[Herstory] Winter 2008 CWLU Herstory E-Zine

[The CWLU Herstory Project E-Zine]

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.

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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

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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.


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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


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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.


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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.


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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.


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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.

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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


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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

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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.


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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.


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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

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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.

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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/

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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

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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