Registration Open! DEFINE THIS: Young Women of Color Creating Change

Conference registration is open - the early-bird registration rate of only $15 is available through October 31st!

This exciting conference will be packed with informative presentations and action-planning workshops. Topics to be covered include:

• Priorities after the presidential election
• Global reproductive rights
• Violence against women of color
• Climate change
• Women of color in the media
• 21st century organizing
• Environmental racism and much more!

For more information and to register by the October 31st deadline, visit the Conference Website here.

If you have any questions about attending or presenting, contact Patrice Guillory or Danielle Geong by email or by phone (703-522-2214) in the East Coast Office. We hope to see you there!

Yay for absentee ballots :)

Hey everyone, its Mary again blogging from the FMF headquarters. And now its official: I have voted in my first presidential campaign! My mom and sister came to visit from California last weekend and brought my ballot along with them. So later this week (after finally getting all of my homework done, it took forever), I was finally able to sit down at my desk and vote! Of course I've been voting since I turned 18 but since this was my first presidential election, and one of the most important elections I will most likely see during my lifetime, I was definitely excited :) About 30 minutes later, I was done and ready to put it in the mail (helpful hint, remember postage, I had to run back to my room to grab a stamp haha) And that was it! The election is now less than two weeks away....have you voted yet????

Feminist activism abounds in Wisconsin

Hi all!

Val here - Emily and I have been roaming the state of Wisconsin for a little over a week now as a part of the Choices Campus Leadership Program Outreach for Get Out HER Vote. Check out our effort to blend in to the WI scenery on the right! --->

We have been having tons of fun -there are so many fantastic feminists at every campus we've visited! We've had the privilege of talking with them to see what kinds of fabulous activism they're doing, help them with Get Out HER Vote campaigns, and help out with events and programming across campus.

The ultra-engaged student populations we've met are really encouraging. It seems that a lot of folks on Wisconsin campuses are realizing the immense power that rests in the student voice and are organizing to make sure their peers get fired up and out to the polls!

The engagement of students not only on the level of national politics but with state and local initiatives has been fantastic as well - students are organizing around everything from paid sick leave to birth control access in an effort to make sure their needs are met on campus and in their communities.

We'll be posting more later (though we can't promise any better photos!), but we thought we'd drop in an update from the road. Remember, you can follow the campus team's updates on Twitter also at http://twitter.com/feministcampus!

Early voting flubs

Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning has really missed the mark on early voting:

"[Voting] lines are a sign of a healthy democracy, and certainly our democracy is healthy today."

Early voting in Florida began on Monday. According to the Washington Post, voters in Florida waited in line for hours in order to cast their ballots. This is a travesty.

It's great that Florida is offering this opportunity to voters, but it's being very poorly implemented. Voting should be easy, and should not require you to stand outside facing inclement weather.

The voters most hurt by this ineptitude is low-income people, people of color, and women. If these folks are forced to wait at the polls, it is increasingly likely they will have to leave to take care of their other obligations. And these groups are most likely to vote for progressive issues.

Consequently, it is imperative that students work with local elections officials to ensure the voting process goes smoothly on Election Day. If your county is still training poll workers, sign up and get paid to work on Nov. 4th. This will better enable your friends and neighbors to cast their ballots and participate in our democracy!

Countdown to E-day!

The general election is in two weeks! Make a pact with your friends to vote on Election Day. Ballot initiatives and races are often won or lost by only a couple hundred votes. You can make a difference both locally and nationally just by casting your ballot.

So fulfill your civic duty, and honor the hard work of Alice Paul and other suffragettes who attained for American women the right to vote in 1920! If you have any questions about voting or your registration status, call your local elections board, or contact your FMF national campus organizer. The West Coast team can be reached at 310-556-2500, and the East Coast organizers' number is 703-522-2214.

Good luck and happy voting!

Election 08: The Intern Experience

Hi everyone! I'm sorry its taken me so long to post, with the election only a few more weeks away life has been crazy :) All anyone can really talk about here in fabulous DC is election, election, election 24/7! Usually all of the interns here (including myself) spend at least a good hour on the internet just catching up on all of the news and various blogs, etc. It can get to be overwhelming, but this is such an important election so its pretty important to keep up with everything that has been going on. I've been registered to vote since the day I turned 18, so I'm anxiously waiting for my absentee ballot to arrive so that I can finally get my vote in. My mom and my little sister are flying out from California to come visit me this weekend, and my mom promised to bring my absentee ballot with her. Family visiting and my ballot, what more could a girl want! I'll do my best to update more regularly, have a great weekend :)

Love from Perez! No on 4 & 8!

Now, I like to consider myself a somewhat "serious" feminist at times but every once and a while I do divulge in a little frivolity. Case in point: Perez Hilton. I was probably the last person to even know of the existence of his world of celebrity gossip and, like so many of you, visit more than I care to admit.

But shame no more! Why you ask? Because Perez just posted our video for "No on 8!" If passed, Proposition 8 would amend California's constitution to eliminate the right for same-sex couples to marry -- a fundamental human right that we all should have.

And that's not the only attack on the ballot this year. Californians must also vote on Proposition 4, an additional amendment to the constitution to ban abortions for women under the age of 18 without parental notification. Heard this one before? That's because California voters have already voted against two similar laws in the past.

But this year's amendment is even more deceptive and dangerous than those in the past. Requiring a 48-hour waiting period, involving the courts to prove your "maturity," making it a crime if you falsify documents, and require victims of rape or incest to officially report a crime or report your family before seeking an abortion.

It's imperative that California voters say "NO on 4" and "NO on 8" this election! Want to learn more? Visit our website to find out just how dangerous both of these amendments would be if passed. Share your knowledge with your friends and family -- especially those who live in CA -- so we can all be aware of the attacks on equality and choice this November.

Third times the charm?

Kudos, Bob Schieffer for putting reproductive choice on the presidential debate agenda! Finally, a question was asked about the role of Supreme Court nominations and Roe v. Wade. The next administration will potentially appoint up to three new justices to the court -- and it only takes one to strip women of their reproductive rights.

So why did it take so long to have this discussion? What did you think about last night's debate? Are the issues you care about being discussed?

Access to abortion and birth control are not the only things at stake in this election. Pay equity, affirmative action, marriage equality and much more are all on the ballot this year.

With only 19 days until Election day, it's time to take action now! Some of you don't have to wait until November 4 to vote with early voting beginning in many states. Organize your campus and march to the polls today to vote as if your life depends on it! And if you can't vote now, keep the debate going by educating your community about why their vote is so important this fall!

Know Your Rights

It's articles like this one in TIME magazine that just get me fired up.

Notice to all election officials:
We WILL register to vote where we go to campus.
We WILL NOT be deterred by long lines or bad weather.
We WILL demand a provisional ballot if our name is not on the roll at our precinct.
We WILL NOT be denied our basic civil rights.
We WILL Get Out HER Vote!

Thank you. :)

Campus team at the Breastival!

Emily and Danielle are visiting Danielle's alma mater, American University, this Tuesday to table at the Breastival. The event is a women's health fair and fundraiser for breast cancer research, and it's sponsored by the fabulous Women's Initiative arm of the Student Government.

We'll have information on birth control pricing, crisis pregnancy centers, the Get Out Her Vote campaign, and internships with FMF. We'll also have free stickers and candy, just for fun!

We're tabling 12-5pm, and FMF's Dr. Beth Jordan is leading a free workshop on HPV at 2:45pm in Mary Graydon Center 247. You won't want to miss it!

Voter registration deadlines today!

The presidential election is fast approaching - are you already registered to vote? Voter registration applications to vote in the November 4th general election are due TODAY in 19 states.

If you haven't already registered, visit your Secretary of State's website to download a form or go to Rock the Vote to fill out and print a registration form.

http://www.rockthevote.org/

To get registered, bring your completed application in person to your county or municipal registrar's office by 5pm today, or mail an application with today's postmark.

Below are the states where applications are due today:
Alaska
Arizona
Colorado
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Michigan
Mississippi
Montana
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia

If your application is not postmarked by October 6, you may be ineligible to vote in the presidential and general election this November. So exercise your civil rights and get registered to vote!

If you know anyone who isn't yet registered, urge them to think about what's at stake in this election. Remind them their vote impacts people both here and abroad, and that if you don't vote, you don't count in our political system.

If you have any questions about registering or changing your registration, contact your state or county board of elections office, or call us at the DC office at 703-522-2214. So get registered and make your vote count!

Vote NO on 48 in Colorado!!

Voter registration in Colorado ends on Monday, Oct 6. Absentee ballots go out Oct 7. Early voting lasts from Oct 20-31.

While election day (Nov. 4) is still 31 days away, many Colorado voters will casts their ballots in LESS THAN A WEEK!

On the ballot this fall are some critical amendments that threaten the rights of all women, people of color, and marginalized populations in Colorado. The Feminist Majority Foundation's Get Out HER Vote Campaign encourages Colorado voters to VOTE NO on 46, 47, 48, and 49.

• 46 is an anti affirmative action amendment that threatens to dismantle key governmental attempts toward equality and civil rights--among them, the ability for women gain state-funded contracts. VOTE NO ON 46!
  
  
• 47 is the "right to work" amendment that will create roadblocks for workers seeking to join unions and gaining collective bargaining rights. VOTE NO ON 47!
  
  
• 48 is the "fetal personhood" amendment that would grant full legal personhood, as defined by Colorado state law, to a fertilized egg--stripping a woman of her rights to her body. By giving constitutional rights to a fertilized egg, the amendment could not only ban all abortions, even in cases of rape or incest, but it could also ban emergency contraception, birth control pills, and IUDs. It could even eliminate medical choices like some cancer treatments, in vitro fertilization, and embryonic stem cell research. VOTE NO ON 48!
  
  
• 49 is another union-buster that threatens to take away the power of the political purse for trade unions in Colorado. VOTE NO ON 49!
  

Spread the word! If you vote in Colorado, VOTE NO on 46, 47, 48, 49! If you have friends or family who vote in Colorado, encourage them to VOTE NO on 46, 47, 48, and 49! The lives and future of women across the country rely on Colorado voters to stand up for women's rights and human's rights.

Vote as if your life depends on it!

Ohio feminist activism is healthy and growing!

Hello from the Buckeye State! Danielle (that's me), Val, and Alysse have been on the ground and are excited to work with students, staff and faculty throughout the state to build up the feminist presence on campuses.

Val and I toured 6 northern Ohio campuses last week. We did 11 class visits, and were so impressed with the feminist faculty and students we met. A lot of the feminist student groups are rebuilding, and we'll definitely support them as they gain strength and transform their campuses!

We also visited student health centers and gathered info on birth control, emergency contraception, and pregnancy referral services there. BC pricing has definitely shot up here, as it has on hundreds of campuses nationwide.

This week, Alysse and I are continuing to visit campuses throughout southern Ohio. On Monday, we met with students at Ohio State to get a Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance group launched.

The next day, we spoke to Dr. Kelli Zaytoun's class at Wright State about the importance of voting this November. Afterward, we spoke with the Student Health Services director to continue our survey on BC, EC, and pregnancy referrals.

We spent the night with Alysse's sister in Dayton, then met with faculty at the University of Dayton and University of Cincinnati about brewing up student feminist activist groups on campus.

UC is offering a new Feminist Activism course for Spring '09, and they've been in touch with our friend Dr. Pat Willis at Wake Forest University about the activist course she started there. The UC Women's Center is also utilizing new media to reach students - they're a really fantastic resource, and UC is lucky to have them!

We returned to Wright State on Wednesday evening to meet with the strong FMLA there, and to do another class visit with Dr. Zaytoun.

Today, we're at Miami University, in the southwestern part of the state. I spoke in Dr. Ann Fuehrer's Women's Studies capstone class this morning, and we're meeting with the student leadership of Pro-Choice Miami this afternoon. And tonight, we're off to Kenyon College to meet with students about launching an FMLA at that campus.

The feminist academic community in Ohio seems pretty close-knit, which is so exciting to hear. We'll keep you posted on the rest of the trip!

Vote As If Your Life Depends On It!

Hey all, wanted to make sure everyone had seen our new Get Out Her Vote video and pledge! Go to www.feministcampus.org/votenow to sign the pledge and tell your friends!

Make sure your voice is heard! Sign the pledge and please share it with your friends! There is a lot at stake for young people this November - we deserve to have a say in our future. Vote!