From herstory at cwluherstory.org Sun Feb 10 23:37:22 2008 From: herstory at cwluherstory.org (The CWLU Herstory Project E-Zine) Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2008 22:37:22 -0600 Subject: [Herstory] Winter 2008 CWLU Herstory E-Zine Message-ID: <47AFD102.2080808@cwluherstory.org> Welcome to the Winter 2008 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. Don't forget to buy your books at Women and Children First Bookstore. If you can't visit the store at 5233 N. Clark St. in Chicago, you can always order online at http://womenandchildrenfirst.com. *************************** FORMER CWLU MEMBER TRUDY PAX DIED ON FEBRUARY 9 Many of you will remember Trudy Pax, feminist, former steelworker and avid environmentalist. Trudy had been seriously ill with pancreatic cancer for the past several months. She was living at Camp Hill Village in Minnesota and died there on Saturday. Caring Bridge has a website where you can leave a tribute to her courage and commitment. Caring Bridge is a service that connects critically ill people to their friends, family, and associates around the world. Please visit the address below to leave your thoughts on Trudy's rich and wonderful life. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/trudypax *************************** JUDITH ARCANA IS INTERVIEWED ON THE WBEZ 848 RADIO PROGRAM WBEZ is Chicagoland's NPR station and its '848' talk show is well known for its willingness to explore complex issues. On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, former "Jane" Judith Arcana was interviewed and talked about the struggle for reproductive justice, both past and present. "Jane" was the nickname of the Abortion Counseling Service for Women's Liberation which performed thousands of illegal abortions in Chicago in the pre Roe v. Wade days. If you missed the show, please visit the Herstory blog at http://www.cwluherstory.org/myblog/judith-arcana-talks-to-wbez-3.html and give a listen. *************************** HERSTORY BLOGS FOR CHOICE ON JANUARY 29, 2008 On the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, bloggers around the nation answered the call of NARAL Pro-Choice America and posted their reflections on reproductive justice. If you visit http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/choice-action-center/bfc08-home.html you can read the many contributions that people made. Blog for Choice is still going and you can sign up for future events at their Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6781078005 Herstory's Blog for Choice was dedicated to the late Ruth Surgal.You can read it at the address below. http://www.cwluherstory.org/myblog/blog-for-choice-day-remembering-ruth-surgal.html **************************** THE CHICAGO MATERNITY CENTER STORY PLAYS AT THE CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM The Chicago Maternity Center was a home birth center that had served the needs of Chicago moms-to-be for 75 years, providing safe home deliveries and pre-natal care. After a bitter fight with Northwestern University, which had provided funding, the Center was forced to close. The Chicago Women's Liberation Union fought alongside of other women's health advocates to try and keep the Center open. Kartemquin Films captured the story of its closing and why Corporate Medicine as represented by Northwestern was so threatened by its existence. On December 9, There was a special showing of the Maternity Center film at the Chicago History Museum followed by a discussion. The film is available in VHS format from Facets Multimedia for $29.95. A DVD version is reportedly in the works. **************************** WAVELENGTH IS COMING 'Wavelength' is the working title of Jennifer Lee's upcoming documentary about Second Wave feminism. Jennifer criss-crossed the country getting interviews from people like Eleanor Holmes Norton, Ti-Grace Atkinson, Robin Morgan, Betty Friedan, Heather Booth, Naomi Weisstein, Vivian Rothstein, Frances Beal and more. She combined these interviews with stock footage from the period as well as still photos and graphics. The Herstory project received a rough cut from Jennifer in early February and it looks great. It's very hard to tell a complex history in a short amount of time, but by skillful editing and research, Jennifer Lee has produced an excellent introduction to the Second Wave. Jennifer Lee is a veteran Hollywood production worker with a deep interest in independent film. The Herstory Project played a small supporting role by helping with research and providing contact information. **************************** ANN MEDINA WILLIAMS IS NOW WORKING AT THE TEXAS COUNCIL ON FAMILY VIOLENCE In 2002, while a student at UIC, Ann first created the CWLU timeline that is on the Herstory site. It has undergone several transformations, but at its core is Ann's excellent work. After her graduation from UIC she was off to University College London where she got her MA in gender studies studying power and abortion. Ann wants to thank Herstory for the help we gave her during her independent study course in 2003. Well Ann, you are very welcome and it was fun working with you. Our best wishes to Ann who is once again making feminism real through her work at the Texas Council on Family Violence. **************************** VERONICA ARREOLA NAMED UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO WOMAN OF THE YEAR One of Chicagoland's busiest feminists is Veronica Arreola, director of Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) at UIC. Besides being named UIC Woman of the Year for 2007, Veronica is a tireless blogger. You can find her writing at: http://www.ChicagoMomsBlog.com http://www.ChicagoParent.com http://www.workitmom.com/articleauthor-veronica http://vivalafeminista.blogspot.com/ (personal site) She's also works with the Chicago Abortion Fund as well as with Women in Media and News. Veronica's writing will be included in a new book anthology called 'What We Think: Gender Roles, Women's Issues and Feminism in the 21st Century' coming out in 2008. For more info about this exciting new collection visit: http://www.liquidwordsproductions.com/bookstore.htm WISE is a project of the UIC Center for Research on Women and Gender which also is a sponsor of the CWLU Herstory Project. **************************** AURORA LEVINS MORALES IS SEEKING A BUSINESS PARTNER FOR HER NEXT PUBLISHING VENTURE Aurora Levins Morales is a Latina Jewish feminist writer who has published a number of highly original historical works in addition to her poetry. She is now seeking a business partner to help her publish her work in e-chapbook format. Below is her original message to us: "I am looking for an energetic, highly motivated business partner with whom to publish and distribute my writing in the form of e-chapbooks. This person will take full responsibility for the technical and marketing side of the enterprise, while I will maintain creative control, take full responsibility for writing and editing the content, have input into (and veto power over) book design, and consult about specific networks to market to. This person need not have all of the necessary skills her or himself, but will be responsible for finding and supervising the people who do. She or he will not be an employee, but a business partner, and should be economically self-supporting, with time and energy to devote to promoting and building this business. Please feel free to pass this along to anyone you know who might be interested in collaborating with me. I can be reached at aurora at historica.us." Aurora and her mom Rosario were both members of the Chicago Women's Liberation Union. **************************** THE CHICAGO AREA WOMEN'S HISTORY COUNCIL(CAWHC) TO DOCUMENT THE HISTORY OF SECOND WAVE FEMINISM IN CHICAGOLAND Mark your calendars for March 16 at 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm at the Chicago History Museum. The Chicago Area Women's History Council will hold a kick-off event for their effort to collect the history of the Second Wave women's movement in Chicagoland. Mary Jean Collins and Sara Evans are among those who will give presentations. Long-range activities of the project include: supporting oral history interviews with significant personalities in the movement, developing guidelines for identifying archival material in the community, supporting community based programs designed to highlight local Second Wave leaders and organizations and developing a website where ongoing programs and projects can be identified and promoted. The Veteran Feminists of America and the CWLU Herstory Project are also working on the planning and publicity for the kick-off event. For more information please contact: Mary Ann Johnson President Chicago Area Women's History Council 2109 N. Humboldt Blvd. Chicago, IL 60647 Majohn4 at prodigy.net 773-227-0093 **************************** WOMEN BUILDING CHICAGO AND THE CITY'S BLACK RENAISSANCE: VOICES FROM THE VIVIAN HARSH COLLECTION Anne Meis Knuper, B.J. Bolden and Michael Flug will give a presentation at the reception for the Carter Woodson Library's new exhibit "Black Jewel of the Midwest: Celebrating 75 Years of the Harsh Collection and the Hall Branch Library". Vivian Harsh was the first Black librarian in the Chicago Public Library system. The presentation will focus on African American women in the history of Chicago. Saturday, March 24, 2007 1:30 pm Carter G. Woodson Regional Library 9525 South Halsted Street Chicago, IL **************************** THE NOW FOUNDATION LAUNCHES ORAL HISTORY PROJECT Do have some cool NOW stories to tell? Would you like to sweep up the shards from that glass ceiling you broke and tell the world how you did it? How about that time you went to the big feminist demonstration and you were sure that the next day the walls of discrimination would come tumbling down? OK, maybe they just crumbled a little, but it sure felt good didn't it? What was your "Aha!" moment when you realized that being female was more than just sugar and spice and everything nice? How about the box of old leaflets and NOW chapter notes that you just can't throw away, but is starting to smell a little funny in your basement? The NOW Oral History Project wants you. In the first phase of the Oral History Project the NOW Foundation is interviewing people who were active in the years from 1972 to 1982. Contact the NOW Foundation by email at oralhistory at nowfoundation.org or call the project director at 202-628-8669 ext. 142 for more info. *************************** THE CHICAGO ABORTION FUND (CAF) APPEARS ON CHICAGO TV Young women of color fighting for reproductive justice were given a chance to tell their stories on CAN-TV, a Chicago cable channel. The show aired on January 30 at 8pm. These young women make up a special leadership group of Chicago Abortion Fund (CAF) called 'My Voice, My Choice". You can visit the CAF MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/chicagoabortionfund for more info about CAF youth outreach activities. We keep in touch with CAF director Gaylon Alcarez and hope to post a web video of the CAN-TV CAF program when it becomes available. *************************** PROJECT L.Y.F.E. IS SEEKING QUEER ASIAN AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENTS TO TELL THEIR STORIES Project L.Y.F.E.(Leadership and Youth Fighting for Education) is an interview-based, qualitative, ethnographic project that is looking for student organizers, activists and leaders to share their experiences of success, struggle and compromise. Everyday, Queer Asian American college students come "out" in classrooms, writing about their experiences, challenging stereotypes and fighting for LGBTIQ rights all in support of a Queer Asian American movement. To tell your story, e-mail ProjectLYFE at gmail.com or visit the L.Y.F.E. MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/pr0jectLYFE **************************** ARE YOU A MARJANE SATRAPI FAN? Colette Morrow wants to create an edited essay collection about the work of Iranian graphic novelist and film maker Marjane Satrapi. Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel, 'Persepolis', was an instant success in France and the U.S. It has garnered numerous book prizes, and the animated film version was awarded the Grand Prize of the Jury at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. Satrapi's other texts, including children's books, have been translated into numerous languages and published worldwide. The proposed collection aims to examine Satrapi's works as literature, art, film and cultural phenomena, bringing diverse ideological and theoretical perspectives to bear on the intellectual and political issues that they raise. For more info, please contact: Colette Morrow colettemorrow at aol.com Fax: 708.524.8408 Tel: 708.524.8025 Department of English & Philosophy Purdue University Calumet Hammond, IN 46323 USA Several Herstory folks accompanied Colette to a Chicago showing of the film 'Persepolis' and then adjourned to a local Scottish pub for an after theater celebration. 'Persepolis' got an enthusiastic thumbs up from our entire group. **************************** MARDGE COHEN TO BE HONORED AT THE 2008 DEBS-THOMAS-HARRINGTON DINNER SPONSORED BY THE CHICAGO DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA Dr. Mardge Cohen is one of the world's experts on HIV-AIDS and is well known in both Chicago and Rwanda for her work in that area. Mardgie is a former member of the CWLU. We don't have all the details yet, but check the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America website for updates on this years Debs-Thomas-Harrington Dinner. http://www.chicagodsa.org/ **************************** BE THERE! SUMMIT ON ECONOMIC JUSTICE FOR WOMEN Join the National Organization for Women Foundation, National Council of Negro Women, and the Institute for Women's Policy Research for the 2008 Summit on Economic Justice for Women, April 11-12 in Atlanta, Georgia. The summit is dedicated to "Bringing Together Research and Advocacy--from Local to Global--to Advance Economic Justice and Empowerment for Women" Don't miss the reduced early registration fee. Make your plans now to join with grassroots activists, researchers, and academics to address the critical economic issues facing women in the U.S. and abroad. Visit http://www.nowfoundation.org/issues/economic/events/ejsummit2008/index.html for more info **************************** DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR COPY OF THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE? Historian Stephanie Coontz is writing a biography. No, not of Betty Friedan the author of 'The Feminine Mystique', but a biography of the book itself: its history and influence. Stephanie Coontz needs your help.If you are willing to talk about your recollections of reading the book or how it affected you, you can send her your memories directly, or you can correspond informally by e-mail, or she can send you a few survey questions, whichever is easiest. Please address correspondence to her at coontzs at msn.com. And if you have suggestions of other people for her to talk to, all such suggestions will be gratefully received. **************************** WHAT'S NEW ON THE HERSTORY SITE? We've begun adding scanned issues of the CWLU News. We have most of the 1970 issues up now with more years still to come. We've also filled in our Chicago Women's Liberation Timeline with new details. We uploaded the complete video interview of former Rock Band member Susan Abod conducted by former Rock Band member Suzanne Prescott. We've added new links to our Resources section. If you would like to suggest links, please register on our site and use the Suggest a Weblink menu item (only visible to registered users). If you are a regular reader of Infogal's blog on the Herstory site, you will notice that most of our newsletter articles are drawn from the blog. So check the blog if you can't wait for our next newsletter issue. *************************** WEB SURFIN' WITH THE HERSTORY PROJECT: Grrrl Geek Edition http://www.uicwise.org/ UIC WISE: University of Illinois at Chicago Women in Science and Engineering. http://www.umbc.edu/cwit/ The Center for Women and Information Technology at the University of Maryland- Baltimore. http://www.linuxchix.org/ Linux women are spreading the gospel about one of the world's great computer operating systems. http://www.ubuntu-women.org/ The Ubuntu Women campaign to get more female participation in the Free Open Source Software (FOSS) movement. http://opensourcecommunity.org/ Amy Stephen has a wonderful community blog devoted to Free Open Source Software. As she puts it:"Together we can make the world a *little* better place." *************************** 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