A few days ago FMF celebrated the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade by rallying at the Supreme Court. What did you do to celebrate 36 years of reproductive rights?
Monday, January 26, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Global Gag Rule Repealed!
President Barack Obama issued an executive order today that repealed the Global Gag Rule.
This executive order will have a monumental impact by saving the life, health, and suffering of literally millions of women worldwide yearly. In part because of restricted access to reproductive health services caused by the Global Gag Rule, more than 70,000 women annually die from unsafe abortions worldwide and the incidence of HIV/AIDS is skyrocketing.
The Global Gag Rule prohibited family planning programs in other nations that receive US aid from using non-US monies for abortion counseling, advocacy, and referrals. The rule was instituted by President Reagan in 1984, was repealed by President Clinton, and was reinstituted by President George W. Bush.
The Global Gag Rule inhibited women worldwide from access to gynecological exams, AIDS prevention and treatment, and contraceptive options. It also halted shipment of condoms and contraceptives to more than 20 countries.
We are overjoyed with this victory and thank all the feminist activists out there for their tireless work on this issue!
What global challenges will you be taking on this semester now that the Global Gag Rule has been repealed?
This executive order will have a monumental impact by saving the life, health, and suffering of literally millions of women worldwide yearly. In part because of restricted access to reproductive health services caused by the Global Gag Rule, more than 70,000 women annually die from unsafe abortions worldwide and the incidence of HIV/AIDS is skyrocketing.
The Global Gag Rule prohibited family planning programs in other nations that receive US aid from using non-US monies for abortion counseling, advocacy, and referrals. The rule was instituted by President Reagan in 1984, was repealed by President Clinton, and was reinstituted by President George W. Bush.
The Global Gag Rule inhibited women worldwide from access to gynecological exams, AIDS prevention and treatment, and contraceptive options. It also halted shipment of condoms and contraceptives to more than 20 countries.
We are overjoyed with this victory and thank all the feminist activists out there for their tireless work on this issue!
What global challenges will you be taking on this semester now that the Global Gag Rule has been repealed?
Thursday, December 18, 2008
NYWLC Update!
Greetings, Feminists!We know everyone is going on break for the holidays shortly, but we wanted to give you all some quick updates on the National Conference!
- We've created a facebook event, and we will endeavor to keep it up to date with new developments! RSVP here to be sure you stay in the loop!
- We've added an exciting Congressional Day of Action on Monday, March 23rd at no additional cost! This is an opportunity for your group to truly take your action from Campus to Congress by joining us on Capitol Hill! The day will include training and actual visits to your Representative and Senator's offices.
- Registration will open on January 12th, 2009. Early-bird registration will be only $20 per person or $15 for groups of 5 or more for the conference and day of action. Financial Assistance is available - call your Campus Organizer for more information.
Happy Holidays!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
SAVE THE DATE! National Young Women's Leadership Conference
Calling all young feminist leaders!!
We've selected a date for the 3rd annual National Young Women's Leadership Conference this Spring! Mark your calendars now to join us for an incredible opportunity to come together and meet other feminist student activists, national leaders, and to discuss feminist issues and activism as they pertain to YOUR life!
The conference will take place on March 21 and 22 in Washington, DC. Further details will be coming your way soon - check back here regularly for the latest scoop!
Monday, November 3, 2008
It's time!
The Feminist Campus team has been more than a little election obsessed for these last few months, so you can imagine how excited we are that Election Day is finally here!
Here is a little voting reminder from Tania and me:
Learn more about the ballot initiatives Tania and I discussed: California | Colorado | South Dakota
Some last minute voting tips:
-Check out the different state voter identification requirements here.
-Remember to keep your political buttons and t-shirts at home; it is illegal to wear them to the polls.
-If anyone at a polling location tells you that you cannot vote, don't leave! Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE for help. Visit 866ourvote.org for more information on your rights.
-Tell all your friends and family to vote!
It's finally time! Use your voice! Vote as if your life depends on it!
Here is a little voting reminder from Tania and me:
Learn more about the ballot initiatives Tania and I discussed: California | Colorado | South Dakota
Some last minute voting tips:
-Check out the different state voter identification requirements here.
-Remember to keep your political buttons and t-shirts at home; it is illegal to wear them to the polls.
-If anyone at a polling location tells you that you cannot vote, don't leave! Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE for help. Visit 866ourvote.org for more information on your rights.
-Tell all your friends and family to vote!
It's finally time! Use your voice! Vote as if your life depends on it!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Track Your Races on Election Night
If you're like us, you probably have a long list of things you'll be watching on election night. Well, to make life a little easier for us all, CNN has created a handy dandy tool that allows you to select up to 35 races -- including all important ballot initiatives like 46 and 48 in Colorado, 11 in South Dakota, and 4 and 8 in California (vote NO, by the way) -- to track as the results come in.
Select your races today!
Select your races today!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
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!
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!
Friday, October 24, 2008
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????
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
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!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
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!
"[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!
Monday, October 20, 2008
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!
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!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
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.
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!
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!
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