EqualityQuilt

Women in Power: Now What?

A little over a year ago, I embarked on a journey to obtain my Master of Arts in Leadership. As I approach my last couple of classes, I have begun considering my thesis topic. With an undergraduate degree in Women’s Studies and Sociology, in addition to my passion for women’s rights, it is a given that my thesis will revolve around feminist leadership. However, the “what, who, and how” is still being decided. These questions lead me to consider how feminist leadership has changed since the 1970s and are the changes working. I have decided, yes, it has changed and no, it is not working. So what is the problem? What is infiltrating or lacking in feminist leadership?

I’m not sure of the answer but I do intend to find some answers. In this week’s New Yorker, Ariel Levy offers her conclusions to this question. Levy suggests that feminism has turned into identity politics. As feminists, we focus so much energy on getting women into office and positions of power but not on what they should do once they get there. Levy writes:

“Feminism as an identity politics has enjoyed real victories. It matters that women serve on the Supreme Court, that they make decisions in business, government, academia, and the media. But a preoccupation with representation suggests that feminism has lost its larger ambitions.”

Think back to the 2008 primaries. Non-feminists were appalled that feminists were not rallying around Sarah Palin. It suddenly became the feminist movements responsibility to support all women regardless of their anti-woman rhetoric. In addition, I recently heard a good, progressive woman legislator say if faced with a progressive man and a regressive woman candidate for governor, she would vote for the woman. How does a woman governor with anti-woman policies help the quest for women’s equality?

Without substantial research into this issue, it is difficult for me to conclude if the movement to get more women into power positions has become a new strategy for feminist leaders. However, I am more convinced that feminism has become more about individualism and self-promotion and less about building a united front for equality. -Erin Parrish

Hockey & Eternal Vigilance

A good case study of how the Consortium helps.   A month ago, smart hockey mom Beth from Willmar contacted us.  She had been talking with Minnesota Hockey about unequal treatment of girls in her community.  Among other concerns, the girls' team received 1 hour of ice time at the local arena while the boys' team received 1.5 hours.   When Beth's concerns were not addressed at the regional level, she spoke with the Rules Committee of the statewide organization.  They agreed to take up the matter in the form of bylaws and rules changes at a July meeting in St. Cloud.

Beth was not able to attend the St Cloud meeting. When she contacted the Consortium, we created an ad hoc email list which discussed this, including 7 Consortium member organizations and 3 individual experts like Rep. Phyllis Kahn, chief author of the state law on equal opportunity in athletics.  In the end, however, Consortium staffer Bonnie (that's me) was the only one who could be there for the MN Hockey board meeting that Sunday morning at 8:30AM... There is good news, and not-so-perfect news. 

US Women Connect at the United Nations

Many board members from U.S. Women Connect, a non-governmental nonprofit group advocating for a Fifth World Conference on Women, convened a panel and met many of the women representing us internationally at the March meeting of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women in New York City.  I serve USWC as co-VP for Communications so I got to assemble the  Connected Women newsletter issue summarizing the doing - though I was having fun at Minnesota's Women Come to the Capitol and was not in New York in person.   My USWC sisters met with several of the US delegates to the UNCSW, Ms. Foundation staff, and leaders of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Women of Color United, Women of Color Resource Center, Women's Media Center, and many others. 

While it's exciting to connect with women for other countries, I am in good company when I say that  women of the United States want and need to spend time with each other to revitalize and strategize around an American women's agenda.  Many plans to get going on that!  Meanwhile, some action steps for YOU:
* Download the "Final Agreed Conclusions" from the governmental deliberations at the UNCSW.  (Note that the topic this year was "Sharing decision-making with men, and HIV/AIDS.")
* Write me if you would like to be on the mailing list for Connected Women, the USWC E-Newsletter that comes out every two or three months.  - Bonnie
Left:  UNIFEM Director of Afghanistan.  R:  The Honorable Jackie Weatherspoon, US Women Connect board member from New Hampshire.

We Heart Planned Parenthood

On Good Friday the Women's Consortium office was closed so some of us decided to join the peaceful defense of Planned Parenthood's Highland Park Clinic in St. Paul, which has been firebombed, crashed into by truck, and where on that date many anti-choice protesters show up every year.  As is often the case, the anti-choice protesters greatly outnumbered the pro-choice marchers, but it was a beautiful sunny day and thank goodness no incidents - and we ran into lots of friends.

L-R:  Elder-Nomics Coordinator Marie, Director Bonnie with HOTDISH tee from northern Minnesota women (Hand Over The Decision; It Should be Hers), Communications Erin, Intern Suma, and Marie friend Hannah.

Former intern Julia and perennial escort Ray.Thanks Ray for being there every Friday!  Thanks Marie for organizing us!  Thanks Julie for driving Macites!  And thank you, thank you Planned Parenthood for being there for women, men, and families.

Our "local" Planned Parenthood provides health services in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. 

Education in their words at Celebration 29

Our esteemed honorees from Celebration 29 were asked what they want the audience to DO about education for women and girls, in 25 words.  These statements were announced when each recipient was presented her award. The statements are as follows:

Kristin Mapel-Bloomberg (ACTC Women's Studies Programs): Less than one-third of adult American women hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Educated women are economically self-sufficient. Help women value and choose a college education!

Karen Kirkwood, AAUW-Minnesota: Be alert to inequities and then join with others, such as AAUW and the Consortium, to take action to fix the problem

Shelly Boyum-Breen, Foundation IX: Our work to level the playing field for girls extends to the voting booths and the pay scale. Until girls and women ARE equal, we have work to do and each of us is responsible.

Lydia Lee, Minneapolis School Board: Let’s work to help girls believe that it’s cool to demonstrate intelligence, and that they have the capacity to be true leaders. Smart females rock!

Mary Cathryn Ricker, Education Minnesota: Teaching is 70% female. We are daily role models of highly educated experts in our fields. Provide professional wages and support our right to organize.

Cindy Reuther, Laura Jeffrey Academy: Give a girl an hour a week, get caught up in her world, enjoy her thoughts, question her and help her cultivate her mind – make a commitment today.

Rep. Mindy Greiling: Continue fighting for funding equity so that students all over the state have equal opportunities for a good education so they can graduate ready for success.

Peg Lonnquist & Rusty Barcelo, Ofice of Equity & Diversity, U of MN: As women, we need to support each other, but not assume all women share the same values and goals. I urge you to build vital alliances across differences.

Sandy Myers, Child Care WORKS: Ensuring all children have access to high quality, early education opportunities that foster cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development, will mitigate inequities between the genders later in a child's education.

Sandra Sam-Viko, Minnesota African Women's Association: We as girls need to know more about the world and what makes us powerful. When we educate girls we educate a nation, creating powerful women.

Much to do about Feminism

I am responding to an article on laterlife.com, entitled Rebranding Feminism in Laterlife.  Being a 22 year-old women in the 21st century, I believe feminism is all about spreading awareness and gaining equal recognition for women in a male dominated society, or perhaps world and making equality the norm instead of something to aspire to for who knows how long.  The feminism I see does not exclude men, it helps educate all the sexes on seeing each other as humans, for one sex cannot change or evolve with out the other.  First and foremost, education on feminism is not taught very well if at all, from a grade school level to a high school level, period. 
Feminism has gotten negative connotations over the years because radical things have taken place, or attitudes that were more focused on than others.  Since we are surrounded by different perspectives in this world, we must keep in mind that many would get scared (men and women) if women started burning their bras.  But that is only one minor example that seems to be the most well known.  This completely creates the entire image of feminism with the help of media and others.  However, if one really does the research and understands that demonstration was symbolic in more than anything, then some understanding among the opposing groups may be found.  Now I do know that there are feminists who hate men, but there are extremists everywhere.  What I see today is quite interesting.

An End to Poverty

Today is Blog Action Day Against Poverty.  For excellent articles on this topic, see the AAUW blog features on the right hand side, surf down to the list of other blogs and check out the National Elder Economic Security Initiative (Minnesota is a partner - more on that soon!), and visit the website of the Minnesota Commission to End Poverty, now preparing recommendations.   The Pay Equity Coalition of Minnesota also wants you to know that improving women's pay is one of the most promising approaches. - Bonnie

Latinas & Civic Engagement

We were delighted to have a second visit from the dynamic staff of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health. (Click on their name to visit their website.)  They were here for training on civic engagement, offered at Neighborhood House (also known as the Paul & Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building) on the West Side of St. Paul.  National president Silvia Henriquez explained some new directions.  Minnesota State Senator Patricia Torres Ray and Latinas Association advisory board member Migdalia Loyola both assisted in the training.  Silvia Ontaneda, developer for the Asociacion de la Mujer Latina en Minnesota, helped get the word out to the 75 attendees.   As on their last visit, NLIRH staff presented excellent information and materials, all in Spanish and in a culturally respectful way.   Please feel free to write Silvia O. to stay in touch as the Latinas Association develops.  (And watch this space for a Spanish version of this article.) -Bonnie

  

Fundraising in Tough Times

The Minnesota Women's Consortium hosted a wonderful training session today to help feminist groups and other small nonprofits prepare fundraising plans, reach out to individual donors, write socko grant proposals, and connect with each other.  Many thanks to wonderful presenters Mala Thao, a private development consultant;  Aretha Green-Ruppert of the Girl Scouts of Minnesota & Wisconsin River Valleys;  Amy Hellwich of the Women's Foundation of Minnesota;  Jody Williams of Community Shares Minnesota; Marilyn Bryant of the Consortium's Seneca Falls Council of Advisors;  and Consortium director of member services Bharti Wahi who organized the event.   

Left: Mala and Aretha talk about approaching individual donors.  Below:  Amy, Jody, and Marilyn discuss "do's and "don'ts" of fundraising.

Women Came to the Capitol

On March 12, roughly 35 women attended Women Come to the Capitol to learn about lobbying, issues and meet with their legislators. If you were unable to attend, check out the photo album and the video clips from the event. There are more clips below the jump. Thank you so much to our speakers and panelists: Kathleen Murphy (Midwest Health Center for Women), Carla Ferucci (Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women), Mary Jo George (of Minnesota Nurses Association, in video below) Mary Cecconi (Parents United for Public Schools) and Sally Hassell (Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota).