Check out Vida Afro-Latina

I had the pleasure of meeting the creator of Vida Afro-Latina today and realized I never introduced the site to all of you.

Black Latinos are woefully underrepresented in the general market, Latino and African-American media. VidaAfroLatina.com has been created to fill that gap.

When you have a moment (or a few hours), go check it out. As Mrs. Robinson says, I learn more about myself when I’m exploring other cultures. Sounds like a site I’ll be frequenting!

Contact them to submit revelant articles, news tips, links or events.

Hefty People Can Have Healthy Hearts

Hefty People Can Have Healthy Hearts

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Many obese Americans may have much less heart disease risk than is widely believed and conversely, about one fourth of normal weight individuals could have a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors…

BlogHer 08

I’m at the BlogHer conference this weekend. I moderated a panel on Race and Gender, check-out the live blog here.  The recorded version should be available on their site soon (that’s where it gets interesting).

I’m experiencing conference burn-out, so I’m taking an early flight home and will try to digest and write about the conference in the next few days.  I have mixed feelings about the overall message, the general intent of the conference and especially the sponsors. Although, I want to make sure I give myself a little time to process my own message before I put it out in the world.

Off to the processing lab, where WOC learn to reframe, readjust and regurgitate bland words for mass production!

AMC Recap #1

An adequate assessment of just one pre­sentation will be difficult; to express how powerful and moving the entire conference was will be even harder.

There was never a question of belonging, nor was there a need to reference one’s resume in order to feel part of an exclusive network…

Visit Critical Moment Magazine for the full recap.

And so it begins…

 

It’s finally here - AMC!  I met the Empowered Fe Fes today and if their energy is any indication of what’s to come, then I know I’m in exactly the right place!

I also bumped into Wifey in the dorm elevator and couldn’t stop hugging her, so you know it was only a matter of time before I excused myself from the group and ran up to her room to get a tackle hug from BlackAmazon.  

Stay tuned!

Stories in the news this morning: June 9, 2008

It’s 10am and I’m already seething with reports from mainstream media.

NY Times: States Take New Tack on Illegal Immigration

MILTON, Fla. — Three months after the local police inspected more than a dozen businesses searching for illegal immigrants using stolen Social Security numbers, this community in the Florida Panhandle has become more law-abiding, emptier and whiter.

[One business owner says,] “I don’t blame them [police],” Mr. Barragan added. “It’s just that it hurts.”

Yes, how painful it must be to have your business lose the much-needed dollars of those little brown people in your small community. It doesn’t hurt because the lives of good, hard-working people have been disrupted by deportation or jail; no, let’s not consider that. Let’s only focus on the hole this raid left in your business. Since a large portion of the latino community frequented his restaurant, he doesn’t have any answers for how to stay open. No protests, no help in rewriting policy, not even a call to the local police, just a plea of “it hurts.”

________________________________________________________________________________

NY Times: Where Whites Draw the Line

How black is too black?

Millions of African-Americans celebrated Barack Obama’s historic victory, seeing in it a reflection — sudden and shocking — of their own expanded horizons. But whether Mr. Obama captures the White House in November will depend on how he is seen by white Americans. Indeed, some people argue that one of the reasons Mr. Obama was able to defeat Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was that a large number of white voters saw him as “postracial.”

I wonder if I wrote an article “How White is too White?” how quickly the NY Times would pick it up. If they did, if anyone did, how quickly would I be accused of reverse racism? I’d be attacked for trying to divide the country, rather than using my words productively to unify. I’d probably be put on a terrorist watch list. But “too black”? That’s perfectly reasonable for the paper of record.

________________________________________________________________________________

NY Times: Inside Gate, India’s Good Life; Outside, the Slums

Hamilton Court — complete with a private school within its gates, groomed lawns and security guards — is just one of the exclusive gated communities that have blossomed across India in recent years. At least for the newly moneyed upper middle class, they offer at high prices what the government cannot, at least not to the liking of their residents.

Thank goodness such class inequality would never happen in the civilized United States.

________________________________________________________________________________

Daily Kos: Iowa — Another Katrina?

Darrell in Iowa writes:

I am in Mason City.  Our levees broke Sunday morning.  Flood stage is 7 foot and waters are now at 19 feet.  Hundreds of homes and businesses are underwater.  The City’s water plant was flooded and the entire city of 30,000 is without potable water.  A couple of hours ago the main electric substation flooded and failed and much of the city is without power.  People remain in flooded homes.  Early tonight I saw people wandering the streets not knowing where to go.  There are entrie areas of the city with NO emergency personnel on hand.

NOBODY from the outside has come to help.  Our local first responders are exhausted and overwhelmed.  Small rural towns downstream tonight are being devasted.  Levees everywhere are failing.  Calls for help in these small towns have been unmet.  Portions of our local guard are in Iraq.

The homeland has been left unprotected and people are suffering horribly.

As if we needed another reminder of how our government fails its basic obligations. Like New Orleans, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Army Core of Engineers lied about the effectiveness of these levees, too. When we put people in charge of government who are convinced government can’t work, they will do everything to make sure it won’t work. Mason City, Iowa is drowning in Republican rule.

I realize this is an angry post (oh no - anger!) but every once in a while, a Latina needs to show her teeth! Besides, if you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention

“A Bitch Project” Recap

On Sunday, May 4, I took part in “A Bitch Project,” a participatory discussion about how—and whether—feminism can become a transformative movement for social change. The discussion was held at the community collective Trumbullplex in Detroit; it was initiated by Bitch Magazine publisher Debbie Rasmussen,* and co-organized by myself, fellow Detroit Feminist organizer Andrea Lavigne and local Detroiter Jess Hauser.

 

 

The discussion was part of a small tour Debbie put together after reading an article by Jessica Hoffman (of make/shift magazine) titled “On Prisons, Borders, Safety, and Privilege: An Open Letter to White Feminists.”** As preparation for the discussion, Debbie encouraged all participants to read Hoffman’s piece. Below are excerpts from her invitation, and the questions to be addressed:

 

 

A Bitch Project

Feminism In/Action: What is your feminism for and why does it matter?

 

·     How can we drive attention to the power, privilege, and marginal­ization that continue to play out in feminist communities and how can those of us with power and privilege become effective, genuine allies to those without it?

·     How can we collectively create an independent feminist media-justice movement that doesn’t rely on white supremacy, class privilege, and economic exploitation?

·     Can the idea of “feminism” shift to foreground an uncompromising, transformative commitment to systemic social change, or is it time to evolve to new language

 

 

When Debbie got in touch with me and Detroit Feminists to help facilitate this discussion, I thought it was a great idea, and immediately wanted to be involved. I did so with some trepidation, however, because I understand how difficult it can be to open up a discussion about diversity, social change and inclusive language in the feminist movement, and how hard it is for some to talk about one’s privilege. It’s easy to get off topic, and even easier for tensions to run high very quickly. But I welcomed the opportunity, and was pleased that Debbie had decided to take this first step.

 

 

The morning of the 4th, I was nervous. Diversity is sometimes touched upon within the feminist movement in Metro Detroit, and written about periodically, but usually it seems restricted to rhetoric, which allows feminists to maintain a distance from taking steps toward real change, or actually committing to being inclusive.

 

 

In my own personal interactions, I’ve offended more than a few people trying to address this issue. Others have decided they don’t like me personally, and therefore we are not on the same “feminist” page, and have little to talk about. Many simply go cold when faced with the issue. So opening this up to a full room where I had to help lead the discussion felt a bit daunting. Yet, if I was expecting others to show up and be open and vulnerable, I had to do the same.

 

 

We were pleased with the turnout, which was bigger than we thought it would be; approximately 25 - 30 people showed up. The conversation began with introductions, which were a little uncomfortable given that most people didn’t know each other, and the underlying nervousness about the discussion to come was obvious. Then again, how do you avoid that? You just keep going.

 

 

Then we asked the first question: what is your feminism, and why does it matter? What was most apparent from these first interactions was most of us felt some disillusionment with feminism, and thought something was missing from the movement, but we lacked a general consensus on what it was. Yet everyone there still felt invested in feminism, and wanted to see it evolve in a positive way.

 

 

Often we couldn’t get to a place where we were talking about just one thing; it seemed like we had too many different issues we were each focused on.

 

 

Some thought motherhood was never really highlighted or considered important enough in feminist discourse. While abortion and reproductive rights are highlighted, motherhood is often at the bottom of the list.

 

 

Others felt feminism has become too intellectualized; it has shifted from a mass movement to a field of elite study. It doesn’t leave much room for those who haven’t taken women’s studies courses, and don’t plan to. The working class and the working poor, and the issues important to them, are generally disregarded. Since it’s evolved this way, it loses mass appeal.

 

 

The men in the room – while receptive to the conventional goals of feminism – expressed that they had no real sense of what feminism was, other than angry, man-hating women. They understood this view is continuously perpetuated, and wanted to learn how they might identify as feminists without being the butt of someone’s joke. In general, they expressed an interest in understanding feminism, but also a sense of frustration at not being able to comprehend what it means.

 

 

Over the course of the discussion, we kept circling back around to the idea of diversity, people of color as leaders of the feminist movement, and examining our privilege. While the group was receptive and open to discussing diversity and privilege, it still didn’t seem to be the topic most people wanted to, or even could, focus on. The main question that came out of this was how do we create diversity and also make people of color leaders in the movement without them being tokens, or perceived as tokens? There was also a concern about white people trying to learn about issues important to women of color; how do they ask without being offensive or treating people of color as subjects of learning, or demanding that people of color “teach” white people about their culture and concerns?

 

Another related issue was the tendency of white women to offer solutions for how women of color should participate in the movement, and how white women might help them solve their problems. It’s become a conversation between therapist (white) and victim (woc) instead of a conversation between equals.

 

This question and the related questions were never answered. Still, I think it was a great beginning. With introductions and first discussions like this, we can get over our initial discomfort. And if we can create a safe space, we can address these issues openly and productively. While we had many more questions than we had solutions or movement toward change, the introduction is an important starting point.

 

 

We are now planning part two of this discussion to get back to the original topic as Debbie first proposed. Here’s the information:

Thursday, June 5, 7:30-9:30pm

Trumbullplex

4210 Trumbull, Detroit

• Everyone is welcome (it takes a community!), even if you missed the initial conversation.
• In preparation for the discussion, we aks that everyone read On Prisons, Borders, Safety, and Privilege: An Open Letter to White Feminists, by Jessica Hoffman. The article is available in the current issue of make/shift magazine or online.

  

One of my concerns as we move forward is that the people who are open to these kinds of discussions and are willing to put themselves in uncomfortable positions are often the same people we’re likely to continue seeing. How do we open it up to new people, and/or to a much broader segment of the movement?

 

This is an ongoing struggle that most movements deal with, and we’ll continue to struggle with it. We have to; the alternative is the self-destruction of the movement.

 

Finally, I want to thank Debbie and Bitch Magazine for including Detroit in this tour. We look forward to having you back at the end of June for A Bitch Project Listening Party!

 

*Debbie has a great recap on her blog at Bitch Magazine; she’s also looking for feedback, so feel free to head over there and comment (there’s even a cute picture of me - ha!)

Bitch Magazine & Detroit Feminists

Feminism In/Action: What is your feminism for and why does it matter?

This past Sunday Bitch Magazine and Detroit Feminists hosted a participatory discussion about—and whether—feminism can become a transformative movement for social change..more details.

We had a great turn-out and are thrilled Debbie Rasmussen contacted us to help organize this powerful and important conversation. Thank you to Bitch Magazine, Trumbull Plex, those who supported the event and especially the people who came out to get involved!

Bitch publisher Debbie Rasmussen posted an update, please feel free to give us (and Bitch Magazine) any feedback, comments or critique on the format or future discussions.

Stay tuned for our full recap and details for a Listening Party.

Notes on teaching racism (teleconference)

Tonight Las Comardes held a teleconference to discuss “when and how children should be taught about racism.”

The conference featured the authors of the book That’s Not Fair!: Emma Tenayuca’s Struggle for Justice /¡No es Justo!:La Lucha de Emma Tenayuca por la Justicia
(Wings Press, 2008. Illustrated by Terry Ybañez) and focused on the issues it raised:

This is the first book ever published about the significant Latina civil rights leader (Emma Tenayuca) from the 1930s, who at the tender age of 22, organized twelve thousand pecan shellers in a strike that was to become the first successful action in the Mexican American struggle for political and economic justice. Aimed at readers 6 and up, That’s Not Fair is the April 2008 national Las Comadres Book Selection.

Notes

I came in on the call a little late, therefore my notes are 10 minutes into the conversation. Also, these are not direct quotes, but my best attempt at paraphrasing:

Author Carmen Tafolla/ Sharyll Tenayuca (not sure): When you ask children about the election, do they feel Latinos or women can be president, they are very attuned to what’s going on around them. You get answers like: no, because women are weaker, or it’s illegal for Latinos to be president.

Dr. Rebecca Bigler, UT Professor of Psychology, mentions how white parents are usually very reluctant to talk to their children about racism and racial injustice.

Interviewer Adriana Dominguez asks how we can best introduce the topic of racism and social inequalities to children?

Bigler: We don’t have quite enough research to know. What we do know is you start by introducing topics slowly, without violence, so they aren’t as troubling. Start with cases like Emma’s (good evidence of important change and good outcomes), in a fair and compassionate way, that teaches children about history and also gives them hope.

Bigler: Research shows children do have an awareness for justice at an early age, and you need to be encouraging them to develop attitudes towards social justice. Encourage love of reading, writing and courageousness.

Dominguez: How is the book received among Latino/a families as well as non -Latino/a families?

Tafolla: Very well, with Latino/a children there is a little extra excitement. They ask, “she (Emma Tenayuca) really existed, this is really her picture on the back of the book?”

Bigler: White children who heard the story about racial discrimination often demonstrated a level of guilt; they felt bad about their privileged status. Because of this, I have received hate mail asking, “how dare you make children feel bad about their privilege”

But feeling racial guilt wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. What we found was the initial guilt lead to them feeling connected (to some degree), and toward caring about social justice. Some of the stories might be sad and troubling for children, but what we need to learn is how can we tell these stories in a way where we have good outcomes, and make them feel like there is hope.

Dominquez: What would you like Emma’s legacy to be?

Tafolla: Everyone can make a difference in this world. That’s very reflective of Emma’s voice. Make use of everyone who wants to help. “You can make a difference in your world”

Bigler: Emma’s story shows that heroes are people who see, acknowledge and fight social justice, and those heroes come in all shapes and sizes and genders. It shows that children can be on the look-out for social injustice, and when they see it, they can name it and fight it.

Announcement: The full teleconference will be available on the website in a couple of weeks.

Las Comadres is also starting a book club, which should begin sometime in May. Learning through reading, and practicing what we learn. Hasta luego!

Side Note from Las Comadres:

We ask that you purchase a book and give it to an elementary school of your choice.

In Austin you may purchase the book at the Resistancia Book Store. If you purchase at Resistancia you can give the book in memory of Raul Salinas, our activist compadre who recently passed, and whose life was devoted to issues of justice and fairness.

Resistancia Book Store
1801-A South First St.
Austin, TX 78704
Phone: (512) 416-8885
Email: revolu@swbell.net 

Weekend Break

 I’m taking a weekend break to get some work done.

I want to concentrate on writing a recap on the Sex Trafficking Conference, which was a full weekend with many important lessons and painful realities.

I will be attending Race Sex Power: New Movements in Black and Latina/o Sexualities and Labor Notes: Rebuilding Labor’s Power and I want to be fully present for them.

I also want to read the two Hermana, Resist zines Noemi gifted me and take them in silently.

Lastly, I’m planning a nice long conversation with my brilliant niece. And there’s nothing I anticipate more!

Have a great weekend!

WAM! Recap - finally!

 

By now you’ve probably read enough WAM! recaps in the past week, and might not be interested in another. But I want to write about it, so …

I heard about WAM! through the blogosphere. I was drawn to the conference, as I said in my interview with Jill Zimon, because of the diversity of presentations and workshops, and because a number of women I met last year at the Allied Media Conference were presenting.

 

When I arrived, I felt somewhat alienated and alone, which I chalked up to my not knowing many of the attendees. Yet the first invitation I received was a text message from Nadia of No Snow Here, hoping I’d arrived and inviting me to join them (WOC) at the conference. Although I don’t know them as well as they know each other, nor for as long, they welcomed me instantly and warmly. 

 

I assumed, or hoped, that the rest of the attendees at the conference would welcome everyone in the same spirit. That same day, however, I was proven wrong. At a conference as large as this, I didn’t expect everyone would take the time to introduce themselves and make themselves available to everyone else - the conference was only so long, after all - but I sensed a clear distinction between women of color and white feminists in their interaction with others. As the conference moved from the networking event to the reception and keynote speaker Helen Thomas, the divide grew more stark, with WOC sitting together in a sea of white feminists. That was unfortunately a mark of how the rest of the weekend evolved.

 

I attended several workshops, including “Here We Go Again: Bad Stories About Women that Never Die,” “Raising Women’s Voices/Building Women’s Power: Collaborative Approaches to Strategic Communications for Social Justice,” and the film “Silent Choices” on reproductive rights. While these were informative, two presentations stuck with me more than others: “Immigration in the U.S.: The Women’s Rights Crisis Feminists Aren’t Talking About” and “We B(e)lo(n)g: Womyn of Color and Online Feminism.” The panel on immigration was exceptional because finally someone was talking about the New Bedford Raids in MA, where police apprehended 361 people, mostly immigrant women who suffered physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their captors. The presentation highlighted the cruelty of immigration enforcement directed towards human beings regarded as defenseless and invisible; it focused on an inhumanity that is rarely discussed, and the need for action. At one point during the film clip about the raid I became so distraught at watching these women suffer - women who could be my mother, my grandmother, or my sister - I had to leave the room so I could break down in private. I knew my tears were a poor excuse for action, but I was simply overcome with emotion.

 

The panel “”We B(e)lo(n)g: Womyn of Color and Online Feminism” was by far the high point of the conference. It began with introductions, a short film clip by Sudy on WOC in the blogosphere, and then each panelist read a “wish” poem she’d written. Rather than sit at the tables in the front, they instead came to the side of the room with the attendees, and asked each of us to give our wish. They did not talk at us, but with us; it created a safe, loving space for everyone. My wish was that there would be a space like this wherever I went.  

 

The panel on immigration was a mixed group, although I wondered if the title had contained the phrase “women of color” and all the panelists were WOC would the participation have been as diverse - especially since “We B(e)lo(n)g” was almost completely WOC. A lot of white feminists seemed to regard presentations or workshops about women of color as exclusive to women of color, and wanted to “respect” that space. They might have considered taking part, but apparently didn’t want to intrude. This assumption has now become the escape route for white feminists to not participate, to not open themselves up to be in a new and potentially uncomfortable space. Not one person did what any normal human being would do, ask “May I participate, or is this only for women of color?” Therein lies the real problem. My roommate (Metha) at the conference, and Black Amazon’s Wifey, both white women, joined us everywhere we went, including the Queer Women of Color and Friends reception/party. They didn’t assume they couldn’t take part; they just came along. If you don’t make it a big deal, then it isn’t!

 

Metha says she trying to envision ways in which WAM!, or other conferences, could better create spaces for dialogue with people from different backgrounds. Along with a panel on women of color, for example, have a panel of women from a wide range of backgrounds to discuss and debate the same issue, but from a variety of perspectives.

 

The rest of the conference felt like us trying to hold onto the love we created in the “We B(e)lo(n)g” workshop, instead of being able to share it with everyone outside. The divide was still there. I got the distinct impression that we had been given permission to participate in a small way, but not as equals, not as leaders of the same movement.

 

I’m not the first person to say this, and since the conference there has been an outpouring of reaction as a result. Some have dismissed our reactions as negative or angry; suggesting if we aren’t part of the solution (as they define it) then we’re part of the problem. Sounds like Bush: “Yer either with us or agin’ us!”

But isn’t that what the feminist movement was supposed to be about? Standing up for your rights, for equality, using that anger as a force for change? If we are now only defining that as reactions of women of color, as abnormal or damaging, then the feminist movement has ceased to exist, or can no longer define itself in the terms it once could. If women of color (POC) are the only people willing to express our anger and act on it, then it’s with us that you will find real change!

 

For a much more profound and detailed critique on the feminist divide, read Jessica Hoffman’s OpEd: On Prisons, Borders, Safety, and Privilege: An Open Letter to White Feminists (AlterNet, April 4, 200  

*Correction: Jill from Feministe did make a point of asking if the We B(e)lo(n)g session was for WOC only.

Time to blog? Not yet

 I left one conference (WAM!), sped home for a quick hubby sighting, and got on a plane the next day headed for Texas to attend and present at the Sex Trafficking Conference.

I’m disappointed I haven’t been able to write about the amazing (and not so amazing) experience I had in Boston, and how two sessions (We B(e)lo(n)g: Womyn of Color and Online Feminism and Immigration in the U.S.: The Women’s Rights Crisis Feminists Aren’t Talking About) were life-changing.

When I return this weekend, I’ll write a full recap on both conferences. Right now I’m just so happy to be in Texas (Texas? Yes, Texas - The Valley!), and wish I’d visited much sooner. Everyone from the conference organizer to the gas station clerk has welcomed me as if this was home. I’m able to speak Spanish everywhere I go, which is a tremedous luxury, and most of all I wish I brought my passport - the Mexican border is 10 minutes from my hotel. Scream!

In the meantime, visit No Snow Here, La Chola, A Womyn’s Ecdysis, Black Amazon and Viva La Feminista for the WAM! scoop.

And watch Sudy’s flick:

If you’re interested, I was asked to take part in a live panel discussion on Blog Talk Radio. I have to admit I was a little nervous, I’m still not used to being asked to participate in discussions or having people ask for my opinion. So excuse the stuttering, but enjoy the amazing women who engaged in the conversation.

Sidenote: I mentioned on the program that I thought Catherine MacKinnon was the white feminist who stood in solidarity with Andrea Smith; that was incorrect, it was Sherrie Tucker.

The live discussion concludes the Women’s History Month blog carnival, hosted by What Tami Said and Women’s Space. Heart and Tami were joined by Karla Mantilla, Adele Nieves and Shecodes for a great discussion of feminism and its intersection with race and other issues.

Lastly, check out why Brownfemipower made me cry.

Adele Nieves on Blog Talk Radio this weekend

Join us for Come Together: The official live discussion of the Women’s History Month blog carnival

 

Join Heart of Women’s Space and What Tami Said as we conclude our Women’s History Month blog carnival with an hour-long live discussion on Blog Talk Radio, 6 p.m. EDT, Saturday, March 29. We will review our favorite submissions to the blog carnival; discuss issues raised by the carnival, including race and feminism and their roles in the 2008 presidential election; discuss the state of feminism today; and talk about the most effective ways for women to work together towards equality.

We will be joined by panelists including:

Adele Nieves, a writer, journalist, and speaker, focusing on politics, women’s issues and race.

Shecodes, an entrepreneur and activist dedicated to the uplift of black women. Shecodes runs the blog Black Women Vote, described in its inaugural post as “a war cry to all Black women who are fed up, pissed off, and mad as heck about the present conditions of Black womanhood in America, and are ready to do something about it. Make no mistake… we’re about to change some stuff up in this piece! We have the social, economic, political tools to compel America to become more hospitable for ourselves, and for our daughters.”

We also want to hear from YOU. Tune in and call in! Listen live by clicking this link and let your voice be heard by calling (347) 205-9125 during the show.

Watch Women’s Space and What Tami Said for programming updates, including panelist additions.

 Read more at Blog Talk Radio.

Detroit Feminist Women’s Circle - Part II

 DETROIT FEMINSTS EVENT

When

Sunday, March 16, 2008 at 3:00 PM

 Location

Grosse Pointe Park, MI (We picked a central location for this meet-up, one of the organizers will contact those who rsvp’d with the address)

 Details

At our last meet-up we discussed, “How we envision a world were women are truly free?”At the next meet-up we’ll review our ideas, discuss new idea’s, and develop strategies for insighting change. 

These circles will continue growing and extending into greater parts, it’s a process worth sustaining. Please join us in our actions for better world.

 Items to bring

Please bring a dish to share

RSVP

If you are interested in advertising this women’s circle by passing out flyers, please go to our files section, left column of the Detroit Feminist meetup web page.

A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. —-Margaret Mead

Andrea & Adele

Women’s History Month Blog Carnival: Join in!

What Tami Said and Women’s Space are partnering to host a blog carnival to encourage a dialogue between all women committed to gender equality.Dates: March 1 through March 31

Theme: Come Together–Healing Tensions among Women Working for Equality

We are accepting essays, poetry, photographic essays, art, You Tube presentations, short fiction and other creative expressions designed to strengthen the bonds among women and heal rifts caused by historic and current conflicts, as well as by differences in race, age and sexual orientation.

Beginning March 1, submissions will be posted alternately at What Tami Said and Women’s Space, and eventually on an as-yet-to-be-developed blog dedicated to the Come Together blog carnival. We are planning to close the month with a live open discussion on Blog Talk Radio.

Submission Guidelines: Submit work no later than Feb. 28 to whattamisaid@gmail.com or cheryllindseyseelhoff@gmail.com. We cannot guarantee on which blog your work will be posted.

Along with your submission, please include a short bio (2-3 sentences) and a link to your blog if you have one.

Rules
- Women only
- Feel free to voice your hurts and disappointments, but focus on solutions not attacks
- No personal attacks
- No hate speech
- Use examples and facts to back up your statements
- Contributions should reflect personal experiences or direct personal investment as opposed to the academic or theoretical. This is important: We want to hear your truth, your lived reality. This includes you have been personally affected by conflicts over feminist politics, strategies, history and theories.

Possible topics
• Painful chapters of women’s history (conflicts around black male suffrage/women’s suffrage, lynchings, the role of black and white women in bringing lynchings to an end, sexism in the Civil Rights movement, racism in Second Wave feminism)
• Conflicts between women over strategies to end racism (i.e. radical miscegenation v. racial separatism/black nationalism, race traitors v. anti-racists, identity politics v. deconstructing race)
• Conflicts between women over strategies to end lesbophobia and heteronormativity (i.e., lesbian identity politics v. Adrienne Rich’s lesbian continuum v. political lesbianism v. celibacy)
• Being heterosexual, married, a mother, a feminist and experiencing the rejection of feminist women
• Being a lesbian and experiencing the rejection of feminist women
• Issues related to pornography and prostitution
• Immigrant and indigenous women’s experiences of alienation, isolation, rejection from other women
• How poverty or growing up poor affects relationships between women
• Issues around how women look and how that affects our relationships (race, gender nonconformity, being fat, disabilities)
• Generational issues; how disrespect because of youth or age affects relationships between women
• Personal experiences of racism/lesbophobia/classism/abelism/looksism in women’s communities of all kinds (school, church, political groups, professional organizations, unions)
• Conflicts over spirituality, i.e., women rejecting one another because of their religious beliefs
• Conflicts over issues of reproductive choice (i.e., focusing on abortion rights/focusing on the right to bear children/forced sterilization/genocide with respect to indigenous people and people of color)
• “I’m sorry” contributions: Posts, poems, art, etc., apologizing to individual women online or to groups of women you have intentionally or unintentionally offended
• “Post Secrets”: Anonymously submit secrets about your feelings about/relationships with women (a take off from the “Post Secrets” book)
• Or just do your own thing

All women are invited to participate, including women who have tangled with one another in the past, women who have fought with each other or attacked each other online or in real life, women who have offended other women or been offended by other women, online or in real life. This includes all of us! The hope is that by our honesty and truth-telling we can move in the direction of healing and building bridges, no matter what has happened between us in the past. Even if we aren’t ready to forgive and forget quite yet, or to say “I’m sorry,” we can declare a truce for the month of March in honor Women’s History Month.

We need a graphic!
Come on all you talented artists. We need a logo or three or four for our blog carnival. Whip one up and send it to me or Heart at Women’s Space.

Gloria Steinem on C-SPAN

I just watched a program tonight on C-SPAN’s American Perspectives: The Future of Feminism, featuring Gloria Steinem at Nassau Community College. I missed more than half the program, and thought it important to watch the rest.

While I know who Gloria Steinem is, of course, I don’t know very much about her, other than the obvious: a leading figure of the feminist movement from the 60’s, and a controversial figure, for conservatives as well as young feminists.  A few of her books are on my bookshelf waiting to be read.  I’ve heard some say her work is the starting point for getting involved in the women’s movement, while others believe she has nothing to offer them and their idea of feminism.  Still, I’d like to make that decision for myself.  I’ve never been one to believe that any one person has nothing to offer.

So I went to C-SPAN’s website, but there was no information about the program.  I did a search on C-SPAN’s site - nada.  I did a search through Google, and still nothing!  I was instead directed to ESPN, which shows what our society regards as more imporant - sports! 

Anyway, to recap, I turned it on just as Ms. Steinem was saying that women of color were the pioneers of the women’s movement; that since they were more likely to be in the labor force (and not running things) they were more likely to be discriminated against, and therefore were at the forefront of the movement…

Now this I had to hear!

She continued talking about the connections between movements, especially the struggles for women’s equality and the rights of people of color: it’s not possible to be a feminist without being an anti-racist, and not possible to be a successful anti-racist without being a feminist.  Damn right.

One story she told I liked very much:  she talked about how she had a tendency to focus on research and statistics.  Florynce Kennedy, the civil rights worker with whom she often gave speeches, told her, “Gloria, if you’re lying on the side of the road with a truck crushing your leg, you don’t send someone to the library to find out how much the truck weighs.  You just get it off of you.”

She went on to highlight Alice Walker, Shirley Chisolm (the documentary “Unbought and Unbossed” is a must-see), and Eleanor Holmes-Norton.  And I missed just about everything else. If anyone has a link to this program or information on where I can find it, I’d be grateful.

Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival

 

 My recap on the Womyn’s Music Festival, at The Outlet.

In the fall of 2006, I heard some mention of a music festival for women only, held in Michigan. Naturally, I was intrigued. I had never heard of anyone having a week long festival celebrating the majesty of women. Yet, I never did much about it; I wrote it down on my to-do list of things to research, and it sat there for three months…

          Full Story

AMC Recap

  I won’t inundate you with information about the Allied Media Conference, especially since I’m sure you’ve read a number of recaps and daily blogs, leaving mine (although brilliant) to the lonely hearts, last minute, insomniac skim-throughs.

I will highlight three sessions that left me either wanting more or pondering the issues raised long after they ended. I mean, of course, besides meeting Grace Lee Boggs on the registration line the minute I walked in and later attending her captivating symposium, A Paradigm Shift In Our Concept Of Education. I urge you to visit the AMC website (linked above) for a brief description of all the amazing workshops and the dedicated, inspiring people who organized them.

(Mini photo)          

The first two sessions on Friday morning set the tone for the rest of the weekend. Each session was powerful, intelligent and fun. My business partner attended Pop Ed for Radical Teaching presented by Scott Kurashinge and I headed to Plug into The Lamp Post: Youth-Led Media For Community-Wide Education and Action. The session began with an 18-year old poet giving us a peek into the world he lives in Detroit. With words he showed us his pain, his dreams and his wish for the future. At 18 he has already learned to let the world in, to heal by giving, and to release that compartment in his heart that most of us save for therapy. When he finished, I stood to give him a standing ovation, apparently too much for a group more conservative about expressing emotion. I stood anyway.

The rest of the session was an interactive dialogue led by the youth and young adults who participated in Detroit Summer’s Live Arts Media Project (LAMP) They gave us details on how they engaged the community, developed their CD and created a curriculum “for how to use the CD in classrooms.”

I was tempted to stand and “woo-hoo!” one more time, but fear of embarrassing myself twice in one session got the best of me.

 The second highlight was a session led by D. Blair (Pam Halladay was not in attendance), History of Black America As Told Through Music. Blair emphasized the importance of slave music to black culture and black music. He talked about the rhythm of the chain gang, how black church music has its roots in the creativity of the slaves who first sang the songs, the silencing of black classical composers, how to understand traditional hip-hop, and the idea that those normally regarded as uneducated and without power can be our heroes. He sang the lyrics to Maya Angelou’s poem I Rise, forcing me to close my eyes and experience the poem in a new way. I Rise, I Rise, I Rise!

Last, presented by Davin Thompson, The Dot Workshop, an introductory workshop in freestyle rapping. This was an especially interesting workshop to follow D. Blair’s History of Black America, as part of Davin’s focus was the history of hip hop, and the impact of social and cultural issues such as the introduction of crack cocaine to urban areas in the 1980’s. We began by listening to Curtis Mayfield’s “Little Child, Running Wild” off the classic Superfly and comparing it with a song by Tupac Shakur, So Many Tears . Then he did a ‘cypher’ with six participants, showing how to build off a rhyme. He closed at the end with something of his own, which was fantastic. It was great seeing so many young people there interested in hip-hop, ready to breathe new energy into this vital music.

Honorable mentions:

· Radical Women and Transgendered Persons of Color Blogging Caucus for welcoming me with open arms, allowing me to express my own issues and giving me the space to speak without judgment.

· Ivettza Sanchez and Brittany Shoot of Node 101: Intro to Vlogging (videoblogging) for being the most approachable, down-to-earth, comedic women of the weekend.

· Jordan Flaherty who was part of the Solidarity Journalism panel, for only giving a brief (but interesting) recap of what he does at Left Turn Magazine and immediately addressing the people in the room as the important part of helping the independent media function.

· These guys for expressing silently the theme of the conference – togetherness.

(Another mini pic)

What we should all purchase:

· Documentary: