California NOW

Tuesday's Action Checklist

Ask President Obama to take leadership to ratify CEDAW, the critically important women's rights treaty. President Obama should call upon the U.S. Senate to conduct hearings and finalize ratification of CEDAW. Sign our petition (to be delivered at the end of March, Women's History Month) or use our talking points in the background section to call the White House at (202) 456-1111 or fax them at (202) 456-2461. Take action NOW!  

Currently abstinence-only funding remains in the Senate bill that will serve as the backbone of the final health care package. Without your assistance, these funds — $250 million over the next five years — will remain in the bill. The federal government has already wasted more than $1.5 billion on failed abstinence-only programs. We don't need to waste $250 million more. It's not too late for Congress to take action. Contact your representatives in Congress. Tell them to remove funding for failed abstinence-only programs from health care reform.  

Health insurance rate hikes of up to 39 percent are now happening around the country.  And the five biggest insurance companies earned 56% more in profits last year, while covering 2.7 million fewer people. This week insurance companies are meeting in Washington D.C. for their annual conference and no doubt, they plan to be out in force lobbying Congress against health reform. Don't let the insurance industry be the only voice heard on healthcare in DC! Make your voice heard telling Congress that when something so clearly stinks, a change is needed! Take a second now to sign this petition telling Congress that health insurance company practices of dropping coverage while raising costs stink--and that America's families need a change!  

Now that reconciliation for health care reform is on the table and the public option can be passed by a majority vote, the White House is still saying the votes aren't there to pass it. If President Obama thinks that some of the senators who've claimed in the past to support the public option have changed their minds, he should start naming names and tell us who they are. Click here to sign the petition telling him to do just that. 

We are now facing a double threat to women: even while Bart Stupak works furiously to resurrect his abortion ban, we face the reality that the Nelson amendment is included in the current health bill. If enacted, the Nelson amendment would be the most severe restriction on private health insurance coverage for abortion in 35 years. It's time for Congress to put an end to this anti-choice push and focus on what matters most: extending health care coverage to the millions of Americans who are cut out of our current system. Tell Congress: Pass health care reform. Say no to any anti-choice side deals with Bart Stupak, and fix the Nelson amendment. Say no to any new restrictions on abortion.  

In January, five rightwing Supreme Court Justices gave the biggest corporations – even foreign corporations – a new Constitutional “right” to buy our elections, even our President. Those five activist Justices were dead wrong. And according to the Washington Post, 80% of Americans disagree. Congress must pass strict new laws immediately to limit the catastrophic damage that could result from unlimited corporate election spending this November. Please watch this TV ad, sign the petition, and tell all your friends.  
Then take action with the Petition Site.  

Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxins (PBTs) like mercury are uniquely dangerous chemicals. They're highly toxic, even at very low levels of exposure, and they've been linked to a wide range of serious human health problems, including infertility, early onset of puberty, learning disabilities, behavioral disorders, and certain cancers. Without federal legislation, highly toxic chemicals will continue to build up in our bodies, and in our babies. That's why MomsRising is a founding member of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Campaign. This important campaign is working to reform the 34 year old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) so that new chemicals must be proven safe for kids and adults (including pregnant women!) before they go on the market, and dangerous chemicals that are already on the market are phased-out of use where appropriate. Tell Congress to include protecting our families from PBT's when they reform the Toxic Substances Control Act!  

The Washington Post reported that the Obama administration is on the verge of deciding to prosecute the 9/11 suspects in military commissions—a stunning reversal of its earlier decision to try them in federal criminal courts. This reversal would deal a death-blow to the principled decision-making of President Obama's own Justice Department. Fear-mongering politicians are putting considerable pressure on the administration to use the ineffective military commissions. That's why we need every American who believes in justice and due process to take action right away. Urge President Obama to stand by his attorney general's principled decision and reject a return to Bush-era military commissions.
Then tell your members of Congress that you won't stop fighting until Patriot Act abuses end.  

The global measles mortality rate has dropped an incredible 78 percent in the last decade -- a huge step toward reaching the United Nations' goal of a 90 percent reduction by 2010. Help keep the pressure up to eliminate measles. Voice your support for the World Health Organization's efforts to reduce measles deaths around the world.  

International Women's Day - Equal Rights, Equal Opportunity: Progress for All

 There are so many things we could write about on International Women's Day.  So many ways that women have made progress, and yet continue to face sexism and restrictions on how far we are allowed to reach.

Instead of enumerating the wins and losses and ongoing triumphs and tragedies of the previous year, we'd rather use this year's theme to think about the larger issues that we attempt to address in working for women's rights.

This year's theme: Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities: Progress for All, is a perfect encapsulation of what we want, and what we hope to achieve in working for the rights of women and girls.  It's easy to forget in our work to end gender stereotyping and oppression that women are 51% of the population.  When such a large number of people are held back from achieving our full potential, the loss to humanity as a whole is immeasurable.

And it is not only women who suffer under sexism. Sexism hurts men and boys as well, when they are forced to conform to gender stereotyped roles rather than being allowed to follow their own dreams and desires.  When children of any gender are forced towards or away from certain activities that are defined as not gender appropriate, society loses its chance to have the brightest and best excel in every field. 

It may seem that the work of feminism in developed nations is less important than work in areas where women still lack even the most basic rights, but we see this as a false dichotomy.  In work for the right of women to vote, or divorce, or be free from abuse we work for women's right to determine their own lives, to be viewed as valuable, as full human beings.  In our work for work-life balance policies, maternity leave, health coverage and child care, the same principles guide us.

At its core, our goal is to create a world where a women's rights movement is no longer necessary.  A world where rape is not viewed as a punchline or a justified punishment.  A world where equal pay for equal, or equitable, work is the standard. A world where society equally rewards and supports the decision to have or not have children. A world where the first goal of government is to ensure that its citizens have their basic needs met, and where economic class is not seen as a determinant of value.  A world where ability and desire trump gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, and other irrelevant factors in determining who can accomplish what.

Each step we take, each action, each conversation, letter, piece of legislation, meeting, or protest, moves us incrementally closer to that goal.

On International Women's Day we thank the women who have come before us, creating the juster world we now live in, we praise the women who will come after us and take us further along that arc of history that bends toward justice, and we work to ensure that we leave them a better world than we inherited.

Haiti Journal #8: Rea of Sopudep School, Mayor-Mother

Post by Leisa Faulkner, of Children's Hope.

As we built our little team to return to Haiti this month, I had to stop and send you this link. Since 2004 many of you have heard me talk of Sopudep school...some of you have pictures of the school children as thank you's for donations. Rea created Sopudep school for street kids, she is now un-official mayor-mother of the area where so many of "her children" lie under the rubble. It seems fitting on this International Woman's Day, to honor this woman I am honored to have call me sister.

Now you can see her and meet her for yourself, even if you can't join our next team. A substantial portion of the money donated for our last trip I handed to Rea to buy food. Watch this video, and see what a miracle you took part in...then ask your friends, family or neighbors to watch... maybe they can help us collect new funds to take to Rea for food on March 25th when we leave again for our third service in Haiti since the quake... help us not go empty handed.

peace, Leisa

Leisa Faulkner, Executive Director
Children's Hope

The Time Has Come

 "The time has come."

When Barbra Streisand, opening the envelope to award the Best Director Oscar last night, said those words, we didn't know if she meant that the award had gone to the first African-American or the first woman to be recognized for directing a film.  Either would have been groundbreaking, both in the 82-year history of the Academy Awards, and in recognition of the movies they made.

 As we now know, it was Kathryn Bigelow who had won the Best Director award for The Hurt Locker, breaking a glass ceiling that had been in place since the outset of the awards.  

We could overanalyze the win: does her win for an action-type movie open the door for more women to direct that traditionally big-budget genre, or does it show Hollywood's continuing bias against quieter emotionally-focussed moves that women more commonly direct? Perhaps a bit of both?

Instead let us take this day to celebrate her win and the widening of Hollywood's doors for women, while acknowledging how far we still have to go to achieve parity in front of and behind the camera.

 We were also thrilled by Mo'Nique's win for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Precious, a film that fully deserved all the support and coverage that it got, and more.  In her speech she acknowledged the debt that women and people of color in Hollywood owe to those who came before them and broke the way, saying, "I want to thank Miss Hattie McDaniel for enduring all she had to so that I would not have to." Hattie McDaniel was the first black woman to win an Oscar for her performance, winning 70 years ago for her role in Gone with the Wind.

 Gabourey Sidibe, the actress who played the main role in Precious, and was nominated for the Best Actress award, was a delight to see on the red carpet.  Surely her comment on her beautiful dress, "If fashion were porn, this dress would be the money shot," will be one of the most repeated red carpet lines of the night. It is great to see a woman who loves her body, despite the messages she must constantly get that her size makes her unattractive. Sidibe's poise, intelligence, and attitude ensures that whether she continues as an actress or not, she will succeed with whatever she chooses.  

We can take heart from the evening's acknowledgment that those glass ceilings are still breakable, that a smaller independent film can be recognized above the huge money makers, that talent will shine above viewers stereotypes of race, gender, class, etc.  And we can go on to work towards a day where we don't have to celebrate the "firsts" that break the way, and can simply celebrate the many talented women and men whose work entertains, informs, and touches us.

That's Gay: Johnny Weir

President Obama's Women's History Month Proclamation

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release March 2, 2010

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH, 2010

- – - – - – -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Countless women have steered the course of our history, and their stories are ones of steadfast determination. From reaching for the ballot box to breaking barriers on athletic fields and battlefields, American women have stood resolute in the face of adversity and overcome obstacles to realize their full measure of success. Women’s History Month is an opportunity for us to recognize the contributions women have made to our Nation, and to honor those who blazed trails for women’s empowerment and equality.

 Women from all walks of life have improved their communities and our Nation. Sylvia Mendez and her family stood up for her right to an education and catalyzed the desegregation of our schools. Starting as a caseworker in city government, Dr.  Dorothy Height has dedicated her life to building a more just society. One of our young heroes, Caroline Moore, contributed to advances in astronomy by discovering a supernova at age 14.

 When women like these reach their potential, our country as a whole prospers. That is the duty of our Government — not to guarantee success, but to ensure all Americans can achieve it. My Administration is working to fulfill this promise with initiatives like the White House Council on Women and Girls, which promotes the importance of taking women and girls into account in Federal policies and programs. This council is committed to ensuring our Government does all it can to give our daughters the chance to achieve their dreams.

 As we move forward, we must correct persisting inequalities. Women comprise over 50 percent of our population but hold fewer than 17 percent of our congressional seats. More than half our college students are female, yet when they graduate, their male classmates still receive higher pay on average for the same work. Women also hold disproportionately fewer science and engineering jobs. That is why my Administration launched our Educate to Innovate campaign, which will inspire young people from all backgrounds to drive America to the forefront of science, technology, engineering, and math. By increasing women’s participation in these fields, we will foster a new generation of innovators to follow in the footsteps of the three American women selected as 2009 Nobel Laureates.

 Our Nation’s commitment to women’s rights must not end at our own borders, and my Administration is making global women’s empowerment a core pillar of our foreign policy. My Administration created the first Office for Global Women’s Issues and appointed an Ambassador at Large to head it. We are working with the United Nations and other international institutions to support women’s equality and to curtail violence against women and girls, especially in situations of war and conflict. We are partnering internationally to improve women’s welfare through targeted investments in agriculture, nutrition, and health, as well as programs that empower women to contribute to economic and social progress in their communities. And we are following through on the commitments I made in Cairo to promote access to education, improve literacy, and expand employment opportunities for women and girls.

This month, let us carry forth the legacy of our mothers and grandmothers. As we honor the women who have shaped our Nation, we must remember that we are tasked with writing the next chapter of women’s history. Only if we teach our  daughters that no obstacle is too great for them, that no ceiling can block their ascent, will we inspire them to reach for their highest aspirations and achieve true equality.

 NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2010 as Women’s History Month. I call upon all our citizens to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that honor the history, accomplishments, and contributions of American women.

 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

 BARACK OBAMA

Friday Video: Haviland Sings!

Haviland Stillwell!

California Never Runs Out of Stupid, Our Greatest Natural Resource

I love our state, but I hate the occasional unavoidable reminders that, for all our history of progressive policies and actions, there is no lack of small-minded bigoted people in California.

For some unknown reason, a number of them seem to be clustered in the beauty pageant world.  This gives me yet another reason to think beauty pageants are an overall negative. First we had Carrie Prejean and her assertion that discrimination against loving LGBT families was just fine. Not to be outdone, Miss Beverly Hills 2010 Lauren Ashley stepped in to say that marriage equality is the least of LGBT concerns, given that God is going to righteously strike them all dead.  

Note: Beverly Hills says she is not associated with the city.
This in no way excuses Perez Hilton's misogynist statements about her.  As with Carrie Prejean, we can despise the homophobic statements while still defending these women from the misogyny directed at them.

Here's Keith Olbermann and Dan Savage on the subject, and calling out the hypocrisy of those who pick and choose which parts of the Bible they have to literally follow:


And then we have the folks at UCSD Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity who thought that having an incredibly racist off-campus party would be a great way to celebrate African-American History Month by demonstrating exactly why the university has such a low number of POC students. And lest we grow complacent, this was not an isolated incident, racism on UC campuses is all too prevalent. UC Davis has been dealing with issues of repeated anti-semitic acts and vandalism of an LGBT student center, and UC Irvine has also faced anti-semitic acts in recent months. Feministing has a great visual round-up of the incidents (warning, disturbing).

And then there's the elementary school in Los Angeles whose (white, male) teachers thought it would be hilarious to have students carrying pictures of Dennis Rodman, O.J. Simpson, and RuPal in a Black History Month parade. Now I have no issue with the inclusion of RuPaul, but the combination of these three pretty clearly plays into narratives that position Black men as violent thugs and sexually threatening.  If the three teachers accused of planning this claim ignorance, I would have to say that ignorance on that level makes you unfit to be an elementary school teacher.

No matter how progressive we like to think we are (and the fight for marriage equality is a perfect example of how California can actually be behind other supposedly "conservative" areas of the country when it comes to social issues) there is always more work to be done, in education, and in activism.

How did you fight the kyriarchy today?

California Against Slavery Works to End Human Trafficking

California NOW is working with California Against Slavery, gathering signatures for a state ballot initiative to strengthen human trafficking laws. The initiative would deter traffickers with stiffer criminal penalties, aid district attorneys in prosecuting human trafficking offenses, increase protection for human trafficking victims, and mandate human trafficking training for law enforcement officers.

Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery and its victims are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor. It happens in the United States and worldwide.

“We support and desperately need to see revision in our state law with regard to human trafficking,” said Jenny Williamson, founder and president of Courage to Be You, a Sacramento-area organization that rescues and restores victims of child sex trafficking. “Severe fines and extended jail time for the perpetrators of this evil must be enacted if ever this crime is to be deterred. Our courageous law enforcement officers must be equipped and encouraged with mandatory, specific training so that rescuing these vulnerable victims and putting their perpetrators away becomes a priority within our state.”

The California Against Slavery initiative is endorsed by many organizations combating human trafficking, including Breaking Chains, Captive Daughters, Courage to be You, International Justice Mission (IJM), Lotus Outreach, MISSSEY, Oasis USA, Polaris Project, Shared Hope, and Stop Child Trafficking Now.

“California is a major hub for human trafficking,” said Linda Smith, founder and president of Shared Hope International. “We fully endorse the California Against Slavery initiative because we see the strategic importance of having stronger state laws in place in the fight against human trafficking.”

Congresswoman Linda Sánchez on Why Women Should Run for Office

 Last night, I spoke to the Women’s Bar Association about why women should run for office.  It reminded me that most women need to hear this.  So, I wanted to bring my message to the BlogHer community.

To the women reading this post, you should run for office.  Despite the increased number of women in Congress over the last few years, we need more.  Of course, women face challenges when we run for office – and still face challenges just doing our jobs in the “boys club.”

You’ll undoubtedly have moments where you think that there are not enough hours in the day for you to succeed in your career, for you to start a family and continue your career, or to step away from your job to try to run for office and better your community.

I am here to tell you that you can.

Upcoming Events for Women

South Bay Women's Network is sponsoring an International Women's Day event on Saturday, March 6. This will be the first ever International Women's Day march in San Jose, CA. The march will begin at 11 am at Roosevelt Park and end at the Bibliotecha Latino Americana at 1 pm., where a resource fair will run to 4 pm.  
“I’m Every Woman!”: Celebrate the power of Women around the world! Come join us in Downtown San Jose for a march in solidarity to celebrate “the essence of women.” Envision the liberation of all women through the spiritual, individual, professional, and community levels as they continually struggle towards social change. Facebook link.

International Women's Day: Celebrating our Power, Building our Skills
Saturday, March 6th 10am - 3pm
Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, 400 West 30th Street, LA, 90007
RSVP Martha Dina Argüello. (213) 689-9170
FREE | Lunch Provided | Translation Available | Please let us know if you are bringing your children so we can provide childcare.
Learn about issues of environmental and reproductive justice and women's health, participate in skills building advocacy trainings, and have fun making organic cleansing and cleaning products. Invite your friends, family, members, neighbors, and children!

California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom Lobby Day
March 18, Sacramento Convention Center
Learn more and register!  

California Partnership to End Domestic Violence’s Legislative Action Day activities are March 22nd & 23rd, 2010 in Sacramento. Registration deadline is March 5th! Go here for more info.  

Teen Dating Violence Prevention Policy Panel
Tsakopoulos Library Galleria, 828 “I” Street, Sacramento, CA
March 22, 2010, 1-2:45 PM Register for this event.

Body Image & Self-esteem Workshop with SF NOW
Saturday, March 27, 11:00AM to 2:00PM
herchurch, 678 Portola Drive, San Francisco, CA 94131 US
SF Area Chapter of the National Organization for Women invites you and/or young women you may know to a fun, free, feminist event. Please forward this invite on to all who may be interested! Music, knowledge, healthy snacks and sisterhood...please join us! This free About Face workshop equips women and girls with tools to understand and resist harmful media messages that affect their self-esteem and body image. See details.

The Ms. Foundation for Women is pleased to announce an Open Request for Proposals for Economic Justice and ARRA Implementation. The Ms. Foundation seeks to complement our overall grantmaking in economic justice by supporting two specific areas of ARRA implementation, both with significant long-term impact on the meaningful participation of low-income women and women of color in the economy: Expanding the availability of affordable child care and improving the quality of child care jobs. Securing training and job set-asides for women in emerging green sectors. The deadline for all applications is Monday 29 March 2010, 2:00 p.m. EDT. More details.  

The Filipina Women's Network (FWN) is taking the lead in documenting our community's most visible Filipina leaders in the public and private sectors and compiling the info in a directory of "Filipina American Women in Governance". If you or if you know anyone who you think should be included in the directory, we invite you and her to participate in the survey. Filipinas elected to any public office, Filipinas appointed to any governmental position in a commission or agency including the military, and Filipinas who have achieved the highest ranking executive or board position level at a U.S. Fortune 1000 corporation, large nonprofit, government agency including the military.
If you or anyone you know need to be included, please submit your info by: March 31, 2010. Online submissions only, please. 

NCLR Dinah Shore Champagne Brunch, HONORING City Councilmember Ginny Foat
Saturday, April 3 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Suggested Donation: $100 Address provided upon RSVP.
For tickets or to become a co-host, contact Eleanor Palacios.

Equality California White Party Kickoff Cocktail Party
Join us for an evening of delicious cocktails, lavish food, hot men and fun music by DJ Casey Alva, all to support the work of Equality California.
Thursday, April 8 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm
At Jonathan Crutchley’s Mountainside Villa, Palm Springs
Tickets: $50
Address provided upon ticket confirmation.
For questions, contact Kenny Cassady.

April 10 - CA NOW Annual Membership Meeting/State Conference
The 2010 California National Organization for Women Annual Membership Meeting/State Conference will take place on Saturday, April 10, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at OC Plaza, 2575 McCabe Way, in Irvine, CA. See the full Agenda here.  

April 10 - NOW Southwest Regional Conference
The Southwest Regional Conference will be held immediately following the CA NOW Annual Membership Meeting/State Conference on April 10, 2010 from 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 at OC Plaza, 2575 McCabe Way, Irvine, CA 92614.

April 11 - CA NOW Board Meeting
The next CA NOW Board Meeting will be held on Sunday, April 11 at the Irvine Ranch Water District Offices, 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA 92618 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 22 EQCA Day of Action
Equality California is going door to door across the state talking to people about marriage and equality for LGBT Californians. Help make it the largest LGBT day of action in state history! 

Children's Hope Returns to Haiti - Can You Join Them?

From Leisa Faulkner, founder of Children's Hope

I am pleased to report that Children's Hope is already packing up to go back to Haiti!

We are leaving March 25th (gone about a week) and we're building our next team now. If you think a service trip to Haiti is something you have the time and means to do, please feel welcome to write me at childrenshope@live.com.

Each team member pays their own way, saving our precious donations to buy antibiotics and pain meds (why we have basically no overhead). You can expect a cost of $1,700 to $2,000, depending on the final airfare costs. We want to build a team of 7-10 folks to help with the distribution of an unprecidented amount of donations. As you know, we personally deliver all supplies, and it will take a special team to manage this delivery.

If you cannot afford the time away from home, you may want to sponsor one of two potential team members from the Sacramento area who want to go, but are lacking funds. One is fluent in French, and the other is a black pastor that could really help with the emotional healing that is so badly needed in Haiti right now.

Doris Matsui on Women's History Month

 Yesterday, Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (D - Sacramento) recognized March as Women's History Month by honoring the contributions of women both nationally and within our own community.  Women have played a pivotal role in helping to enact major changes in our country, whether through elected office, public service, or working behind the scenes.  Unfortunately, women in elected office do not yet reflect the percentage of women in this country.  In fact, women currently make-up just 17 percent of the United States Congress, holding 76 seats in the House of Representatives and 17 in the Senate.  

"Women's History Month reminds us that while women have achieved so much throughout the centuries?" the full potential of women in America has not yet been reached," shared Dr. Barbara O'Connor, a Professor of Communications for Sacramento State College and Director of the Institute for the Study of Politics and Media.  "As the economy improves, so should the equity of qualified women.  In some ways we have accomplished a great deal, but in many ways we still have a ways to go."

"There are countless faces of female trailblazers whose names will never be printed in history textbooks, but the women of our mothers and grandmothers generations enabled us to achieve such dreams as the success that Dr. O'Connor exemplifies," said Congresswoman Matsui.  "We must continue in that tradition, ensuring our children's greatest potential is attainable and each American can seize the promise of opportunity which has propelled our great nation thus far."

Nancy Pelosi on Women's History Month

 “During Women’s History Month we remember the trailblazers who reached for the ballot, demanded equal rights, and paved the path for progress.  Yet we also recall the silent heroes of our history – the women who pay the bills, take their kids to school, and bring home a paycheck in this challenging economy without any accolades or recognition.  Every day, they inspire us to act.  As a mother and grandmother, I know that their actions make America a better place for the mothers, sisters, and daughters of all generations.

“It is in their name that we continue the fight for quality, affordable health insurance for all.  Women are the primary consumers of health care for their families; they pay more for care and face greater discrimination in the insurance market.  And when we pass health reform legislation, unfair practices will end; insurance abuses will be a thing of the past; and being a woman will no longer be a pre-existing condition.

Dates in Women's History for March

 1st - Rebecca Lee Crumpler graduates New England Female Medical College, first African American woman doctor, 1864

2nd – First women begin trainings as pilots in the U.S. Navy, 1973

4th – Jeanette Rankin 1st U.S. Congressperson, 1917
Frances Perkins becomes first woman on a President’s Cabinet, as Secretary of Labor, 1933

5th – Helen Thomas named first female reporter to cover the White House, 1974
Eileen Marie Collins named forst woman to command a space shuttle, 1998

6th – Eleanor Roosevelt hosts her first news conference for female reporters at the White House, 1933

8th – International Women’s Day, Global Women’s Strike

10th – National Abortion Providers Day of Thanks

12th – Girls Scouts founded, 1912

17th – First women’s bowling tournament held, 1917

19th – Navy authorizes enlistment of women, 1917

21st – National Single Parents’ Day

22nd – First collegiate women’s basketball game played, Smith College, 1893

24th – Equal Employment Opportunity Act passed, 1972

25th – Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire, which killed 145 women garment workers, 1911

31st – Abigail Adams writes, Remember the Ladies letter to her husband John Adams, 1776

The Good News & the Bad News for California Courts

 Post by MonaLisa Wallace, San Francisco NOW

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration released the governor's annual report this Friday. The bad news: the percentage of women appointed to the bench in 2009 dropped to 27.8 percent. This is down from a third of all appointees in 2008. The good news: there is a slight increase in appointments for judges of color: Asian American (9.3 percent) and African American (9.3 percent). This may be a reflection of the work of progressive organizations, such as CANOW, encouraging qualified applicants of color. The pool of applicants rose 15%.

To be clear, white male appointees remain overrepresented in the appointments, calling into question the diversity of the governor's judicial picks. For details from the governor’s annual report on the diversity of his judicial picks, go here.

Monday's Action Checklist

California legislators may not cross the "finish line" and approve the state budget for months, but the decisions they are making now at the beginning can be hard to undo. We must act now to oppose cuts to children's health coverage that will ultimately cost our state more money. Legislators on the powerful Budget Committees are reviewing the Governor's proposal right now and they need to hear from parents and caregivers right away. Tell California legislators to reject Governor Schwarzenegger's unwise and harmful proposal to eliminate healthcare coverage for children.  

Last week's virtual march for health care reform made 1,124,457 calls to Congressmembers insisting that we get real health care reform to cover American families. If you couldn't get through or haven't called yet, can you call Sens. Boxer and Feinstein today? Let's keep the momentum going—tell them you're adding your voice to the more than one million last week demanding that Congress finish health care reform this year. Here's where to call: Senator Barbara Boxer - Phone: 202-224-3553, Senator Dianne Feinstein - Phone: 202-224-3841 Then, please report your call here.  

Every afternoon 15 million U.S. children, more than a ¼ of our kids, are left alone after school. This huge and heartbreaking number reflects a simple fact: Afterschool programs are unavailable or too expensive for millions of families across this country. The President just released his proposed budget and it does a lot of things right, but it cuts more than 13,000 kids out of safe and educational afterschool programs. Take a moment to tell your Representative that you are a part of the 83% of American parents who support public funding for afterschool programs!  

Despite more top military brass questioning "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" – including Gen. David Petraeus – key members of Congress are still on the fence. We're signing up an army of service members and their friends and family to help us end this discrimination once and for all. Will you help? Take this short survey on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" – and then pass it along to everyone you know with any personal connections to the military. 

Call your senators  toll-free at 866-544-7573 during the National Senate Call-In Week (March 1 – March 4) and tell them to support financial reform that holds Wall Street banks accountable, including the creation of a strong and independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency. 

By vaccinating nearly 700 million children, measles mortality has fallen 78 percent worldwide in less than a decade and saved an estimated 4.3 million children. But still, 450 children die from measles each day. Between 100,000 and 160,000 children die each year in India alone. We are at a critical point in the fight against measles: Don't let important live-saving immunization efforts fall by the wayside. Voice your support for the WHO's continued fight to eliminate measles and reach the 2010 goal.  

Last week, over 52,000 people signed a petition to Whirlpool with a clear message: Don't take millions in taxpayer dollars and then send 1,100 jobs to Mexico. Keep it made in America, and Fix Our Jobs! Can you help flood Whirlpool with phone calls TODAY while workers in Evansville march, protest, and deliver the petitions? Call Whirlpool Corp. toll free right now at 1-800-705-7083. Tell the person who picks up the phone something like this: "Don't close the Evansville refrigerator plant. Keep it made in America and save our jobs!" The call will probably end there, but you can add: Despite enjoying healthy profits and getting more than $19 million in federal economic recovery funds, Whirlpool plans to start closing its Evansville, Ind., refrigerator plant and ship production of these refrigerators to Mexico, spelling the loss of 1,100 good, local jobs. The pain of the plant closing will be felt not just by the working families that lose jobs but also by local businesses, congregations, and community organizations. Whirlpool isn't just abandoning its workers. It's abandoning Evansville.
Then take action to support the Employee Free Choice Act! If passed, EFCA would enable working people to bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions by giving workers the freedom to join a union and engage in collective bargaining. 

2010 Annual Membership Meeting/State Conference

The 2010 California National Organization for Women Annual Membership Meeting/State Conference will take place on Saturday, April 10, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at OC Plaza, 2575 McCabe Way, in Irvine, CA.

Annual Membership Meeting/State Conference Agenda

8:30 a.m. - 12:00 Registration & Credentialling

9: 00 a.m. - 9:30 Plenary I

Convene Annual Membership Meeting/State Conference
Credentials Report
Adopt Conference & Resolution Rules
Adopt Agenda

9:30 a.m. - 10:30 Discussion on the State of NOW

10:30 a.m. - 10:45 Break

All Resolutions must be submitted to the Committee

10:45 p.m. - 12:30 Plenary II

Credential Report and Announcements
Business of CA NOW
Discussion and voting on resolutions
Conference closing program
Adjourn Annual Membership Meeting/State Conference

12:30 p.m. - 2:00 Lunch Break

Why We Fight

When we run into politicians who make statements like this, simultaneously offensive to the disabled community and women, with no regard for basic facts, or who think it's a reasonable idea to criminalize miscarriage, or who believe that their religion mandates allowing a pregnant mother with cancer to die rather than allowing her treatment that might terminate her pregnancy, it reminds us of why we do this work, and why it continues to be so essential.

And when we read about brave women and men working against hate and intimidation to ensure that women still have the choice to end an unwanted pregnancy, it gives us hope for the continuing struggle to recognize women as full human beings, with the agency to make their own reproductive health decisions.

Working for Working Families

Today we will be attending the California Working Families Policy Summit. The theme for this year’s half-day Summit is Our Common Cause: Confronting Current Crises & Forging a New Vision. Leading advocates will offer proposals and long-term agendas to preserve the safety net, build family economic security, and promote family-friendly workplaces. We will also get to hear speeches by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis and a taped message on working families from First Lady Michelle Obama. 

We look forward to sharing with you the results of this day, and having your support in moving forward on policies that will help Californian families during this recession.

If you are attending the Summit, please meet up with us during the networking period before the luncheon.
 

Woman, Warrior, Mother: Claudia Zamorano

 This is the testimony of Claudia Zamorano, a parent leader with the Marin Chaper of Parent Voices, at the hearing of the California Assembly Labor Committee with the Women's Caucus on "A Woman's Nation Changes Everything" How the Shriver Report Impacts California Working Families held Wednesday, February 17th. We are honored to be able to share her words, and hope to bring you more of the courageous stories of Parent Voices members who we heard that day.

Thank you for allowing me to speak before you today. My name is Claudia Zamorano. I am the mother of two beautiful children, Alicia Daniela, age 11 and Alexander, age 4. Never in my life did I expect to be standing before you telling you my story. Just two years ago I had a family, a home, a business – the so-called American Dream but since then it has taken a 180 degree turn. Now I stand here empty handed because I lost it all in a divorce.

I did not understand how hard people really had it until I had to live it. I am not a woman that likes to just sit around, so I enrolled myself in cosmetology school and completed it. However, I have not been able to continue with my training and apply for the state board license because I spent my savings on my schooling and now I struggle to pay for the license and finish what I studied so hard for. I went to school to get us out of where we are today. But in order to complete my license I would need to attend classes that are only offered in the morning, the same time when I have to work. Even if I had my license I would have to be away from my children 40 hours a week to build a clientele and I cannot afford the cost of childcare while doing it! So right now I work 32 hours a week as a nanny to make ends meet – and it is a struggle everyday. That is the irony of it all. I work to support another family so they can have work/life balance, but I do not have that same option for myself. Since last January I have been on a list waiting to receive child care assistance. How long must I wait? If I had child care I could work more and I could pay more taxes. The money I made I would spend on bills, groceries, rent, which are all things that help my local economy. And my son would be in an environment where he can develop and be with qualified caregivers who would give him the necessities when I cannot be there.

Women in Hollywood Face Serious Hurdles to Equality

Some depressing statistics on women's work in front of and behind the camera this week, leading up to Oscar season and the possibility of the first woman Best Director.



From the Los Angeles Times:

Women may make up 51% of the population, but actresses nabbed only 29.9% of the 4,379 speaking parts in the 100 top-grossing films of 2007, or so says a new study released by University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, which was conducted by professor Stacy. L Smith.

According to Smith’s study, 83% of all directors, writers, and producers on those films were male. Not surprisingly, the number of female characters grew dramatically when a woman directed a film — up to 44.6% from 29.3% if a man was behind the camera.

From Women and Hollywood:

Dr. Martha Lauzen of San Diego State (the guru of stats about women in Hollywood) has released her annual Celluloid Ceiling survey looking at the women working behind the scenes on the top 250 grossing movies of the year and not surprising, women make up only 16% of directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors. That number is down 3 points from 2001 and is the same as 2008.

Women directors are now at 7% down from 9% in 2008 and is the same percentage as it was in 1987 (the year that Dirty Dancing and Baby Boom were released and Cher won her Oscar for Moonstruck.) So while we’ve all been talking about the prominent women who were recognized this past year, the opportunities for women to direct declined.

Women writers make up only 8%. That means that 92% of the films are written from a male perspective.

More stats:
Women make up:
17% of all executive producers
23% of all producers
18% of all editors
2% of all cinematographers 

From the Women's Media Center:

Women are 51% of the population but are losing ground in Hollywood. Even as we celebrate Kathryn Bigelow's "Best Director" nomination, in 2009, women comprised only 7% of all directors, 8% of writers, 17% of all executive producers, and 35 percent of 2009's top films had no female producers at all.

And it bleeds into children's programming too. From Jezebel:

The statistics in the SMH piece are startling: Three male characters for every one female character; 87% of narrators are male.

So what can we do about it? Start by signing the petition at the Women's Media Center, and make a pledge to support movies that feature women in front of an behind the camera. 

Take Action NOW to Stop Anthem Blue Cross' Outrageous Fee Increases!

We just got word from Health Access California and Health Care for America Now that the California State Assembly Committee on Health is holding a special investigative hearing TODAY in Sacramento into the recent attempt by Anthem Blue Cross to impose an insidious 39% rate-hike on California consumers.

While passing health reform at the national level remains our biggest priority, there's still a lot that can be done here at the state level to help keep the greedy private health insurance industry in check and make health care more affordable for Californians. Please call your Assemblymember today and applaud her or him for taking a stand against private health insurance industry abuse in California!

If your Assemblymember is on the Committee, please call and urge her or him to continue to stand up for California's families against private health insurance industry abuses. Otherwise, please contact Committee Chair Dave Jones (D-9) and let him know that you agree that California can no longer afford to be at the mercy of the unscrupulous private insurance industry.

See below for the complete list of members of the California State Assembly Committee on Health.

Dave Jones - Chair (D-9) (916) 319-2009
Nathan Fletcher - Vice Chair (R-75) (916) 319-2075
Anthony Adams (R-59) (916) 319-2059
Tom Ammiano (D-13) (916) 319-2013
Marty Block (D-78) (916) 319-2078
Wilmer Amina Carter (D-62) (916) 319-2062
Connie Conway (R-34) (916) 319-2034
Hector De La Torre (D-50) (916) 319-2050
Kevin de Leon (D-45) (916) 319-2045
Bill Emmerson (R-63) (916) 319-2063
Ted Gaines (R-4) (916) 319-2004
Isadore Hall III (D-52) (916) 319-2052
Mary Hayashi (D-18) (916) 319-2018
Edward P. Hernandez (D-57) (916) 319-2057
Bonnie Lowenthal (D-54) (916) 319-2054
Pedro Nava (D-35) (916) 319-2035
V. Manuel Pérez (D-80) (916) 319-2080
Mary Salas (D-79) (916) 319-2079
Audra Strickland (R-37) (916) 319-2037

Earlier this month, thousands of Californians shared their stories about how the proposed rate hike from Anthem Blue Cross would impact them and their loved ones. Now the California State Assembly is investigating this measure and we need to show them our support. Can you share those same stories with the members of the Assembly Health Committee and let them know that Californians can't afford the status quo!

If your Assemblymember is on the Committee (see above), then please call him or her NOW! If your Assemblymember is NOT on the Committee, then please call Committee Chair Dave Jones and let him know that California needs to take a stand against the systematic abuses of the private health insurance industry.

Stop Human Trafficking in California!

 Are you tried of seeing the ballot initiative process taken over by big money, big businesses, and for-profit signature gatherers pushing measures that aren't really in the best interests of Californians? Join Californians Against Slavery, California NOW, and other groups throughout the state in gathering signatures to put an anti-trafficking initiative on the ballot.

What is trafficking? Modern day slavery still exists in our time and in our country. About 14,500 to 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S. annually (US State Department “Trafficking in Persons Report 2006”) and 100,000 to 300,000 U.S. children are victimized by domestic sex trafficking (The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: America’s Prostituted Children, Shared Hope International, May 2009).

Under California state law, human trafficking is punishable by a sentence of only 3-5 years (4-8 for minors). Please help us get 1 million signatures for a state-wide ballot initiative to strengthen human trafficking laws and increase victims' rights. The proposed initiative would expand the definition of trafficking, increase penalties, require confiscated property to be used to benefit trafficking victims, and prohibit evidence of sexual activity from being used against trafficking victims.

Download a signature collection packet and flyer that you can use to gather signatures in your workplace, school, church, from friends and strangers.

We don't have the millions of dollars to spend that other ballot initiatives do.  What we have is you, our caring and dedicated activists throughout the state.  please take part in this campaign and help make a real difference for the women and girls who are trafficked into sexual slavery within California.

Health Care Reform Actions

 Our work on health care reform is far from over.  Rather than including this as part of our regular Monday Action Checklist, we've decided to make health care reform actions their own post, to help highlight how much there is left to do, and how much of an impact you can still make.

This morning, in advance of the health care summit later this week, President Obama put forward a proposal to start the process of passing health care reform. But there is no public option in the president's proposal. Tell Congress: We want a good bill, not just a bipartisan bill.   

Americans want good policy not bipartisan junk. Sign this petition today and make sure Congress gets the message.  

On February 24th, together with allies from labor unions, progressive blogs, Health Care for America Now, and others, MoveOn.org is organizing a massive day of action: the Virtual March for Real Health Care Reform. Join the March! 

Health Care for America Now is going to be sending action alerts every week for the next 40 days asking supporters to take a few minutes of their day to help us send the message loud and clear to Congress: "We voted for change in 2008. Get it done now. Get it done right!"  

Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein stood up for California, the public option, and Americans everywhere. Thank them!  

Become a citizen co-sponsor of Senator Bennet's Public Option letter.  

Anthem Blue Cross, a California health insurance company owned by WellPoint, is socking its individual policyholders with a massive 39% rate hike, despite the fact that WellPoint generated over $4.75 billion in profit in 2009. Insurance companies can impose outrageous rate hikes like this because California law does not limit unfair and unaffordable increases. That needs to change. That's why we are demanding that Gov. Schwarzenegger support legislation to regulate health insurance rates and rein in skyrocketing premiums. Click here to add your name to our letter. 

Can you help bombard the Senate with phone calls? Here's a list of Democratic Senators and where they stand on the letter to Harry Reid asking him to give the public option an up-or-down vote.
If your senator is on this list, please call. If you have friends and family with senators on this list, spread the word and ask them to help.
If you are on Facebook, click here to post the petition to your Wall.
If you have a Twitter account, click here to automatically tweet: Tell Congress: Pass a good heathcare bill - including a public option - not a bipartisan one. http://bit.ly/dCwoTs @CREDOmobile Pls RT