Attica Woodson Scott, 2011 Ms. Foundation Woman of Vision honoree, and coordinator of Kentucky Jobs with Justice, knows all too well that women in her state are among the hardest hit by our nation's ongoing economic crisis -- a situation made worse by cuts to social services and other policy maneuvers that undermine their ability to recover and survive. In "Spending Cuts and the 'Womencession'," a commentary in Sunday's Lexington Herald-Ledger, Attica draws on findings from a recent national poll commissioned by the Ms. Foundation to bolster her case that many women and children in Kentucky are facing tremendous economic insecurity and injustice. She writes:
Why do so many people in Kentucky seem to be suffering even more today than at the height of the recession?
Today, 814,000 Kentuckians participate in the federal food stamp program; more than 1,000 homes face foreclosure in our state every month; and 576,500 Kentuckians lack health insurance.
A new national poll for the Ms. Foundation for Women confirms what has been clear for some time to Kentucky residents: The so-called economic recovery is taking place far from our doorsteps, with women and children increasingly paying the heaviest price.
Government cutbacks at the federal, state and local levels have had a particularly severe impact on women and children. Women across all groups are suffering, but for low-income women the situation has gone from bad to worse.
Since the 112th Congress convened in January, progressives have watched as the issues we care deeply about -- health care reform, immigrants' rights, reproductive justice, and workers' rights -- have come under attack from the new majority in the House, and in many statehouses across the country. This new reality leaves many of us profoundly concerned for our collective future, and wondering: what can be done to protect and promote social justice in an increasingly conservative environment? What strategies can social justice organizations best use to beat back the rising conservative tide?
To being to answer these questions, in early 2011 the Ms. Foundation brought together two grantees, Sarita Gupta of our National Jobs with Justice and Attica Woodson Scott of Kentucky Jobs with Justice, for a conversation about the future of progressive organizing. Their wide-ranging discussion addressed how the more conservative political landscape was affecting their own organizing -- as well as how it it affects the lives of the women, workers and families they represent.
We were pleased to be able to provide a special opportunity for Sarita and Attica -- who, because of their lives as organizers, rarely have time to connect at length -- to come together for an extended conversation in this way. And the powerful ideas that their dialogue produced underscore just how important it is that we connect the wisdom and power of both grassroots and national organizing in advocacy for social change.
In this first in a series of excerpts from their conversation, Sarita and Attica discuss KJwJ's recent victory in defeating harsh anti-immigrant legislation in the Bluegrass State -- and how legislating hate harms us all.
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.
