[Herstory] November-December 2005 Herstory E-Zine

[herstory at cwluherstory.org]

Welcome to the November-December 2005 issue of the CWLU Herstory 
E-Zine. Explore the CWLU Herstory website at 
http://www.cwluherstory.org

Please send us news tips about upcoming events you know about. Also, 
don't be shy. Send us news about yourself and what you are doing. 
Feminist networking is part of what we are about. Forward our E-Zine 
to colleagues and friends who may want to subscribe.

Remember: Support the CWLU Herstory project and buy Women's Graphics 
Collective posters, refrigerator magnets and t-shirts as holiday 
gifts. Pay by check or by credit card online. To browse our online 
store click on "Buy Feminist Posters' from our home page -- 
http://www.cwluherstory.org

Also: Buy online from Women and Children First Books using the link 
on our homepage or the Book section of the Marketplace. Look for the 
Women and Children First logo. It's a great way to buy gifts and 
we'll will earn a small but much needed commission.

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WE'RE BACK!

After taking some time off, the Herstory E-Zine is back. The Herstory 
Project is planning a complete overhaul of our website at 
http://www.cwluherstory.org. We want to bring the site up to 21st 
century web standards and make it easier to update, navigate and 
browse.

It will be a big job. If there are student interns who'd like to get 
their hands digitally dirty helping us through the transformation, 
please contact us. We'll train you and you'll learn a lot about how 
to put history on the web. We plan to get started in early 2006.

Contact infogal at cwluherstory.org if you are interested.

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POET AND FORMER "JANE" JUDITH ARCANA IS COMING TO CHICAGO

Judith Arcana will be reading from her new book "What if your mother" at:

Women and Children First 5233 N. Clark St. on Friday, November 11th 
at 7:30 pm. For further info: 773-769-9299 or wcfbooks at aol.com

Judith was a Jane, a member of Chicago's pre-Roe underground abortion 
service, and is the author of two earlier books about motherhood, 
"Our Mothers' Daughters" and "Every Mother's Son".

The poems and monologues in "What if your mother" illuminate the 
painful, tender experiences inside of the national shouting match, 
encouraging us to think carefully about what slogans and polemics 
inevitably obscure or ignore.

A preview from the book is at http://www.chicorybluepress.com. To 
inquire about readings, talks and workshops contact 
jawhatif at earthlink.net.

All Herstory supporters are encouraged to attend. With Roe vrs. Wade 
on the endangered species list, Judith's powerful voice for 
reproductive choice needs to be heard.

Note: Judith will be back in town March 2006 during UIC's Women's 
History Month activities. We'll keep you posted.

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MARDGE COHEN'S  RWANDA AIDS WORK IS THE SUBJECT OF A CHICAGO TRIBUNE 
MAGAZINE COVER STORY

Herstory member and former CWLU health activist Mardge Cohen, a 
physician at Stroger Hospital and national leader in HIV research and 
treatment, has been working in Rwanda with women who are living with 
HIV and AIDS. Eleven years after the genocide in that nation, many of 
the women who were raped during the conflict, are now seriously ill 
with AIDS.

On May 22, 2005 the Chicago Tribune Magazine showcased this 
remarkable work.  Mardge and a small group of American doctors, 
nurses and mental health experts have helped to establish a clinic 
and are working alongside Rwandan health professionals and community 
members trying to ease the suffering of these women and their 
children.

You may read the Trib article at 
ttp://www.crossroadsfund.org/WE-ACTx-Article2.html. While you are 
there, you can donate $$$ to a special fund that Mardge started to 
support HIV+ women in Rwanda.

Mardge also requests your presence at a benefit for Chicago Women's 
AIDS Project:

Global Rhythms A benefit for the Chicago Women's AIDS Project
Friday, November 18, Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 East Chicago Avenue

Reception 6:00-8:00 PM
Dance performance 8:00 PM Featuring Emmy Award winner Jason Samuels 
Smith with Anyone Can Get It from Los Angeles and Vata Tap from Brazil

Tickets $50. For Reservations and business sponsorship, call 
773-271-2242. Send check to CWAP, 5249 N. Kenmore Ave., Chicago 60640 
or e-mail cwapns at ameritech.net Paypal accepted. To advertise in the 
ad book: contact Karen at 773-271-2242.

The Chicago Women's AIDS Project has been serving women, children and 
youth affected by HIV/AIDS since 1988. Please help them serve the 
growing number of women living with HIV and provide much-needed 
prevention education for youth at risk.

Mardge has devoted her life to the cause of women's health and is a 
constant source of inspiration to all of us connected to the Herstory 
Project.

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"PAPA DON'T LAY THAT SHIT ON ME" IS ISSUED BY ROUNDER RECORDS

In 1972, Rounder Records released Mountain Moving Day - a 
ground-breaking album by the Chicago and New Haven Women's Liberation 
Rock Bands. A product of the fervent women's liberation movement of 
the late 1960s and early 70s, Mountain Moving Day helped pioneer the 
second wave of feminist music, paving the way for many of today's 
feminist, female-fronted, and "grrl" rock bands.

Thirty-three years later, Rounder reissued this historic album as 
"Papa Don't Lay That Shit On Me". Entirely remastered and restored, 
the reissue features 6 previously unreleased tracks, 2 bonus tracks 
from contemporary feminist rock band Le Tigre and an extensive CD 
booklet featuring liner notes from the original recording, lyrics 
(with printed chords), and commentary by author Jennifer Baumgardner 
and both the Chicago and New Haven Women's Liberation Rock Bands.

Visit http://www.rounder.com/ to purchase your copy of "Papa Don't 
Lay That Shit On Me" CD.

The Herstory Project first began its efforts to revive this music in 
1999. We transferred the original vinyl album to CD's in Estelle 
Carol's home studio and put MP3's of the songs up on the web. Special 
thanks to Naomi Weisstein, Pat Mathews and Bob Simpson for their work 
in keeping this music alive. We're thrilled to finally see a 
professional re-issue.

The Herstory Project now possesses a number of unpublished Rock Band 
photos thanks to former Band member Pat Mathews. We plan to get those 
up on our newly designed website next year.  We would also love to 
hear from other former Band members. Tell us your stories and we'll 
put 'em on the Web.


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WOMEN'S HEALTH HISTORY SLIDESHOW JANUARY 10, 2006

For the past several years, former CWLU health activists have met in 
effort to pass along the vibrant history of the Chicago women's 
health movement beginning in the late 1960s. One of their projects 
has been a PowerPoint slideshow.

On Tuesday, January 10, 2006 Coral Norris will show the slideshow on 
Women's Health History at Women and Children First Bookstore in 
Chicago. Check the WCF website at http://womenchildren.booksense.com 
for details as the date approaches.


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DR. SUSAN WOOD, FORMER FDA DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF WOMEN'S HEALTH, 
TO SPEAK AT UIC

On August 31, 2005, Dr. Susan Wood resigned as Assistant Commissioner 
for Women's Health and Director of the Office of Women's Health (OWH) 
at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to protest the FDA's 
decision to once again delay over-the-counter (OTC) status to Plan B 
emergency contraception.

Hear her discuss women's health at the FDA.

Wednesday, November 16 Noon - 1 p.m. School of Public Health 
Auditorium, University of Illinois at Chicago 1603 W. Taylor Street, 
Chicago, Illinois

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RAIN AND THUNDER: A RADICAL FEMINIST JOURNAL OF DISCUSSION AND 
ACTIVISM IS SEEKING CONTRIBUTORS

ISSUE #29: Our Annual ACTIVISM Issue - Deadline December 1, 2005

What does radical feminist activism mean to you? What does it look 
like in your life? In your community? What are your strategies as an 
activist for creating a culture of resistance? What are your tactics? 
What do you do to prevent burnout? What activist stories give you 
hope? Who are activists that inspire you?

ISSUE #30: Women's Herstory Issue (in celebration of Women's Herstory 
Month) - Deadline March 1,2006

What is radical feminist herstory? Who are important figures from our 
past? What lessons have we learned from the women who came before us? 
How does uncovering, understanding, and valuing our herstory shape 
and help our current work?

Send us your creative pieces on activist visions as well as photos, 
collages, poems, chants and more! We welcome women's writing from 
radical feminist perspectives and writing that contributes to radical 
feminist ideas.

We are interested in theory, opinion, strategy, action updates, news, 
reviews, and upcoming events. Contributions can be sent via U.S. mail 
or email to Rain and Thunder, PO Box 674, Northampton, MA 01060 USA, 
rainandthunder at yahoo.com.


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BECKY KLUCHIN IS LOOKING TO INTERVIEW PEOPLE WHO WERE ACTIVE IN THE 
MOVEMENT TO END FORCED STERILIZATION

Herstory Project member Becky Kluchin is applying for a grant to fund 
a trip to Chicago in the fall of 2006 to conduct interviews with 
Chicago women who were involved with the movement against forced 
sterilization. She would love to interview anyone who was active in 
this movement. Interested women (and men?) can contact her at 
rkluchin at csus.edu.

Becky conducted a number of interviews of CWLU activists in 1999 that 
helped make the Herstory website possible. She is now a history prof 
at California State University in Sacramento.

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BOOKS!

"From Suffragettes to She-Devils: Women's Liberation and Beyond" by 
Liz McQuiston is an amazing collection of women's graphics and 
photos. Includes several posters from the Chicago Women's Graphics 
Collective.

"The Wonders of Mothers Milk" by Mishawn Purnell is a book about 
breastfeeding aimed at kids 4-8. Mishawn is a Forest Park IL 
breastfeeding activist who works extensively among African American 
women. The book was illustrated by Herstory Project member Dana T.C. 
Simpson, an art student at Chicago's Columbia College. Get more 
details and order the book at http://www.breast-feedingamerica.com

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WEB SURFIN' WITH THE HERSTORY PROJECT

The Jane Addams Hull House Museum website at 
http://wall.aa.uic.edu:62730/artifact/HullHouse.asp has an extensive 
online collection about the work of Hull House on Chicago's West 
Side. Herstory members Peg Strobel (museum director) and Estelle 
Carol are among those who are designing new exhibits for the museum.

Alzheimer's Spoken Here at http://alzsh.net/ is a call to action by 
people who deal with Alzheimers and other forms of dementia everyday. 
Jenny Knauss (a former CWLU health activist), is the the president of 
this non-proft advocacy organization.

Feministing.com at http://www.feministing.com/ is a brash and 
consistently engaging feminist blog. Although it is said that blogs 
are like noses (everybody has one), this blog is actually worth your 
time.

Paula Kamen.com at http://www.paulakamen.com/ has links to many of 
Paula's articles as well as excerpts from her books and plays. Paula 
is currently working on a bio of Iris Chang, a talented writer whose 
life was cut short in 2004.

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THAT'S IT FOR THIS ISSUE

Please send us any news about former CWLUers, upcoming events and 
feminist happenings. We depend on you to be our eyes and ears. Do you 
need research assistance? Do you provide a service? Do you need a 
service? Do you have a cool project you need help with? Are you 
looking for a job? Do you have a job to offer? Let us know and we'll 
try to include it. Feminist networking is part of what we are about. 
E-mail infogal at cwluherstory.org with your contribution.

-- 



CWLU Herstory Website Project
http://www.cwluherstory.org
infogal at cwluherstory.org
PO Box 548
Oak Park, IL 60303-0548
708-386-7197

A Project of the University of Illinois
Center for Research on Women and Gender
http://www.uic.edu/depts/crwg/

"We stand now where two roads diverge. But unlike the roads in Robert 
Frost's familiar poem, they are not equally fair. The road we have 
long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on 
which we progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster." - 
Rachel Carson