Social Justice in the Garden: A Huge Success!

On Wednesday, July 28, the Ms. Foundation for Women hosted an exciting event for young professionals in New York City. "Social Justice in the Garden" drew approximately 50 friends and supporters to La Plaza Cultural, a community garden that is one of Manhattan’s hidden treasures. Together, we mixed, mingled and learned that:

• Fierce and powerful advocates like Domestic Workers United can convince Albany to do the right thing -- in July 2010, their multi-year campaign succeeded and they celebrated the passage of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights;
  
  
• "If you can't slap 'em, snap 'em": Hollaback makes it possible to fight street harassment with cell phones, by providing a platform that collects pictures of street harassers in action;
  
  
• Legal Momentum provides security to women at risk of losing their homes because of domestic violence;
  
  
• The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum elevate the voices of women and girls who, all too often, are invisible in political conversations.

The evening concluded with an electric performance by spoken-word duo, Climbing PoeTree.

Thank you to everyone who came out and made the evening engaging and inspiring!

Read here  for information on preserving vital, grassroots-run community gardens like La Plaza Cultural and its peers, which are at risk of losing the legal protections that guard against using the land for development purposes.



If you missed the event, but would like to be added to the growing number of young professionals supporting the Foundation, email Irene Xanthoudakis at IXanthoudakis@Ms.Foundation.org and Join Us on Facebook.

‘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.

“Heart Beat Soul Sister Artist Warrior's" Climbing PoeTree

Alixa and Naima, the self-described “Heart Beat Soul Sister Artist Warrior duo ‘Climbing PoeTree’,” tell how they toured 10,000 miles cross-country in a school bus converted to run on vegetable diesel and how they found a female mechanic to support the Hurricane Season tour.

Limited Time New York Area Opportunity
Ms. Foundation grantee Climbing PoeTree will be performing the New York City premiere of Hurricane Season on Friday May 1, 2009 at 7:30 pm at the Riverside Theater in Harlem. Advance tickets can be purchased online or by telephone from the box office: 212-870-6784.

The Riverside Theater
Located within The Riverside Church, 91 Claremont Ave at
120th Street [Directions].