The end is coming! Check out our page!

As I promised, this is the last week for myself, Bonnie, and Emily. Today marks the very last hours we will spend in this office, laughing, learning, taking down the man, you know, the usual.........

Anyways, everyone should check out the really awesome intern page for our intern class. Sarah and Elisette put it together and it's probably the best intern page thus far (trust me, I looked through most of the pages when I was applying here). There are some great pictures and bios about all of the East coast summer interns.

Obviously, you all should apply to intern here. I probably could go on for a while about how awesome this experience has been. Check out the page! You can apply for the coming spring or summer internships on the West or East coast.

If you have any questions please email campusteam@feminist.org.
Photo courtesy of Ellen Saliares.....

It's Hot Outside, Let's Read A Book Instead

This summer is a great time for young college feminists and all feminists around to catch up on that reading list that they started way back at the beginning of the school year, but never got to start because of all the reading they had to do for classes. Well summer is officially here everyone!

The Feminist Majority Foundation Campus website has a great list of some books that would be perfect for a summer read. Topics such as history & politics, global, feminism, and leisure.

As one of the fabulous FMF interns who needs to unwind after a long day at the office or needs some enjoyment during out commutes on the metro, here are some of my favorite picks for this summer.

Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion

• This 1970's novel that explores how society and the mind of a woman interact. Maria, an unfulfilled actress, recounts her life while recovering from a mental breakdown in an exclusive mental hospital. She was committed for having allegedly participating in the suicidal death her friend BZ. Through the eyes of this very self-destructive young woman and the debasing men she meets, the reader explores a woman, a time, and a society in crisis and how all three components have an affect on each other and cause people to change.

The Other Side of Paradise by Staceyann Chin

• I just finished reading this very honest and real memoir by Stacyann Chin, who is Jamaican spoken-word performance artist. Through her inner strength, Chin finds warmth and humor in her nomadic and parentless childhood. The book catalogues her life from early childhood until early adulthood when Chin enters college. Chin's writing style and honesty makes this book relatable to any woman's life, from the pains of puberty to discovering self-identity.
  

The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity is Hurting Young Women by Jessica Valenti

• Anyone who reads Feministing.com will know of Jessica Valenti's new work. Valenti investigate the United States' ever growing obsession with virginity, stemming from biblical times to present day in all sectors of life. She discusses on how and why this came to be and why this fixation of the "virgin" is so problematic for girls and women of today. In response to this fascination, Valenti sees alternatives to this which she describes for a future where women and girls are not valued based on the sexuality, but as people.

Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska

• Being the woman who has experienced the ways of the "old world" and lives in the "new," I look forward to myself reading this book while in DC for the summer. Sara Smolinsky, a young woman living with her Orthodox Jewish family in the 1920s, must combat her strict religious upbringing and her fathers refusal to assimilate. Rejecting the ways of her father and the "old country," she takes matters into her own and leaves home, gets a job, and puts herself through night school. Sara Smolinsky represents the feminist spirit in her refusal to stand for the way things are based on her social situation in search of something bigger and better for herself.

Trash by Dorothy Allison

• Allison's collection of fictional stories about women in the South, poor women, working class women, and lesbians give a voice to the emotional female experience of women at this time and place. Her frank writing style confront the reader with the hard hitting realities of the hard lives lived by these women in the stories. While the content and brashness of Trash are hard to swallow at times, the overarching theme of the book is the power in sharing stories and secrets in order to heal and grow as a community as women.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

• This book is not a religious book but rather the fictitious tale of powerful and influential biblical women that receive little to no coverage in the pages of the Old Testament in the shadows of their male counterparts. The women of this book share their plight as mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, and aunts all within the “red tent” where the menstruating women gathered during their monthly periods, birth, and illness. The pages of this book provide a look into the ancient lives of these women that birthed, raised and married the men that take up the entire spotlight in the pages of the bible. Within the Red Tent, the women offer their courageous tales and share what the pages of the Old Testament leaves out: women.
  

A few other good links that might give you more reading lists ideas are Feministing.com's (Not) Oprah's Book Club posts and a recent article from Women's eNews.

Happy reading everyone! And if you have any other summer reading ideas, feel free to place your suggestions in the comments section of this post. All ideas are welcomed!

Photo courtesy of Ed Yourdon on flikr.com

Goobye Summer Interns: The Video

Hi! Well, as you can probably tell, summer is winding down. Yesterday was the last day for a large group of the FMF East coast interns, sooooo I thought it would be fun to put together a little goodbye video. In this video there's number of treasures, like what people thought about working here, my musical tribute to Maria, and a touching goodbye scene. Don't worry though! Emily, Bonnie, Sarah Hejma, and I are still here next week!!!

You know that we work pretty hard here, so I wanted to show you the only minutes of relaxation I've had all summer. Just kidding, you all should totally come work here!!!

FemNews: the Operation Rescue Counter Protest

Hello, everyone! So, as you saw yesterday, some of the FMF interns were planning to go to an Operation Rescue protest at the Capitol, and have a peaceful counter-protest. Well, we did it! It wasn't exactly what we expected it to be, but I think we did a good job of getting our message out! Check out the video!

FemNews: CEDAW

In this edition of FemNews, we're talking about CEDAW. As many of you might know, CEDAW is a UN treaty from 1979 that works to advance women and cut down on discrimination. The United States is one of 8 countries that hasn't ratified it yet. Sort of a big deal.

FemNews: CPCs

In this edition of FemNews, we talk about Crisis Pregnancy Centers. As you might know, FMF has a campaign to stop CPCS. Why? Because these centers are a huge problem in our country. They provide false information and mislead women. In our video, we talk about the stastics about CPCS, interview two FMF staff members who visited a CPC, and we also have a dramatic reenactment that highlights how ridiculous these centers can be.

FemNews: Feminism Changed My Life

Hi everyone! To decrease our mid-week stress, some of us on the East coast made a little lighthearted video about finding feminism and how it changed our lives. If you're also busy and stressed, take some time to check it out and maybe have a few laughs. If you're not busy, you don't really have anything else to do, but watch it. Right?

But in all seriousness, feminism has changed the lives of every person on this planet. Check out the rest of the blog, or the internet, if you don't believe me.

FMF Fall Internships - Apply by July 15!

FMF is seeking 4-6 interns for our DC office this fall!

If you are an undergraduate student with strong research and writing skills, e-mail internship@feminist.org with a resume, cover letter, and short writing sample by Wednesday, July 15!

Each of our interns works with two senior staff members from September to December, and we do our best to match your interests with our needs. Interns are assigned to work on two issue areas, which may include government relations, political, newswriting, web activism, education equity, global women's health, women and policing, or campus activism. We offer both part-time and full-time internships, and can work with your university to provide college credit.

Our interns perform largely substantive work, like blogging, drafting fact sheets and reports, and writing for our Feminist Newswire. Men and international students are encouraged to apply.

As you can see, our interns go to cool events and meet some pretty powerful women. To learn more and see pictures from past interns, check out the Internship page on our website. We also offer spring and summer internships.

Emails and cover letters should be addressed to Tania Stewart, FMF National Campus Organizer at internship@feminist.org.

Senator Boxer speaks at LA FMF

On Monday, June 29th, US Senator Barbara Boxer (CA) spoke at the Feminist Majority Foundation in Los Angeles. Senator Boxer addressed FMF interns and staff as well as the Women’s Political Committee (WPC).

One of the strongest voices in the Senate for women’s right to choose, Barbara Boxer has been supported by the WPC and Peg Yorkin, Chair of FMF's Board of Directors, since her election to the House of Representatives in 1982. She is now serving her third term as a US Senator and is running for re-election in 2010.

With a sense of humor regarding her grandson’s observation of her hair remaining blond while her husband’s gets grayer, she also dove into more serious issues such as the environment, women’s international rights, and her upcoming election.

She emphasized the importance of campaign contributions in her upcoming election, in which former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina has said she might run.

She also addressed the FMF and Ms interns in attendance, who numbered over 20. “To the interns,” she said, “you couldn’t be at a better place. What you will learn here [at FMF is] that you can be anything you set your mind to… I am very glad you’re here, learning self respect and self confidence.”

She stated that maturity is reached when you are not afraid to do what is right, such as contradicting someone who says something wrong or unjust. That, she says, makes you a leader.

She was optimistic about the future, though she did allude to the inequality still present in our society, such as the gender wage gap. “We’re still not earning what we should,” she said in reference to women.

She also acknowledged that women have made strides, such as the recent passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Act.

She pointed out the need for women to participate more in the political process. “We are a majority. When women vote, women win, and I believe families win.”

-Kimberly Young, Choices Campus Leadership Intern-

FemNews: Susan B. Anthony

Happy Tuesday, everyone! And a happy 4th of July, in case I don't get to say it later! As you've probably noticed, this week Choices Campus blog is celebrating the foremothers of our country. Well, you can't really talk about women's history without talking about Susan B. Anthony. Anthony was a major force in the women's suffrage movement, and so we decided to honor her this week with a rap of sorts. Enjoy and take some time this week to celebrate the women who worked tirelessly to make a difference in the world!

FemNews: Ecofeminism Edition

This edition of FemNews features a discussion of ecofeminism. What is it? Why is it important? And what you can do to help! Have a wonderful Friday, our fellow feminists! We hope you enjoy the video and if you have any topics you'd really like to see us cover, email esaliares@feminist.org.

Bringing good vibrations to the West Coast

We are happy to introduce ourselves as the Feminist Majority Foundation's second wave of West Coast office interns. We come from a diverse range of backgrounds and locations, but are excited to unite around a common goal!

The 9 of us joined forces with the 7 interns who started two weeks ago, this Monday. We're just awaiting the arrival of 2 more interns and our feminist team will be complete!

Though we officially started Monday, many of us attended the Green-Pink Reproductive Health and Rights and the Environment conference that occurred over the weekend. The conference was an excellent opportunity for us to see the collaborative efforts of the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, and the Feminist Majority Foundation.

Being here is less abstract that putting into practice what we have learned in the classrooms. Some of our projects include helping to create and support feminist organizations on college campuses, researching legislation in regards to violence against women, and promoting reproductive health and rights both domestically and worldwide, through the Campaign to Expose Fake Clinics and the Global Reproductive Rights and Health Campaign.

We'll also be dedicating a lot of time to the National Clinic Access Project and to updating materials on www.feministcampus.org to better serve you!

We hope to make an impact on the campaigns that the FMF and the Choices Campus Leadership Program are promoting. We are excited for this opportunity to make a positive difference int he well-being of women on both a local and international level.

Lily Armstrong will soon be attending 9th grade at Polytechnic School. She wants to major in political science or poetry.

Chelsea Heaps is going into her senior year at Milken Community High School. She wants to major in political science and believes the french fries at Islands are the best fries in America.

Sarah Godoy is a 5th year student at UC Riverside majoring in political science and women's studies and trying to start a feminist club at her school. She loves Disneyland and would live there if she could.

Michelle Cooper is a student at Santa Monica College majoring in Art History. She is a member of the Feminist Alliance at her school and loves the color lavender.

Mary Kwan is a rising senior at Smith College majoring in economics. She built her first snowman during her first year of college and named it Avalanche.

Teresa De Anda has just graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a bachelor of science in Health Science. She will now take on the challenge of learning to play the guitar, although she thinks it will take her 10 years.

Ana Chamberlain just returned from a semester abroad in Chile. She is going into her senior year at Occidental College as a major in Diplomacy and World Affairs and Spanish. She is an addict of 21 Chioces Frozen Yogurt in Old Town Pasadena.

Kimberly Young will be a senior at UCLA. As a political science major and Labor and Workplace Studies minor, she spends her free time playing for the Ultimate Frisbee team and working as a Resident Assistant.

Rama Laxmi Shah just finished her Associate's Degree with an International Relations focus at Santa Monica College and will be transferring to Santa Diego State University. She is originally from Nepal and wants to work for women's empowerment worldwide.

Stay tuned for more from the West Coast Campus Interns!

FemNews: Does Feminism Still Exist?

Hi again! In this brief edition of FemNews, we asked a few people on the street if they thought feminism still existed. It was pretty hard to find people who wanted to be taped, so we thank those few who were willing to talk to us in between rushing to the metro and waiting for buses. Enjoy!



If you have any questions, please email campusteam@feminist.org

FemNews: Violence Against Women in the Military

Here's a Thursday edition of FemNews. Today, we are discussing violence against women in the military. This is an important issue that you might not think concerns you, but it does! And, this is a really fancy edition. Just like we promised, it has only gotten bigger and better!

FemNews! Meet the newest FMF interns!

We hope you enjoyed the last edition of FemNews! This week we're starting off with some more introductions. Five new, talented and charming women have joined us in the FMF office in DC today. We wanted to make sure that they got a chance to tell you a little about themselves, and to make them feel at home. And really, nothing says "Welcome to our office!" like introducing yourself to hundreds of people on camera. We're hoping to get another video out this week, so make sure to check back! Enjoy!