Sara K. Gould in Discussions About Immigration and Women

As discussions about immigration reform, health care reform and the economy dominate conversations in Congress and legislative halls nationwide, we're thrilled to have opportunities to join leading grassroots and national policy experts to discuss the current reality faced by immigrant women and their families and the policy and organizing solutions that are most needed to ensure human rights and social justice for immigrants throughout the U.S.

On Thursday 14 May 2009, Sara K. Gould, President & CEO of the Ms. Foundation and Sylvia Henriquez, Executive Director of Foundation grantee the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) appeared on the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC in New York City. The radio session followed their appearance at the release of a new poll on women immigrants conducted by New America Media. On the panel, at the National Press Club, in Washington, D.C., Sara and Sylvia were joined by: Olga Vives, Executive Vice President of the National Organization for Women; Karen Narasaki, President and Executive Director of the Asian American Justice Center; and Angela Kelly, Vice President for Immigration Policy at the Center for American Progress.

(Download the complete poll Women Immigrants: Stewards of the 21st Century [pdf]. Learn more about the poll, including an audio commentary by Sandy Close and Richard Rodriguez.)

Listen to or download the Brian Lehrer Show appearance

Download mp3 recording.

Outrageous Act: Tell Your Legislators to End Funding for Abstinence-Only Programs

Advocates for Youth, a Ms. Foundation grantee, is calling for support of President Obama’s budget eliminating abstinence-only-until-marriage education programs. They ask you to write to your Representative in the U.S. House and your U.S. Senators urging their support for the funding elimination. Ask your representatives to support the elimination of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.

Outrageous Act: Football Hall-of-Famer and Feminist

Don McPherson says that being a black man, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, a member of the Ms. Foundation Board of Directors and a feminist always leads to an outrageous conversation.

Sara K. Gould and Dusti Gurule of Ms. Grantee Latina Initiative Honored by Women's eNews

We are thrilled that Sara K. Gould, Ms. Foundation for Women president and CEO, and Dusti Gurule of Ms. Foundation grantee Latina Initiative will each be honored with a 21 Leaders for the 21st Century Award by Women's eNews at their annual gala this evening.

In "Activator with Leverage," Women's eNews celebrates Sara K. Gould's pioneering contributions to the field of women's economic development, her critical stewardship of the Ms. Foundation and her passion for "making connections to build larger constituencies...that can hold our new government and president accountable to the vision he put out."

In "Grower of Latina Power," Women's eNews recognizes Dusti Gurule's trailblazing efforts to build the grassroots political power of Latinas in Colorado. Her organization, Latina Initiative, and Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR) have teamed up to run "Latinas Increasing Political Strength" (LIPS), a collaboration funded by the Ms. Foundation that "engages young Latinas in Denver in community action and civic participation." Latina Initiative's advocacy was key to last year's defeat of Colorado's Amendment 46, a regressive initiative that would have seriously undermined affirmative action and civil rights.

Congratulations Sara and Dusti, and thank you for your visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to social justice for all women, families and communities nationwide!

New York City Council Honors Ms. Foundation Co-Founder Gloria Steinem

In a Council session on Thursday, May 6, Members of the New York City Council Women's Caucus presented the following proclamation in honor of Ms. Foundation Co-founder Gloria Steinem and her 75th birthday.

The Council of the City of New York is honored to pay tribute to Gloria Steinem, on the occasion of her 75th birthday, for being vital force in the struggle for the rights of women, and the co-founder of Ms. Magazine, the Ms. Foundation for Women, The Women's Action Alliance, The National Women's Political Caucus, Voters for Choice and the Women's Media Center; and

WHEREAS: Gloria Steinem's great looks and aspirations to tap dance her way out of her native Toledo, Ohio, plus her top-notch journalistic skills, gave her the credibility to go undercover as a Playboy Bunny and expose their poor working conditions and low wages. She followed this with many consistently provocative magazine articles and also shared her signature satirical wit by writing the "surrealism in everyday life" segment for David Frost's TV show, "That Was the Week That Was"; and

WHEREAS: Gloria Steinem became a founding editor of New York Magazine in 1968 and one of our nation's first female political commentators with her column, "The City Politic." Her article "After Black Power, Women's Liberation" earned her the Penny-Missouri Journalism Award; and

WHEREAS: Gloria Steinem collaborated with Bella Abzug, Flo Kennedy, Robin Morgan and countless other feminists for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and the creation of the 1977 National Women's Conference. Even today, Ms. Steinem crisscrosses the country and the globe as a tireless organizer and passionate advocate for equal pay, reproductive rights, feminist political candidates, and organizations that fight domestic violence, pornography, and human trafficking; and

WHEREAS: Ms. Steinem was a backer of Marlo Thomas' "Free to Be You and Me" album, TV special and books. She was also among the first to recognize the brilliance of the future Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker. Ms. Steinem's own best-selling, life-changing books include "Outrageous Acts & Everyday Rebellions" and "Revolution from Within: The Book of Self-Esteem"; and

WHEREAS: A tremendous catalyst for societal change, Ms. Steinem and her consciousness-raising slogans remain as popular and powerful as ever. A few of her sayings include: "If a man could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament;" "A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle;" and "We are becoming the men we wanted to marry." Ms. Steinem will again enlighten us with her forthcoming book, "Road to the Heart: America as if Everyone Mattered"; now, therefore

BE IT KNOWN: That on behalf of all of the Members of the New York City Council Women's Caucus, we honor Gloria Steinem for her extraordinary activism and visionary leadership, and and wishes her the very best on the occasion of her 75th Birthday.

Signed this 6th day of May in the year Two Thousand and Nine.
[signed] CHRISTINE C. QUINN, Speaker For the Entire Council	[signed] GALE A. BREWER Council Member, 6th District Manhattan
[signed] HELEN DIANE FOSTER Council Member, 16th District Bronx
[signed] DIANA REYNA Council Member, 34th District Brooklyn/Queens	[signed] DARLENE MEALY Chair, Women's Issues Committee Council Member, 41st District Brooklyn

Outrageous Act: Help Your Employer Address Domestic Violence

Maya Raghu, a senior staff attorney at Ms. Foundation grantee Legal Momentum asks you to check if your workplace has educated workers about domestic violence. If not, find a local domestic violence organization to offer the needed instruction.

Outrageous Act: Write/Sing a Song for Simple Justice

Grantees at a Ms. Foundation meeting in New Orleans, March 2009, sing original lyrics about outrageous acts to the tune of “Bingo.”

Enjoy.