Health Care and Immigrant Women's Rights: New York Times Letter by Ms. Foundation Grantee

As we noted in our last post, Ms. Foundation grantees like the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health are connecting health care reform to key issues like immigrants' rights. Yesterday, NLIRH Executive Director Sylvia Henriquez addressed this critical link in a letter to the editor published by the New York Times:

To the Editor:

Re “Coverage Without Borders,” by Roger Mahony (Op-Ed, Dec. 8):

Cardinal Mahony’s article in favor of health care access for immigrants is an important message to elected officials grappling with reform legislation. Sadly, I couldn’t help note the irony of advocating on behalf of immigrants, while in the same breath urging policy makers to deny reproductive health care for millions of women. Over half of all immigrants are women.

The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health knows very well the devastating impact of making abortion elusive for those who can’t pay with personal funds. Latinas are among the poorest in this country and tend to lack access to health insurance in higher numbers than other groups. In fact, one in four women living in poverty who wants to choose abortion can’t because politicians prevent federal tax dollars from covering the procedure.

The lesson learned from the last three decades of misguided federal policy on abortion is that creating a two-tier system of access to health care is unfair, punitive and harmful.

To quote Cardinal Mahony: “To allow people’s basic health needs to be trumped by divisive politics violates American standards of decency and compassion.” We couldn’t agree more.

Silvia Henriquez
Executive Director
National Latina Institute
for Reproductive Health
New York, Dec. 8, 2009

Stop Stupak -- The Reinforcements

"The reinforcements have arrived!" exclaimed one legislator in response to the hundreds of women’s health advocates who poured into Washington, DC on December 2. More than 500 advocates from 30 states across the country demanded that the final version of health care reform legislation not include language further restricting women’s access to abortion coverage.

Ms. Foundation grantees were a visible, powerful presence during last Wednesday’s “Rally and Lobby Day.” Notably, representatives of grantee partners National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective took to the stage to speak to the need to connect the fight for women’s reproductive health, rights and justice to other social justice movements, including immigrants’ rights and environmental justice. They joined our other health care grantees we reported on last week.

Ms. Foundation grantee organizations are leaders in the growing reproductive justice movement, which responds directly to the impact of low-income women’s lack of economic, social and political power on the full-range of reproductive health decisions. Read here for further examples of the reproductive justice work supported by the Ms. Foundation. To partner with us in this important work, make a gift; your contribution will be worth twice as much, thanks to a generous $100,000 challenge grant.

This afternoon, debate begins on the Nelson Amendment, the Senate version of Stupak Amendment. Read Ms. Foundation grantee partner Raising Women’s Voices coverage and analysis of the deliberations.

Reinforcements, indeed.

Stop Stupak!

This Wednesday, December 2, hundreds of women, including Ms. Foundation grantees, will head to Washington, D.C. to rally and lobby against a potential rollback of women’s basic rights that would deny abortion coverage to millions of women who currently have it and to millions more who lack access today. Click here for more information on the Stop Stupak Campaign.

It is extraordinary that in 2009 women’s right to reproductive care of their choosing is on the chopping block again. The Stupak Amendment is wrong and regressive, and goes well beyond reinforcing the Hyde Amendment—already harmful in its own right—despite what mainstream media is saying. As the Senate debates its health care bill, we expect them to do better. It is simply unacceptable—and contradictory—to trade away women’s access to reproductive services under the guise of expanding care. And who will be most impacted? Ultimately, all women and their families, but disproportionally low-income women and women of color. Once again, Congress runs the risk of creating another exclusionary policy when we should be striving for inclusive and equitable solutions—and most certainly within the context of the stated goals of health care reform.

Our health care grantee organizations Communications Consortium Media Center, Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need and Women of Color United for Health Reform are on the front lines mobilizing to prevent Stupak or a similar Senate amendment from becoming law. Together, they continue to elevate the voices of low-income women and women of color for truly inclusive, equitable reform.

Sarah Palin and Newsweek: Here We go Again

Earlier this week the Women’s Media Center released a strong statement condemning Newsweek’s inappropriate cover photo of Sarah Palin in short shorts and a tight top. WMC President Jehmu Greene noted, “…by portraying Sarah Palin in this light, they added an additional barrier for all women and girls who aspire to political leadership.”

We couldn’t agree more. Not only does the cover sexualize Sarah Palin, it stands as yet another illustration of the marginalization, objectification and stereotypes of women that persist in mainstream media.

It’s hard to imagine just one male politician objectified in this fashion on the cover of a news magazine, no matter his political orientation, his abilities or his conduct. Nor should there be.

Mainstream media must respect, not diminish, the stature of women, LGBTQ identified people, and people of color, if we are to reach the inclusive and equitable society that we all desire.

Sara K. Gould
President & CEO
Ms. Foundation for Women

Ms. Foundation Grantees Promote Women's Access to Green Jobs

Earlier this year, the Ms. Foundation issued grants to national organizations and coalitions with the potential to take advantage of progressive openings created by the new presidential administration. By supporting strategies that connect grassroots solutions to national advocacy, the Ms. Foundation is working to ensure that the communities with the greatest need benefit from policy change in areas that are likely to re-shape the social and economic infrastructure of our nation: health care reform, green jobs, workers’ rights, child care and immigration.

Two Ms. Foundation grantees, Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) and Green For All, have been focusing in particular on ensuring equitable access to green jobs for women, low-income people and people of color. Green jobs, like those in construction and other building trades, are more likely to offer a living wage and, because this is a new and rapidly expanding field, long-term economic security.

Last week, with funding from the Ms. Foundation, WOW held the first national institute for organizations from across the country seeking to train women in green jobs. This week, we share a video from Green For All which highlights how stimulus funds are already being put to use to train women in weatherization:

Tahlia is a single mother of a 3-year-old son in Brooklyn, NY. "Construction is something that I wanted to do for a long time," she said. "I had no way of knowing how to get into this field because I always heard it was a man's world."

Now, thanks to the Recovery Act, Tahlia has a job weatherizing homes in New York.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5U6ZO-3XGw

Learn more from Green For All's Green Economy Roadmap.

Hundreds of Women of Color Discuss Health Reform with the White House

Yesterday, Ms. grantee Women of Color United for Health Reform hosted a tremendously successful call that connected hundreds of women nationwide with the White House! See excerpts from yesterday's press release issued by Women of Color United co-founder, National Asian Pacific Women's Forum:

Today, Women of Color United for Health Reform, a national coalition led by the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, and the Black Women's Health Imperative, hosted a conference call on the needs of women of color in health reform with Senior White House officials.

Representing the Obama Administration were Tina Tchen, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and Executive Director for the White House Council on Women and Girls and Caya Lewis, Outreach Director for the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Health Reform and former health staffer for Senator Edward Kennedy. More than 400 people from 31 states and the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands who are ready to engage their elected leaders on the issue of reform, were on the call to discuss the impact of health reform for women and communities of color.

"The tremendous turn-out on today's call is further evidence of the incredible stake women of color have in health reform," said Miriam Yeung, Executive Director of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum. "Women of color are more likely than their white or male counterparts to be uninsured or underinsured. As the pillar of our communities, we are organizing to demand health care that works for us as hard as we work for this country."

Ms. Tchen gave an overview of the President's approach and the impact of health reform on women. Ms. Lewis discussed many of the specifics of the Administration's health care reform effort including health disparities. Then the participants on today's call - who represented women working and involved in health care, academia, the private sector, and faith-based communities - asked questions of the Administration officials. Participants' questions delved into critical issues, including culturally competent care and the need to ensure that all women of color - including immigrants - have access to affordable and quality care.

On the heels of this call, Women of Color United for Health Reform is organizing a national Congressional call-in day on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 to tell Congress that women of color are demanding and organizing for real reform now. They are also working with activists across the country to bring media attention to this issue. For more information about the coalition and its activities, visit www.womenofcolorunited.net.

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis Presents Award to Domestic Workers United

Congratulations to Ms. Foundation grantee Domestic Workers United! On October 15, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis Presented Domestic Workers United (DWU) with the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

DWU is a grassroots organization of Caribbean, Latina and African nannies, housekeepers and elderly caregivers which has led the groundbreaking campaign for a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in New York and is at the forefront of a national movement for domestic workers' rights. In presenting the award to DWU, Secretary Solis revealed her own connection to this critical labor rights struggle: “My mother first came to this country as a nanny for a family." She congratulated the group on their accomplishments and noted the importance of visibility for the workforce.

DWU was honored alongside La Mesa Nacional Frente a la Minería Metálica en El Salvador (the National Roundtable on Mining in El Salvador) which successfully mobilized to press El Salvador to become the first country in the world to ban gold mining, decried for its devastating impact on rural communities and the environment.

Each year, IPS honors fallen colleagues and recognizes new champions of human rights in the United States and Latin America in the name of Chilean diplomat Orlando Letelier and American Ronni Karpen Moffitt. Letelier and Moffitt were killed by a car bomb set off by agents of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet on September 21, 1976 in Washington, DC.

Ms. Foundation Health Care Grantees On the Move

Ms. Foundation grantees Raising Women's Voices and the Women of Color United for Health Reform continue to work collectively to mobilize women nationwide on behalf of health care reform and lift up women's support and solutions for change in Washington, D.C. and at rallies, town halls and on airwaves across the U.S. These two groups received support from the Ms. Foundation in August for a last-minute push to ensure the voices of women--especially low-income women and women of color--are amplified in the health care debate.

Today, in an unprecedented call organized by Women of Color United (a coalition headed up by the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, and the Black Women's Health Imperative), over 400 women of color activists discussed the need for just and inclusive reform in a conversation with Tina Tchen, Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison and Executive Director for the White House Council on Women and Girls and Caya Lewis, Outreach Director for the Health and Human Services Office of Health Reform and Former Health Staffer for Senator Edward Kennedy.

Recently, RWV co-founder Lois Uttley did a series of interviews with radio stations around the country on stations like WBAI in New York City; WHON in Richmond, Indiana; WIZM in La Crosse, Wisconsin; WGCV in Columbia, South Carolina; KXCI in Tucson, Arizona; KSFR in Santa Fe, NM; and on the Bev Smith show which airs in major cities nationwide. Last week, Women of Color United organized 28 activists in eight key states (AK, AR, FL, IN, ME, NC, ND, SD) to help place op-eds in their local papers.

Both groups have just released valuable new resources. Women of Color United issued "Health Reform Imperatives for Women and Communities of Color" and a fact sheet about women of color and the need for reform. RWV issued "What Women Want vs. What Women Get," a quick and easy analysis of the health care bills on the table and eight straightforward talking points for key improvements. The talking points are below and online [pdf]; there's also a longer version [pdf] with more detail -- check them out, pass them along, and RAISE YOUR VOICE for just and inclusive health care reform!

Raising Women's Voices
From Our Kitchen Table
What Women Want: The Health Reform Edition

1. Health coverage should start at birth and end at death, with no interruptions. We shouldn’t lose it when we change jobs, get divorced or move from one state to another.

2. Make it affordable. Use a sliding scale. Everybody should pay something, but some of us can pay more than others. Offer subsidies for those who can’t pay very much.

3. Make it fair. Don’t charge women more than men. Don’t let insurance companies refuse to cover people because they have diabetes, cancer, asthma or any other “pre-existing condition.”

4. Make it simple. Tell insurance companies to stop tricking us into buying policies that don’t cover the care we need. There should be no hidden clauses or surprises.

5. Make it better. Give us the high quality care that this country is capable of delivering, instead of extra tests and unneeded services that feed the bottom-line for drug companies or for-profit hospitals and medical systems at our expense. And fix the system so that poor people, people of color, people with disabilities and LGBT people get high quality care too.

6. Keep politics, politicians and ideology out of the decisions about which benefits should be included. This is health care, people!

7. Cover everybody! Stop arguing about whether we should cover undocumented immigrants or force legal immigrants to wait five years to be eligible. If they are living here as our neighbors, we want them to be healthy. Fixing the immigration system is a separate issue.

8. This should be a wellness system, not a sickness system. Sure, we want to have medical care when we get sick, but better preventive care and stronger public health measures in our own communities can help us stay healthy.

Learn more and find out how to add your voice to the debate on the Raising Women's Voices and Women of Color United websites.

Support Reproductive Health, Justice and Reform

The Ms. Foundation for Women has long supported women of color and those with low income to advocate for policies that improve their lives and those of their families and communities. Today, as the health care reform debate poses new threats to reproductive health care coverage, please join us in committing to the reproductive justice movement, which works to ensure that all women across race and class can exercise their reproductive rights. Any gift you make to the Ms. Foundation for Women before November 15th will be worth twice as much, thanks to a generous $100,000 challenge grant.

Help create more policy wins like these of our grantee partners:

• ACCESS/Women's Health Rights Coalition, California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, the Dolores Huerta Foundation and ACT for Women and Girls defeated Proposition 4, a parental notification initiative, on the California ballot in November 2008.


• During the 2009 legislative session, West Virginia Free ensured that none of more than 40 anti-choice laws were passed by the state legislature.


• Since 2008, Migrant Health Promotion has secured access to public transportation for several rural, isolated immigrant communities in South Texas, enabling hundreds of women farmworkers to access reproductive health and family planning services.

Make a gift today and double your support for reproductive justice for low-income women and women of color.

Poll: Americans Support Keeping Health Care Reform Abortion Neutral

[1 October Update: The New York Times adds coverage: Senate Panel Rejects Tightening of Abortion Restrictions and an editorial: Abortion and Health Care Reform on the continuing debate.]

As the New York Times reports in its September 28 article, Abortion Fight Complicates Debate on Health Care, the struggle over women's reproductive rights rages on as Congress considers reform: "Abortion opponents in both the House and the Senate are seeking to block the millions of middle- and lower-income people who might receive federal insurance subsidies to help them buy health coverage from using the money on plans that cover abortion."

But while Republicans and some moderate Democrats are seeking to bargain away women's access to abortion through their health insurance plans, the Women Donors Network and the Communications Consortium Media Center have released a new poll [pdf] which finds overwhelmingly that "Americans support efforts to keep this health care reform package abortion neutral."

The poll, conducted by the Mellman Group, surveyed 1,000 likely voters on issues of health care reform and reproductive and maternal health and rights. Most significantly, the results reveal that:

• "Americans oppose using abortion as a means of derailing health care reform and oppose using health care reform as a means of expanding or restricting abortion;" and


• "Americans want maternity care as part of the basic benefit package offered under health care reform and want to make sure that women can access their medical care in those communities."

For extensive information about the health care debate and what's at stake for women, see womenandhealthcarereform.org, a joint project of the Reproductive Rights Action Circle of the Women Donors Network and the Communications Consortium Media Center.

To find out more about the Ms. Foundation for Women's two rapid response grants to bolster women's organizing for equitable health care in the final stretches of the reform debate, check out our recent posting: Ms. Foundation Grants Support Women's Health Care Reform Justice.

Ms. Foundation Grants Support Women's Health Care Reform Justice

The Ms. Foundation is pleased to announce two rapid response grants to bolster women's organizing for equitable health care in the final stretches of the reform debate. Raising Women's Voices (RWV), a Ms. Foundation grantee since early 2008, will work to strengthen the capacity of its vast grassroots network to advocate before legislators in key states and mobilize more women in the fight for reform. The Women of Color United for Health Reform (led by National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, and Black Women's Health Imperative), will use this new support to amplify the priorities of women and communities of color among key members of Congress. RWV and Women of Color United will work hand in hand to coordinate their advocacy efforts inside the Beltway and beyond.

Visit the Raising Women's Voices website for analysis and to find out what you can do to support just and equitable health care reform.

Also, check out the terrific new site, Women and Health Care Reform, for extensive information about the health care debate and what's at stake for women.

Announcing the Winners of our Katrina Anniversary Contest!

We challenged our outrageous activists to recruit members of the Ms. Foundation Outrageous Activists Cause on Facebook to recognize the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the DVD release of the Academy Award-nominated documentary TROUBLE THE WATER. We are pleased to announce the five winners of the DVD and to celebrate the top recruiter, Brenda Dardar Robichaux of Louisiana.

Ms. Robichaux is an outrageous activist of the best kind. Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Robichaux, a Ms. Foundation grantee, the Principal Chief of the United Houma Nation and founder of the United Houma Nation Relief Fund, quickly mobilized to meet the immediate needs of the Houma Nation. She established training in non-traditional jobs for women and leadership programming for girls. The Ms. Foundation for Women recognized her with a Woman of Vision Award in 2008 (see video and read a profile).

We thank the top recruiters below and invite all to join our Outrageous Activists Facebook Cause.

Brenda Dardar Robichaux
Sewall Whittemore
Lisa Connolly
Nancy Legato
Bobbi Zahra

TROUBLE THE WATER tells the story of Hurricane Katrina through the remarkable eyes and experience of Kimberly and Scott Roberts, “two unforgettable people who survive the storm and then seize a chance for a new beginning.” The film, whose New Orleans premiere was supported by the Ms. Foundation, reveals the courage, strength and wisdom of people who were directly affected by the storms and reminds us of the continuing need for recovery and rebuilding.

Buy the DVD
Order the DVD online from Zeitgeist Films.

Grassroots Women's Voices Rally for Health Care Reform in NYC

Congratulations to Ms. Foundation grantee Raising Women's Voices on a successful rally in New York City for just and inclusive health care reform! RWV organized the Women's Walk for Health Reform, which drew attention from the New York Times and brought together 14 NYC-based organizations, including another Ms. grantee, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, to advocate for women's access to quality, affordable health care. RWV's Women's Walk was part of a joint rally, attended by anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 people including representatives of over 75 groups. The entire event was organized by NYC for Change, Health Care for America Now and Organizing for America.

According to Raising Women's Voices, the rally represented "a wide array of health reform supporters -- from unions to physicians to low-income people and even Upper West Side baby boomers -- [who] walked to Times Square from hospitals all across the city."

Read the Raising Women's Voices blog for more on the rally and watch a New York Times slide show of the event.

Raising Women's Voices is hosting or participating in a number of other events, rallies and town halls across the U.S. Join in and add your voice if you can!

Photographs: Diane Greene Lent

Win a Trouble the Water DVD

TROUBLE THE WATER tells the story of Hurricane Katrina through the remarkable eyes and experience of Kimberly and Scott Roberts, ...two unforgettable people who survive the storm and then seize a chance for a new beginning.“ The film, whose New Orleans premiere was supported by the Ms. Foundation, reveals the courage, strength and wisdom of people who were directly affected by the storms and reminds us of the continuing need for recovery and rebuilding.

So be an outrageous activist. Recruit your friends. Watch TROUBLE THE WATER. And help the Ms. Foundation expand our reach and support for grassroots activists working to promote real recovery for women, families and communities on the Gulf Coast.

What You Can Do:

Recruit Outrageous Activists to Our Facebook Cause
Win a TROUBLE THE WATER DVD

Invite your friends and encourage them to invite theirs. The top five recruiters will win a DVD.

Buy the DVD
To guarantee that you get a copy of this celebrated movie, preorder the DVD online from Zeitgeist Films. They offer a 25% discount.

Be an Outrageous Activist Recruit Friends, Remember Hurricane Katrina and Win DVD of Academy Award-Nominated TROUBLE THE WATER

Join us in marking the upcoming 4th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Recruit your friends to join the Ms. Foundation Outrageous Acts Facebook Cause and be eligible to win a soon-to-be released DVD of the documentary TROUBLE THE WATER!

TROUBLE THE WATER tells the story of Hurricane Katrina through the remarkable eyes and experience of Kimberly and Scott Roberts, ...two unforgettable people who survive the storm and then seize a chance for a new beginning.“ This Ms. Foundation grantee project reveals the courage, strength and wisdom of people who were directly affected by the storms and reminds us of the continuing need for recovery and rebuilding.

Help Us Reach 1,000 Members by August 25

TROUBLE THE WATER hits stores August 25. That means there are under two weeks to help the Outrageous Acts Cause reach 1,000 members! The five Outrageous Activists (members of the Outrageous Acts Cause) who recruit the most new members between August 11, 2009 and August 25, 2009 will each receive a DVD copy of TROUBLE THE WATER.

So be an outrageous activist. Recruit your friends. Watch TROUBLE THE WATER. And help the Ms. Foundation expand our reach and support for grassroots activists working to promote real recovery for women, families and communities on the Gulf Coast.

Here's how you can join us.

What You Can Do:

Recruit Outrageous Activists to Our Cause
Win a TROUBLE THE WATER DVD Invite your friends and encourage them to invite theirs.

Buy the DVD
To guarantee that you get a copy of this celebrated movie, preorder the DVD online from Zeitgeist Films. They offer a 25% discount.

Visit the Trouble the Water site, sign up for email updates, take action.
"...It's not about the hurricane. It's about America."

Become a fan of Trouble the Water
Learn more about the action and commitment the film has inspired and join in.

Ms. Foundation Celebrates Sotomayor Confirmation

The Ms. Foundation for Women celebrates the historic confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor as the next Associate Justice on the Supreme Court, truly a defining moment for the nation. In particular, we commend the leadership of both President Obama and the U.S. Senate in increasing the diversity of our nation’s highest court. We believe that Judge Sotomayor’s life story, her deep involvement in her community, and her strong commitment to public service will inspire countless young women of color across the country to fulfill their aspirations and reach their dreams.

Sara K. Gould
President & CEO

Outrageous Act: Be an Online Outrageous Activist

Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, deputy director of Ms. Foundation grantee the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health asks you to sign up for NLIRH’s e-alerts and become an online activist.

You can also learn how to join NLIRH’s campaign to repeal the Hyde Amendment, which has banned federal funding for abortions for over 30 years, and has been at risk of being cemented and expandedby conservatives in recent health care reform debates. (See our recent blog posting and this AP story on the issue.)

NLIRH

Another Kentucky is Possible - Kentucky Social Forum to Launch This Week

Ms. Foundation grantee Kentucky Jobs With Justice is the anchor organization for the first Kentucky Social Forum, taking place this weekend at Berea College 31 July - 2 August. Several other Ms. Foundation grantees, including Women in Transition, the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign and Project South will be participating as well. The Forum, a gathering of social justice organizations modeled after the U.S. Social Forum and the World Social Forum, is bringing activists together across issues, from across the state with the following objectives in mind:

• To continue building a progressive movement in Kentucky by educating folks about numerous social justice issues using a human rights framework.
• To bring together folks from rural and urban parts of our state to fight for our basic human rights more collectively.
• To create strong, grassroots coalitions across the expanse of Kentucky.
• To become more educated about such issues as: housing, hunger, homelessness, poverty, environmental justice, workers’ rights, youth advocacy and organizing, mountaintop removal, reproductive justice, immigrant rights, queer advocacy and organizing, media justice, non-partisan political mobilizing, economic justice...

Through workshops, a poetry slam and other events, organizers of the Forum hope to "develop viable communications networks, clear outreach strategies...[and to use] arts and culture, providing a space for spirituality, healing and more!"

We wish the participants a productive gathering and share an action opportunity from Kentucky Jobs With Justice on our Outrageous Acts site.

Support the Employee Free Choice Act

Ms. Foundation grantee Kentucky Jobs with Justice asks you to sign a petition in support of the Employee Free Choice Act. According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research [pdf]:

Unionization raised women's wages by 11.2 percent "about $2.00 per hour" compared to non-union women with similar characteristics. Among women workers, those in unions were about 19 percentage points more likely to have employer-provided health insurance and about 25 percentage points more likely to have an employer-provided pension.

Kentucky Jobs with Justice has committed the outrageous act of organizing the Kentucky Social Forum to take place late this week.

Minimum-Wage Hike: Cause for Celebration?

This Friday, the federal minimum-wage increase--from $6.55 to $7.25--goes into effect. Is this cause for celebration? Especially for women, who make up the majority of minimum- and below-minimum-wage workers? Holly Sklar, senior policy adviser for the Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign, co-author of the report "Raise the Minimum Wage to $10 in 2010" and with Susan Wefald, Ms. Foundation executive vice president and COO, the book, Raise The Floor: Wages and Policies That Work For All Of Us, had this to say:

The minimum wage is stuck in the 1950s. With the raise to $7.25, the minimum wage is still lower than the 1956 minimum wage of $7.93 in today's dollars. It would take $9.92 today to match the buying power of the minimum wage at its peak in 1968, the year Martin Luther King died fighting for living wages for sanitation workers--and all workers.

The long-term fall in worker buying power is one reason we are in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. In advocating passage of the federal minimum wage during the Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt called it "an essential part of economic recovery."

And so it is today. The minimum wage sets the wage floor. We can't build a strong economy with poverty wages and rising greed. In 1968, the richest 1 percent of Americans had 11 percent of national income. By 2006, they had 23 percent--the highest share since 1928, right before the Great Depression.

It's obscene that underpaid workers and responsible businesses are bailing out banks and corporations run by reckless overpaid bosses who milked their companies and our country like cash cows--and trashed the global economy. If the minimum wage had stayed above the nearly $10 value it had in 1968, it would have put upward pressure--rather than downward pressure--on the average worker wage. The Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign is calling for a minimum wage of $10 in 2010. It's time to break the cycle of too little, too late raises. A job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it.

Guest Voice: Outsourcing Immigration Enforcement Threatens Communities

Today we share a commentary by Ms. Foundation friend Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center. In "Obama's Expansion of Bush-Era Immigration Tactics Endanger Us All," Hincapié calls attention to a worrisome July 10 announcement by the Obama administration that it would expand a Bush-era agreement to use local police officers in the enforcement of immigration law. This must be a call to hold decision-makers accountable to policies of justice and inclusion and to prepare for numerous challenges as Congress returns to immigration reform.

In her New America Media commentary, Hincapié writes:

Some would argue that these minor, cosmetic changes with the 287(g) program are evidence of the Obama administration’s effort to create the political space for comprehensive immigration reform. Putting the burden of immigration enforcement on overtaxed, under-funded, and untrained local law enforcement is unacceptable. The bottom line is that with or without immigration reform, giving local law enforcement agencies the authority to enforce immigration laws is foolhardy and costly.

Outsourcing immigration responsibilities to local law enforcement only makes communities more dangerous by marginalizing our most vulnerable members of society. The destruction of families, the criminalization of immigrants and people of color, and a growing distrust in a police force that needs community support to keep us safe are the wrong way to go. It’s time for President Obama to stop following in Bush’s failed footsteps, leave behind senseless immigration enforcement policies by suspending programs like 287(g), and lead the country toward achieving broad and humane immigration reform. Read full commentary

Ms. Foundation President Joins Discussions on Women Immigrants

Last week, Ms. Foundation President & CEO Sara K. Gould moderated a discussion among leading immigrants' rights advocates--including current and former grantees--and ethnic media exploring the growing number and changing role of women immigrants in the U.S. and the ramifications for immigration reform. Ms. Gould also participated on a similar panel at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. in May. The sessions accompanied the release of "Women Immigrants: Stewards of the 21st Century Family," a poll published by New American Media.

[Photo: New American Media. From Left: Silvia Henriquez, Executive Director, Ms. Foundation grantee National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health; Sara K. Gould, President and CEO, Ms. Foundation for Women at poll announcement at the National Press Club.]

Health Care Reform Updates from Raising Women's Voices

We wanted to share some helpful updates--some of which deserve applause, or at least a sigh of relief, and some a frightening "gulp"--from the blog of Raising Women's Voices, a Ms. Foundation grantee that's closely involved in and following developments of the heated health care debate:

Kucinich proposes single-payer amendment
Dennis Kucinich proposed an amendment in the House of Representatives committee on Education and Labor last Friday that would make states able to set up single-payer systems independent of the federal government. His amendment passed in committee, so it may end up in the conglomerate health care bill at the end of the line.

Successes for comprehensive sex education in the House Energy and Commerce Committee
Last night there were amendments to the Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 proposed and subsequently shot down by the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House of Representatives. These amendments would have expanded abstinence only education programs among other things.

The issue of abortion in health reform
This article from the New York Times gives an updated look into what the White House is saying about abortion coverage in health care plans in reform. Even though federal funds are explicitly excluded from funding non-rape, non-incest abortions for recipients of Medicaid, Republicans are worried about federal funds going toward abortions. This could potentially be the case, if subsidies given by the government to women of low income are used for abortion care.

Some of the quotes from the article are painfully out of date, with quotes from Kathleen Sebelius from April that are actually just wrong. She is quoted in the article as saying that most health insurance plans don’t cover abortion services. This isn’t true, and the Guttmacher Institute has found that about 89% of private insurance plans cover abortion care.

In other news...
RH Reality Check outlines the amendments put forward by Steve Buyer (R-IN) proposing higher premiums for those who engage in unprotected sex. Wow. Check out this other article ["Women's Concerns Often Missing in Health Care Debate"] from the AFL-CIO website that cites our own Amy Allina from the National Women’s Health Network, and this article that makes the case for including immigrants in health care reform.

Read more updates and continue to follow the health care reform debate on the Raising Women's Voices blog!

Outrageous Act: Be a Court Watcher

Court watchers make an enormous difference in domestic violence and sexual
assault cases. Become a court watcher in your community.

For more information on becoming an outrageous activist as a court watcher,
see Legal Momentum or Court Watching.

Ms. Foundation Grantees in the News - Congressional Edition

Two Ms. Foundation grantees are in the news with testimony and advocacy to Congress on Veterans' Affairs and Health Care.

Anuradha Bhagwati, Executive Director of Ms. Foundation grantee Service Women's Action Network, testified before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs on the challenges faced by women in accessing health care and benefits, and in the processing of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) claims.

The Veterans' Administration routinely rejects claims for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Military Sexual Trauma (MST), regardless of the evidence a veteran submits.

Bhagwati's prepared testimony concluded with the following call for change:

Recommendations to Bridge the Gaps in Care for Women Veterans:

1. Require that the VA remedy the shortage of female physicians, female mental health providers and MST counselors at VA hospitals nationwide. Also require that the VA provide the option of female-only counseling groups for female combat veterans, and female- as well as male-only counseling groups for female and male survivors of MST.


2. Require the VA to implement a program to train, educate, and certify all staff, including administrative and medical, in federal Equal Opportunity regulations and MST, to reduce a discriminatory and hostile atmosphere toward women veterans.


3. Require the VA to increase accessibility of fee-based care for veterans (both male and female) who have been diagnosed with Military Sexual Trauma.


4. Require day-care facilities for veterans who are parents, as well as more flexible evening or weekend hours for working veterans and parents, at every VA hospital.


5. Require the VA to conduct a study into what percentage of claims are denied with a breakdown by gender as well as type of injury/condition, including both combat-related PTSD, and PTSD or other conditions resulting from MST.


6. Require that VBA claims officers undergo intensive training and education in MST and MST-related medical conditions.


7. Require that the VBA’s submission requirements for MST claims reflect a reasonable standard, such as proof of MST counseling during or after service, and diagnosis of MST-related medical conditions.


8. Require the DOD to conduct a retention study to determine the total impact of MST on re-enlistment rates of servicemembers.

Ms. Foundation grantee Raising Women's Voices is working to engage a broad array of women's health advocates in local, state and national health reform discussions to ensure that women's concerns will be addressed and the health care we get will be health care for all. They are cited for their mobilization in a Newsweek article about the negotiations on the subject of abortion and health care reform between Senators Grassley and Baucus. (See Raising Women's Voices and others in our earlier post Reproductive Health: Once Again, Ripe for Conservative Compromise.)

Ms. Foundation and National Women and AIDS Collective Submit Recommendations to Office of National AIDS Policy

This month, fourteen U.S. organizations working on issues related to human rights, women and HIV/AIDS, including the Ms. Foundation for Women and the National Women and AIDS Collective (NWAC), a project housed at the Ms. Foundation, submitted a series of policy recommendations to guide the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) and related agencies in their efforts to achieve better outcomes for women living with and affected by HIV.

Since 1996, the Ms. Foundation has been supporting HIV positive women at the grassroots level to advocate for policies that address their unique and often unment needs. Desiree Flores, Ms. Foundation Program Officer, says, "These advocates have done crucial work in their communities, and we're especially proud of the role they are now playing in bringing these local experiences to bear on policy advocacy at the national level. As they often say, 'If you want to end AIDS now, ask a woman how.'"

Let's hope this administration is all ears.

The policy recommendations are part of a newly released report, Critical Issues for Women and HIV: Health Policy and the Development of a National AIDS Strategy [pdf], which calls attention to the factors contributing to disproportionate rates of HIV among low-income women and women of color, as well as poor health outcomes for women living with HIV, and proposes concrete solutions that integrate prevention and delivery of care. The group identified six key areas of focus for better policy and practices:

• Meaningful involvement by HIV-positive women in development of policy and monitoring and evaluation of programs;


• Greater consideration of HIV-positive people’s civil and human rights;


• Health disparities in the U.S. South and rural areas;


• Health care access;


• Integration of sexual and reproductive health services with HIV testing, prevention and care; and


• HIV prevention.

“Involving the expertise of HIV-positive people and those working on the frontlines of service delivery is critical to improve prevention and care outcomes for communities impacted by HIV. We must use a human rights framework as we reform health policy and develop a National AIDS Strategy that will truly reduce HIV incidence and increase access to care for women,” said Naina Khanna, a member of the NWAC leadership team and recipient of a 2009 Ms. Foundation Woman of Vision Award. Naina Khanna is Coordinator of the U.S. Positive Women's Network and Director of Policy and Community Organizing at Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Disease (WORLD), a Ms. Foundation grantee.

In addition to the Ms. Foundation and NWAC, the report signers include several current and former Ms. Foundation grantees: African Services Committee, New York, NY; HIV Law Project, New York, NY; Sisterhood Mobilized for AIDS/HIV Research and Treatment (SMART), New York, NY; the U.S. Positive Women's Network, a project of WORLD, Oakland, CA; and The Women's Collective, Washington, DC.

Representatives from the fourteen organizations plan to meet with Jeff Crowley, Director of ONAP, and other key White House officials in the upcoming months to discuss their recommendations and the development of a national AIDS strategy. In fact, NWAC representatives have already had initial meetings with Mr. Crowley to provide him with concrete, tangible recommendations for including women as a priority population for outreach.

Download Critical Issues for Women and HIV: Health Policy and the Development of a National AIDS Strategy [pdf]

Outrageous Act: Check Local Safety Standards for In-Home Daycare

Donna Wade, executive director of Ms. Foundation grantee the Idaho Women’s Network in Boise, suggests you check if local in-home daycare operates with minimum safety standards. If not, get active with local organizations, town councils and legislators.

For more information on becoming an outrageous activist, see the Idaho Women’s Network and its Activist Toolkit.

Collapsing 'Universe' in Health 'Reform'

Framed as yet another "wedge issue," and superfluous to true health care reform, immigrants' rights joins reproductive justice on the Congressional chopping block. Excuse us, but what ever happened to the term universal?

Deepak Bhargava, executive director of the Center for Community Change, shares his thoughts on the matter in the Huffington Post:

All of the plans getting serious consideration in Congress would exclude undocumented immigrants. Many proposals would even bar access to community health centers and emergency rooms -- a historic shift from America's humanitarian tradition that in an emergency no one should be turned away. Some proposals would exclude legal resident immigrants who have been in the United States for less than five years. Unless the debate takes a different turn, millions of immigrants will be left out of the system.

We should not enshrine discriminatory principles into a new health care system. A "universal" health care program that leaves out millions of Americans is a fraud. Just as we stand up for other core principles in the health care debate -- quality, affordability, a strong public plan -- we need to stand up for immigrant coverage as an essential component of just and effective health care reform. Read more

Reproductive Health: Once Again, Ripe for Conservative Compromise

With the health care reform debate in full swing, it's become frighteningly clear that key elements of reproductive health care are in danger of being barred from whatever package emerges from Congress. The National Women's Law Center, a Ms. Foundation grantee, today wrote, "Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee are demanding the introduction of health care reform language that will strip women's access to abortion." And it's not just Republicans. As Time Magazine reports, a group of conservative House Democrats sent a letter at the end of June to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stating that they "cannot support any health-care-reform proposal unless it explicitly excludes abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health-insurance plan."

Anti-choice demands from both sides of the aisle would have dangerous implications for women--and their families, and their communities. They would further cement the deeply discriminatory Hyde Amendment, which since 1976, has prohibited the use of federal funds to cover abortion, with an overwhelming impact on low-income women and women of color. They could also prohibit coverage of abortion for millions of women who are now guaranteed it by their private health insurance.

So, once again, women's health and human rights are framed as a "wedge issue" and as such, considered ripe for compromise. And it isn't just women, of course. As Raising Women's Voices, another Ms. Foundation grantee at the forefront of the health care debate, writes, "If conservatives get their way on health reform, we will soon have quality, affordable health care for all --- except for women, terminally ill patients, gays and lesbians, people with HIV and anybody else conservatives don't like!" And let's not forget that women's health is intimately connected to the health and economic well-being of children, families and communities. Nobody can afford to let this pass.

The Senate Finance Committee is meeting this week. Take action by contacting your senator at help_comments@help.senate.gov if s/he is on the Committee (find out here) and urge her/him to refuse such politically-motivated exclusions and ensure access to comprehensive reproductive health services for all women.

‘Hurricane Season’ Run in New York City Begins 10 July

Be an outrageous activist! See the acclaimed The Hurricane Season: The Hidden Messages in Water, and be inspired and informed to take action for simple justice in your community.Alixa and Naima, the creators of Ms. Foundation grantee Climbing PoeTree, hope “everyone who attends, walks away from Hurricane Season impassioned and empowered, with tools to put their highest visions and most daring dreams into practice.” They use a variety of methods to move participants to action including: a “solutions-cipher” a forum after each performance that “addresses the impacts of the issues surfaced in Hurricane Season on a locallevel, and illuminates solutions already underway.”

New York City performances of “The Hurricane Season” start on Friday 10 July
and run through Sunday 2 August.

“Hurricane Season pounds with intensity and fierceness and love. Naima and Alixa are truly forces of nature, delivering a performance that will move you to tears and to action.”

—-Tia Lessin & Carl Deal, Directors of Academy Award-nominated “Trouble the Water,” Producers of “Fahrenheit 9-11”

Hurricane Season at the The National Black Theatre
10 July — 2 August, Fridays and Saturdays @ 7:30 pm, and Sundays @ 4:00 pm
Admission: $15-35
Information/tickets 212.722.3800 or Purchase tickets online.

If you commit an outrageous act for simple justice inspired by Hurricane
Season, please share it!

Alixa and Naima on Hurricane Season, the issues it addresses, and the
outrageous activists it inspires.

Outrageous Act: Find and Support LGBT Queer Youth

At the end of LGBT Pride Month we share Paul’s request that you find LGBT
youth in your community and support them.

For more information, see Ms. Foundation grantee FIERCE in New York City.

New York Times Editorial: Pass the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights

An editorial in today's New York Times calls on Albany, which "has not been able to govern its way out of a paper bag" to "bestow some fundamental rights and protections on the invisible workers whose labors are a cornerstone of the New York economy."

Bringing domestic workers up to parity with employees in other industries is the just, responsible and long-overdue action for New York State. See our recent postings from the Ms. Foundation’s Outrageous Acts campaign and learn how to contact your legislators to ask that they vote in favor of the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights, legislation that was drafted by our grantee, Domestic Workers United. There is currently a tremendous opportunity for victory: If New York State lawmakers can put aside their differences in time to pass the bill, Governor Patterson has pledged to sign it into law. The full text of the Times editorial follows.

The Rights of Domestic Workers
New York Times Editorial
June 15, 2009

There are more than 200,000 workplaces in New York State where fundamental labor standards do not apply, not even in theory. These are not sweatshops or salt mines. They are private homes, where housekeepers, nannies and caregivers for the elderly do work as important as it is isolated and unprotected.

The exclusion is a relic of the New Deal, when labor protections like overtime pay were written specifically to exclude domestic and farm labor. From exclusion it can be a short distance to abuse: to long hours, low pay, dehumanizing treatment, physical and sexual harassment.

Domestic workers and their advocates in New York have been pressing for reforms. They have been telling their stories in Albany and across the state and steadily gathering support for a Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights. The legislation, the first of its kind in the nation, would reform state labor law to provide basic protections like time-and-a-half pay for every hour over a 40-hour week; one day off a week; paid vacation and sick days; severance pay and health coverage — and a means of enforcing these standards in court.

Most other workers take these standards for granted. They don’t know what it’s like to have to show up for work sick rather than be fired, to be denied privacy and dignity, to be powerless to demand decent treatment from their employers.

Backers of the bill had been confident that this could finally be the year for a groundbreaking victory, at least before the recent power struggle brought the Capitol to new depths of shame, ridicule and paralysis.

If the Legislature decides to return to its senses and start passing meaningful legislation that improves New Yorkers’ lives, it should include the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights. Albany, which has not been able to govern its way out of a paper bag, should at least be able to bestow some fundamental rights and protections on the invisible workers whose labors are a cornerstone of the New York economy.

New York Times Editorial: Pass the Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights

An editorial in today’s New York Times calls on Albany, which “has not been able to govern its way out of a paper bag” to “bestow some fundamental rights and protections on the invisible workers whose labors are a cornerstone of the New York economy.”

Bringing domestic workers up to parity with employees in other industries is not outrageous, it is the just, responsible and long-overdue action for New York State.

See our recent postings and learn how to contact your legislators to ask that they vote in favor of the Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights, legislation that was drafted by our grantee, Domestic Workers United. There is currently a tremendous opportunity for victory: If New York State lawmakers can put aside their differences in time to pass the bill, Governor Patterson has pledged to sign it into law.

The full text of the Times editorial follows.

The Rights of
Domestic Workers
New York Times Editorial
June 15, 2009

There are more than 200,000 workplaces in New York State where fundamental labor standards do not apply, not even in theory. These are not sweatshops or salt mines. They are private homes, where housekeepers, nannies and caregivers for the elderly do work as important as it is isolated and unprotected.

The exclusion is a relic of the New Deal, when labor protections like overtime pay were written specifically to exclude domestic and farm labor. From exclusion it can be a short distance to abuse: to long hours, low pay, dehumanizing treatment, physical and sexual harassment.

Domestic workers and their advocates in New York have been pressing for reforms. They have been telling their stories in Albany and across the state and steadily gathering support for a Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights. The legislation, the first of its kind in the nation, would reform state labor law to provide basic protections like time-and-a-half pay for every hour over a 40-hour week; one day off a week; paid vacation and sick days; severance pay and health coverage” and a means of enforcing these standards in court.

Most other workers take these standards for granted. They don't know what it's like to have to show up for work sick rather than be fired, to be denied privacy and dignity, to be powerless to demand decent treatment from their employers.

Backers of the bill had been confident that this could finally be the year for a groundbreaking victory, at least before the recent power struggle brought the Capitol to new depths of shame, ridicule and paralysis.

If the Legislature decides to return to its senses and start passing meaningful legislation that improves New Yorkers' lives, it should include the Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights. Albany, which has not been able to govern its way out of a paper bag, should at least be able to bestow some fundamental rights and protections on the invisible workers whose labors are a cornerstone of the New York economy.

Join Governor Patterson -- Show Your Support for Domestic Workers

On the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC in New York City this morning, Governor David Patterson expressed his willingness to sign the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. He said:

If you read back in the 1930s, the reason that these workers and farmworkers did not receive equal benefits is because the southern Senators wouldn’t vote for it. It really began with the racism of the mid 20th century. Clearly in the law these workers deserve equal rights and if they are able to pass the Bill or if they are able to get the legislature to even come back, I will sign it.

Show Your Support
To show the legislature that you would also sign the bill, take part in the 24-hour vigil at New York City Hall (starting tomorrow Friday 12 June at 8:00 am) or the March at City Hall (Sunday 14 June at 1:00 pm). Activity details.

More information on the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights is available in the radio interviews below, our previous post and from Domestic Workers United.

Radio Interviews
Brian Lehrer interview with Keith Wright (D-70th) sponsor in the New York State Assembly of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, Ai-Jen Poo, lead organizer with Domestic Workers United, working nanny Barbara Young, and Donna Schneiderman, co-chair of Jews for Racial & Economic Justice’s “Shalom Bayit” campaign at DWU.

Brian Lehrer interview with Governor David Patterson on the shake up in the State Senate and what to expect in the waning days of the legislative session (includes his expression of support for Domestic Workers Bill of Rights).

Support the New York State Domestic Workers Bill of Rights

Act now. With only two weeks left in the New York State legislative session, now is the time to tell your Assembly and Senate representatives and their leadership to support the New York State Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. With the economic crisis causing widespread job loss and pay cuts it is even more important that the 200,000 domestic workers in New York — mostly immigrants and women of color — who are excluded from most labor protections and safety nets are given a fair chance to support themselves and their families.

Take action to help make the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights the law in New York.

Today: Write Your New York State Representatives

[1] Find Your Assembly Member and Senator
Assembly: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/
Senate: http://www.nysenate.gov/

[2] Send Them a Message

Dear Assembly Member [ ] or Senator [ ]

I endorse the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights because domestic workers are entitled to a healthy and safe workplace, dignity and respect, and protection from exploitation and abuse. Protecting domestic workers ensures healthy workers and quality of life in the homes and families they care for, and for domestic workers’ own families.

There are over 200,000 domestic workers (nannies, elderly companions, housekeepers) in New York. The vast majority are immigrant women of color.

Without the work of domestic workers the economy would grind to a halt. Domestic workers support their families and enable many sectors of professionals to work and have leisure time. Yet, domestic workers are among the most vulnerable workforces, suffering egregious abuses. Domestic workers remain excluded—by law—from almost all labor protections. The Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights would provide recognition as a real workforce and a set of basic protections based on the unique conditions facing domestic workers working in the private home. The bill includes health care, basic benefits and protections, and an end to the previous exclusions from the law.

[3] Send the Same Message to the Assembly and Senate Leadership

Sheldon Silver, Speaker, New York State Assembly
Email: Speaker@assembly.state.ny.us
Web site contact page

Malcolm A. Smith, Majority Leader, New York State Senate
Email: masmith@senate.state.ny.us
Web site contact page

[4] Do Some More

Share this message with your friends and contacts.
Visit Domestic Workers United for more information.
Come back to this site for more actions you can take.

[Photo: Elizabeth Rappaport]

Attendance Counts: Show Up for Domestic Workers

Attendance counts next week. Show up and take action to make the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights the law in New York State. Go to the State Capitol, fill a shift in a 24-hour vigil at City Hall, march with your family, or attend a public forum. [For more information, see related
post and Domestic Workers United.] See below for how you can be an outrageous activist for domestic workers and RSVP now.

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Visit Albany - Monday June 8, 2009
6:30am - 8:00pm

Domestic Workers Speak Truth to Power in Albany
Join domestic workers for a day of culture, testimony, truth-telling, legislative visits, a rally and march at a critical time in the legislative session.

Buses leave Manhattan 6:30am from Union Square Barnes & Noble - North side of the park
Return by 8:00pm the same day
RSVP: aijendwu@gmail.com or 212-481-5747
[map]

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Join the Vigil at NYC City Hall - Friday-Saturday June 12-13
8:00am - 8:00am

24-Hour Vigil for the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights
Many domestic workers, particularly live-in workers, work around the clock without rest. In solidarity, New Yorkers will stand together for 24 hours straight in a symbolic show of support for the passage of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights to ensure domestic workers receive overtime, job security, basic respect and recognition.

City Hall - across from 250 Broadway
Take the N/R to City Hall, or the 4/5/6 to Brooklyn Bridge
RSVP, and sign up for a shift aijendwu@gmail.com, or 212-481-5747
[map]

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March for Peace and Justice in NYC - Sunday, June 14
1:00pm- 4:00pm

NY Children and Families March for Domestic Workers Rights
Bring your entire family, community and congregation to this Sunday afternoon, after-church, “march for peace and justice in the home” to show how many people of faith support and are connected to domestic workers. Send a strong message to the NY State Legislature and the Governor that we won’t stop until they honor, respect and protect the work that makes all other work possible in New York.

City Hall - across from 250 Broadway
Take the N/R to City Hall, or the 4/5/6 to Brooklyn Bridge
RSVP, particularly with groups, to joycedwu@gmail.com, or 212-481-5747
[map]

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Learn More, Raise Awareness - Monday, June 15
7:00 -9:00pm

National Domestic Workers Alliance Regional Congress Public Forum - Women and Work
Join domestic worker organizers, feminist scholars, activists, legislators, and other allies to raise awareness on how to extend protections to all working women. Featuring a video presentation of women leaders from across the country who are raising their voices to support the work being done on behalf of domestic workers in this country. Video includes Jennifer Baumgardner, activist and author; the Guerilla Girls, artists and activists; Maria Hinojosa, Senior Correspondent of NOW on PBS and NPR’s Latino USA anchor; Katha Pollitt, author and The Nation columnist; Amy Richards, activist and author; Gloria Steinem, activist and Ms. Magazine/Ms. Foundation co-founder; and Jessica Valenti, Feministing.com founder.

Julius Held Auditorium
304 Barnard Hall, Barnard College - Barnard Center for Research on Women
3009 Broadway
New York, NY 10027
[map]

Outrageous Act: Demand Health Service and Materials in English and Spanish

To ensure your health, demand that your doctor’s office provides materials and service in both English and Spanish.

Bibiana Martinez, Community Mobilization Intern, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health

Applied Resource Center Releases 'Race and Recession' Report

The Applied Resource Center has released a compelling report on the economic crisis and its effects on people of color. "Race and Recession: How Inequity Rigged the Economy and How to Change the Rules" uncovers root causes of long-term racial inequities that fed into the economic crisis. It proposes solutions to change a system that threatens future generations.

Their short video introduces the issues addressed and the voices of people affected.



Race and Recession: How Inequity Rigged the Economy and How to Change the Rules
Download the Full Report [pdf]
Download an Executive Summary [pdf]

See also: Women of Color Policy Network Releases Study on Race, Gender, and the Recession: Job Creation and Employment

Recognize an Outrageous Original: Gloria Steinem

As the Ms. Foundation for Women recognizes Gloria Steinem’s 75th birthday on May 21, we ask you to make a contribution in her honor. Help the Ms. Foundation further her legacy of building grassroots action.

Read Gloria’s words (our emphasis added) from her letter to attendees at the Women of Vision Awards:

The Ms. Foundation has grown to a staff of 35 whose President, Sara Gould, is a national pioneer of women’s economic development. It has also grown thanks to the expert help of 15 board members, including men who not only care about wives and daughters, but understand that there is no such thing as democracy without feminism. It has inspired the spread of local women’s funds across this country and in other countries, and earned the support of individuals and foundations by multiplying the human benefits of every dollar given.

Yet Ms. has never sugar-coated the fact that having greatly increased the amount of charitable dollars going to projects for women and girls still leaves this sum at less than ten percent of corporate, foundation and individual giving. Most important, it has never lost its personal link with the diversity of women and girls on the ground who know best what they need, and are infinitely creative about how to achieve it.

I think that, for all of us, this is the best gift: Ms. has kept its spirit, its soul, and its ability to link rather than rank; a rare thing as institutions grow. Ms. has successfully made the journey from a dream with only money enough to last a few months to a reliable, deeply-rooted, transforming source of energy that we can include in our wills and bequests with confidence.

Make a gift to help further Gloria’s legacy.