mother at home assisted by a (foreign worker) maid; stay at home mothers and the media; the history of mothers staying at home; generational change and visions for the future. Different viewpoints, from academics to lobby groups, are welcomed.

Submission Guidelines

Abstracts: 250 words. Please include a 50-word biography (with citizenship information.)

Deadline for abstracts is June 1, 2012

Please send submissions and inquiries directly to:

Elizabeth Reid Boyd e.boyd@ecu.edu.au

Accepted papers of 4000-5000 words (15-20 pages) will be due between April to June 2013, and should conform to American Anthropological Association style.

GIVEAWAY: Witches, Wizards, Spells and Elves: The Magic of Shakespeare

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:00:00 +0000

Witches, Wizards, Spells and Elves:
The Magic of Shakespeare

by Bruce Adolphe
featuring performers from The Chicago Chamber Musicians and CST

in Chicago Shakespeare’s Courtyard Theater
January 21 and 22, 2012 at 10:00 and 11:30 a.m.

Viva la Feminista is happy to offer one lucky reader four (4) tickets to next weekend's Witches, Wizards, Spells and Elves: The Magic of Shakespeare.

Theatrical magic and musical masters blend to draw young audiences into the performing arts in an hour-long family concert. Chicago Shakespeare actors and The Chicago Chamber Musicians bring together theater and classical music to create an interactive concert, giving children the opportunity to discover, up-close, the excitement of live performance. At 11:00 a.m. on both days, performers are available for autographs and pictures in the lobby, while young musicians demonstrate and answer questions about the featured instruments.

Approximate Running Time: 1 hour

Recommended for children ages 5 and up.

I'm making this easy...Just leave a comment with your email address. I'll pick a random winner after Sunday, January 15th at 5 pm.

Make this your luckiest Friday the 13th!

****************
UPDATED: Sunday, January 15th

The lucky winner is commenter #2! Which is my friend Catherine. Click on the above graphic to see that random.org selected #2.

Disclaimer: This giveaway is courtesy of the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. I got nada for this giveaway.

¡Acábalo Ya! Working Together to End Cervical Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:30:00 +0000

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month and Viva la Feminista is joining in on the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health's blog carnival! VIVA!

Si, viva! Because I want my Latinas hermanas to live long and healthy lives.NLIRH is asking bloggers to consider the following question:

“What will it take to end cervical cancer?”

NLIRH states that "every year in the United States alone, more than 12,000 women are diagnosed and more than 4,000 women die of cervical cancer, a disease that is 100% preventable. A disproportionate number of those who suffer from this deadly disease are Latinas." A big reason why Latinas are disproportionately impacted is our lack of access to healthcare.

We may have trouble getting to a doctor for a pap smear because we lack health insurance. We may lack health insurance because we are in a lot of low-paying jobs. We may lack health insurance because we work in sectors like service (restaurants, hotels, etc) where even if we bring home enough money to live on, health insurance isn't offered. And of course, we may not be documented and thus not in a position to obtain health insurance. Not having health insurance may then bump us into having to rely on public health services, which in some parts of the country (ahem, Arizona) may mean risking revealing our lack of documentation.

In a world where cervical cancer should be preventable via the HPV vaccine or detected at an early stage via Pap smears, the fact that so many women, Latinas or not, die from it is unjust.

But I think it's more than just lack of access.

Cervical cancer is linked to sexual activity. And that puts a lot of cases in the STD pile and we all know what that means...STIGMA! BLAME! SHAME! We need to come to grips with the fact that women, even younger women, teenagers, are sexual beings. Shame should never kill anyone. That's why I so detested the decision to ignore the FDA on teens' access to the morning after pill. Yes, I know it was a political decision, but I think it was one made easier because teens + sex = squirmy public.

So that's what I think? What about you?

Book Review: Intimate Wars by Merle Hoffman

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Intimate Wars: The Life and Times of the Woman Who Brought Abortion from the Back Alley to the Board Room by Merle Hoffman is a must read memoir by a no-holds-barred feminist activist trailblazer.

Her tale is one like no other I have read. She attacks her life story just as she would anything in life - without fear. It is hard to summarize the life of Merle Hoffman. She seems to be a pretty typical example of people with a lot of intellect and potential, as she floated through the first part of her life. She had high standards and life just never seemed to rise to them. Apparently, it was just waiting for the right moment to strike Merle with her life's purpose.

Merle opened one of the first abortion clinics in New York in pre-Roe days. She did most of her early abortion work without political consciousness. But she soon grows into her warrior life.

Merle's story of how she came to love abortion work is moving and one that should be heard by more people. She simply grew to love helping women through, as she put it in our interview, the "most powerful and vulnerable point" of their lives. She saw the connections between mothers and daughters who came in together, between race and class, especially post-Hyde Amendment and most of all she saw how disconnected some women were with their bodies and the political process. Merle quickly transformed her clinic from a mere health center to a radical place. The waiting room was inviting and filled with current information on abortion and reproductive justice issues.

This isn't an easy memoir to read though. Merle challenges feminists to consider the bifurcation in the woman-versus-fetus debate. She cedes ground and agrees that "abortion stops a beating heart." Because for Merle, an abortion is a sacrifice and we must acknowledge that in order to be a stronger movement. Merle also is not ashamed to acknowledge that she makes money from abortions. Although the price for a first trimester abortion hasn't changed in 25 years. Some will be taken aback by her personal life. She must be honest because reading through her affair-to-marriage story will make you wince.

Merle adopts a daughter late in life and this concluding chapter is poignant and still wrapped in Merle's ability to see everything through a reproductive justice lens. Which, of course I loved.

Intimate Wars is a great peek back at the early days of the 1970s feminist movement, including their missteps that my generation (third wave/Gen X) often chide them over. Merle doesn't seem to hold back on her criticism of anyone, including herself. This memoir may be difficult to read, but it is also refreshing. Get your copy at Powells or IndieBound.

Disclaimer: I was offered this book for review by a publicist, who also facilitated access to Merle for the interview previously posted.

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