A Tribute to Sara K. Gould: Katie Grover

Dear Sara:

I've put this off a bit as I so quickly get choked up just thinking about writing this.

First there is the story of your professional trajectory. I remember being at an event twenty-some years ago when Marie introduced you as "the" authority on economic development. So from the very beginning, I respected what you contributed to a discussion. Your expertise in your field of study and your evident empathy and compassion for the lives of women and their families, who are impacted by unjust societal norms and structural policies, have always been impressive. As you became more and more entrenched at the Ms. Foundation, you got to know and understand every part of it.

Becoming the COO, you were a trusted manager and your leadership charted a course for the Foundation to pursue "best practices" around all of its internal operations and to project those best practices beyond our own policies and serve to inspire our grantees and colleagues to follow suit. Then as CEO, you moved to play a more external role, projecting the work of the Foundation, and taking it on the road. Your leadership has been marked by your pursuit of excellence; in your work with the Foundation staff, in our work with grantees, in our ability to collaborate and motivate partners to join our work (or us to join theirs), and in our drive to impact policy on behalf of women, especially women at the intersection of race, class, and gender.

Your great good judgment and personal style have placed the Ms. Foundation at the center of much of the work being done on social justice for women in this country. And your personal warmth, vision, and authenticity have made you a beloved figure in this field.

Now we get to the hard part. Anyone who has been in your orbit, or that of the Foundation's, could have said what I just did. But I, as the immediate past Board Chair, who served in that capacity for five years and as a board member for four years before that, have had the privilege and profound good fortune to have worked very closely with you over a significant period of time.

You've led the Ms. Foundation through many challenges and triumphs over those years. I watched you grow and push yourself to be a better leader. And I am humbled by the knowledge of how much I learned working with you. While I am proud to have been a partner in such a leadership team, I am even prouder to admit that it was not without its difficult moments; moments that we always managed to negotiate with respect, trust, an interest in understanding all sides of an issue, and a deep commitment to moving forward in the best possible way for the Foundation and the work that we feel so strongly about.

And since all of that time was also full with more than its share of laughter (think about the taxi ride at a conference in Salzburg) a lovely friendship was born. We've done what women have done for millennia: supported each other in our work, in our roles as wives, mothers, and daughters, and in our aspirations. I treasure that. And make no mistake...I'm counting on it going forward too!!! So thanks, for all you have given me and all you have made happen in your work at the Ms. Foundation.

Lots of Love and Best Wishes - Katie

Katie Grover, Immediate past Chair of the Board of Trustees

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A Tribute to Sara K. Gould: Kavita N. Ramdas

Well done!

Dearest Sara,

I cannot tell you how much your support and example and leadership have meant to me over the years. We have been friends since I first came to visit you as a Program Associate in 1988, when you were running the Economic Development Institute at the Ms. Foundation. I remember watching the terrible events of Tiananmen Square together in Atlanta at the Institute.

I remember joining the Ms. Collaborative on Women's Economic Development and Self Employment and meeting friends like Peggy Clark and Lisa Mensah. I remember you and me talking about having a baby and your funny antics (headstands, anyone!?). In 1995, you invited me to join the Ms. Foundation delegation to the Beijing Conference -- what a life changing experience and one that took me to the life work that I have pursued for 14 years at the Global Fund for Women.

I watched you lead as a partner and ally of Marie's and I watched you step into the role of CEO with such grace and confidence after Marie stepped down. You never failed to remember that the women you served were the ones we had visited together in public housing, on Lakota reservations, and poor communities in the Mississippi Delta. You built a strong and powerful foundation that was fierce in its pursuit of justice for women in the United States. You stepped in after Katrina devastated lives and made a real difference.

You created a vision and a brand for Ms. that will live on in a million ways. I hope you know how much you have done -- we do!

I have loved every minute of our friendship and as I began to think about my transition -- there you were again to help me review with wisdom and clarity what needed to be done -- what the important pieces of the process required, and how to keep myself together through it all.

You have been sister, ally and dear friend for so many years, I know it will never stop. Saying goodbye to something we love, even when we know we are ready to do so, is never easy -- so here is a poem by Palestinian American poet Naomi Shibab Nye that has helped me through it. It is my gift to you.

Adios

It is a good word, rolling off the tongue
no matter what language you were born with.
Use it. Learn where it begins,
the small alphabet of departure,
how long it takes to think of it,
then say it, then be heard.

Marry it. More than any golden ring
it shines, it shines.
Wear it on every finger
till your hands dance,
touching everything easily,
letting everything, easily, go.

Strap it to your back like wings.
Or a kite tail. The stream of air behind a jet.
If you are known for anything,
let it be the way you rise out of sight
when your work is finished.

Think of things that linger: leaves,
cartons and napkins, the damp smell of mold.

Think of things that disappear.

Think of what you love best,
what brings tears into your eyes.
Something that said adios to you
before you knew what it meant
or how long it was for.

Explain little, the word explains itself.
Later perhaps. Lessons following lessons,
like silence following sound.

– Naomi Shibab Nye

Kavita N. Ramdas, Senior Advisor (President and CEO 1996-2010), Global Fund for Women

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We'll Miss You, Sara! Share Your Own Tribute Online

With a healthy mix of sadness, gratitude and anticipation, we prepare for the departure of our beloved president and CEO, Sara K. Gould, who will leave the Ms. Foundation on November 19 to pursue an exciting new venture.

Please join us in recognizing and honoring Sara's extraordinary leadership by sharing a tribute to her online.

Tributes may take whatever form you choose -- personal remembrances or professional recollections -- to celebrate Sara and her legacy.

Help us thank Sara for her work and passion for the Ms. Foundation and her lifelong commitment to women's and social justice movements.

Submit your tribute. Read them all online.

We will miss you, Sara!

Cruel and Clueless: Conservatives on Vacation

In case you missed it this weekend, take a moment right now to read Paul Krugman's latest column in the New York Times, which looks at the current situation with joblessness in America, and the cruelty -- and "cluelessness" -- implicit in Congress' unwillingness to extend unemployment benefits for the millions who now are living without paychecks.

As Krugman points out, when it comes to alleviating the dire impact the economic crisis has had on millions of Americans, the conservatives have gotten it dead wrong, espousing beliefs that are both heartless and confused. Leaving town, refusing to pass extended unemployment before vacationing -- whether these moves were the result of cynical political calculations or a consequence of being completely out of touch with the terrible reality that millions of Americans now face, conservatives have clearly lost their moral compass.

Krugman cites some simple truths, which most Americans understand intuitively. First, cutting off benefits to the unemployed may make them increasingly desperate for work -- but they can't take jobs that aren't there (at present, there are five unemployed workers for every one job opening in the US economy).

Moreover, in Krugman's estimation, the amount of money these extensions would add to our national debt amounts to what he calls "penny-pinching" relative to the other issues that that have sunk us so far in the hole (see wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to start).

All of this refusal on the part of conservative lawmakers, as most of us can surmise, has a great deal to do with the fact that there's an election season looming in the near future. And many conservatives may be betting that saying "no" to more spending will cast them as the good guys in voters' eyes. But as our recent Community Voices on the Economy poll with the Center for Community Change makes clear, the majority of Americans aren't really thinking about the deficit. They're thinking about how to put food on the table. Our polling [pdf] shows that Americans are less concerned about the federal budget issues than they are about rising health care costs, the lack of jobs with family-sustaining wages, and the affordability of everyday expenses like food and gas.

In other words, if lawmakers are really interested in pandering to voters, they'd be better served by helping them meet their daily needs rather than cutting them off from the only source of support many have left: government aid.

Continuing unemployment insurance is not only good for the economy, it's the right thing to do in a country that has too often been dominated by the "everyone for themselves" ethos (more than 90% of those polled rejected this mentality as being of value today). Clearing up lawmaker confusion about how to effectively treat a strained economy, as Krugman aims to do, is vitally important. But it's also critical that lawmakers and laypeople alike understand how little popular support there is for the hands-off approach conservative lawmakers are peddling. In these times, people both want and need a government that is willing to take a strong hand on the economic front; they want a government that can acknowledge that unemployment has been uneven in its effects (recent statistics put levels at 12.4 percent among African-American women and 10.3 percent for Latinas, but just 7.4% for white women), and that is willing to champion policies that create jobs with decent wages to the benefit of low-income communities.

Across party lines, our poll shows that Americans believe in the government's ability to influence the economy. And what most of us want, though we may differ in the details, is for the government to use that influence to shore up this nation's economic future. Leaving millions of jobless workers out in the cold while lawmakers quibble, and then head out on vacation without a resolution, does nothing to further that cause.

So enough already with the party lines; in the real world, families are at their wits' end. Americans want -- and deserve -- far better than this. It's high time lawmakers started delivering.

Sara K. Gould
President and Chief Executive Officer
Ms. Foundation for Women

Sara K. Gould on the Nomination of Elena Kagan to the US Supreme Court

Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Nominee Elena Kagan. An accomplished attorney and legal scholar, Solicitor General Kagan -– the first woman to ever hold that title –- is a remarkably qualified candidate for the position of Supreme Court Justice. We call on the Judiciary Committee to move the hearings forward in a thorough, productive and fair manner.

Like so many others, we look forward to learning more about Solicitor General Kagan's positions on the issues that matter most in the lives of women: ensuring the health and well-being of their families and communities; protecting their reproductive rights; and upholding a commitment to justice as equally available to all of us, regardless of our gender, race, class or any other factor. The possibility of having three female justices on the Supreme Court, for the first time in our nation's history, is one we greet with great excitement, and we applaud President Obama for taking this unprecedented step.

We wish Solicitor General Kagan all the best throughout the confirmation process, and will be watching closely to see that both the media and the Judiciary Committee treat her with the fairness and respect she so clearly deserves.

Sara K. Gould
President and Chief Executive Officer
Ms. Foundation for Women

Tired Americans Want Government Help

By Deepak Bhargava and Sara K. Gould

The tea party movement insists that a growing majority of Americans want less government and endorse an "everyone for themselves" mentality.

But these tea-party-infused sound bites turn out to have little to do with most Americans' actual beliefs.

A majority of people want government to take a larger and stronger role in making the economy work for average Americans, according to a new nationwide poll conducted by Lake Research Partners for the Center for Community Change and the Ms. Foundation for Women. Roughly 52 percent of respondents agreed with that statement.

This government role could include creating jobs and training programs, helping cut health care costs and combating corporate greed.

These attitudes were particularly pronounced among groups hit hardest by the recession. For example, 66 percent of African-American women and 68 percent of Latinas want government to play a larger role. In April, unemployment reached 13.7 percent among African-American women and 11.1 percent for Latinas.

Those polled are less concerned about the federal budget deficit than they are about rising health care costs, lack of jobs with family-sustaining wages and the affordability of daily expenses such as food and gas.

How do we interpret these findings, given such persistent voices to the contrary?

It is true that most Americans view individual responsibility as vitally important for improving one?s life. But this is not the "everyone for themselves" individualism of the tea party movement.

For a majority of those surveyed, individual responsibility cannot be separated from responsibility toward one's family, community and the economy as a whole. Nine out of 10 agree that government and corporations should join with individuals to place the common good above greed.

The vast majority questioned the values our economy rewards, particularly the "everyone for themselves" mentality. When given a choice of values they want the economy to reward, they ranked "everyone for themselves" last. Unfortunately, they also said that value best describes the economy today.

This seems to contradict recent polls that show Americans have all but given up on government's ability to do the right thing. Most of these surveys, however, reflect a disconnect from a vast and amorphous federal government.

At the local level, people clearly feel differently about the governments in their own communities and the vital role they play in promoting healthy and productive families.

It is also clear, despite messages from the far right, that most Americans do not think government should withdraw support for communities in need.

Three out of four people surveyed say policies that could create more jobs with decent wages and benefits for low-income families are important to them personally. Even more -- 88 percent -- agree they would be good for the economy.

Our data underscore what many Americans have been saying for some time about an "economic recovery" that they consider has helped Wall Street and bypassed them.

For large segments of the population, the recession shows little signs of abating. Slightly less than half of Americans still worry that they, or someone in their household, will be out of a job in the next year. More than half worry that they, or someone in their household, will not work enough hours to make ends meet.

These views are most evident among those hurting long before the recession began -- particularly single mothers and minority women.

Though the downturn has been labeled a "mancession?" -- because of the large number of men who lost jobs -- recent evidence shows women are actually faring worse.

From October 2009 to March 2010, according to a Joint Economic Committee report, women lost 22,000 jobs while men gained 260,000 -- as more private-sector employers started hiring again.

And women, who make up 60 percent of state and local government employees, are hit hard by the state fiscal crisis and resulting layoffs.

Latinas also have been hard hit. Two-thirds said their circumstances have been affected by the country's economic woes, and more than half said they or someone in their household has lost a job in the past year.

These findings underscore the need for bold action to address structural problems that lead to long-term unemployment.

That means passing legislation such as the Local Jobs for America Act, introduced last week in the Senate and earlier this year in the House.

The bill, which could save or create 750,000 jobs in local nonprofits and governments, targets funds to communities with high rates of unemployment and poverty.

It also means addressing fundamental inequities. Three out of four of those polled, for example, say that equal pay and benefits for men and women are personally important to them. Even more say such parity is a vital component of a healthy economy.

As our poll demonstrates, this is not the time for political leaders to skimp on investments that could bring large payoffs for families, communities and our economy.

Taking a stand against government spending may play well for the tea party but is unlikely to play as well among those wondering when the economic recovery will come to their neighborhood.

Deepak Bhargava is executive director of the Center for Community Change; Sara K. Gould is president and chief executive officer of the Ms. Foundation for Women.

This piece originally appeared on Politico.

Learn more about the Community Voices on the Economy project.

Laws to Restrict Abortion: Sara K. Gould Responds to the New York Times

Today, The New York Times ran a Letter to the Editor by Ms. Foundation President and CEO, Sara K. Gould, responding to its June 3 article, Abortion Foes Advance Cause at State Level, and highlighting the Foundation's work to fighting state-based assaults on reproductive choice.

To the Editor:

Re “Abortion Foes Advance Cause at State Level” (news article, June 3):

It is no coincidence that “this is a good year” for restricting abortion access at the state level, as an opponent of abortion is quoted as saying. In an election year dominated by the Tea Party and legalized discrimination in Arizona, we now see conservative America’s familiar strategy of hijacking women’s bodies and personal safety for political gains.

The paternalism of laws that require ultrasounds — “though she may avert her eyes” — reveals that the battle for abortion rights is as much about maintaining inequality as it is about “saving babies.”

The Ms. Foundation has supported advocates working at the state level for comprehensive reproductive health for more than 20 years because we know that attempts to limit access to abortion are a step down the road to limits on other reproductive health freedoms and services, like access to contraception.

It is dangerous to women’s overall health and well-being to isolate abortion from the full range of health services every person deserves.


Sara K. Gould
President and Chief Executive Officer
Ms. Foundation for Women
Brooklyn, June 3, 2010

[Originally posted at The New York Times]

Sara K. Gould: Time for Me to Move on...Time for Us to Move Forward

Raised in a loving family of three boys and three girls (the boys came first!), I knew at an early age that there was a difference between what boys and girls were allowed, and expected, to do, and that these differences were due only to gender. Even then, I knew that it just wasn't fair, and that it didn't make any sense.

Addressing that unfairness -- and the understanding that came later of the ways in which oppression based on race, class and gender create intolerable injustices in our society and societies around the world -- has been the driving force of my work, most particularly the 24 years I've spent at the Ms. Foundation for Women.

And it remains my passion, but I have decided that it is time for me to pursue it in different venues. On November 19th, I will leave my beloved Ms. Foundation to become the Atlantic Senior Fellow at the Foundation Center, a national nonprofit service organization recognized as the nation's leading authority on organized philanthropy. During this two-year fellowship, funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies, I will work with both organizations, and the broader philanthropic community, to increase the focus on social justice philanthropy and advance thinking in key related areas, such as leadership development and grantmaking with a gender, race and class lens.

It is difficult to share this news with all of you who are such dear and valued supporters, colleagues and friends to me and to the Ms. Foundation. I treasure the relationships and friendships I've been privileged to develop and to enjoy with the many staff, board, grantees, donor partners and colleagues of the Foundation. I am so proud of the work we've done together, and so excited to see the amazing ways that it will develop and grow as the Foundation welcomes its next generation of leadership at the helm.

The Foundation is stronger than it's ever been. We have a talented and committed staff, a deeply experienced and effective chief operating officer (Susan Wefald, who will serve as interim president), an active and influential board, a more diverse donor base, and an endowment that is again near its record high. The moment is right to leap forward and say "yes!" to taking our work to the next level by engaging a new bold and visionary leader for the Ms. Foundation.

The board of directors is conducting a national search and expects to have our new president in place by the early part of 2011. They have engaged Isaacson, Miller -- a leading search firm for foundations and nonprofits, with a great track record of identifying leadership for women's and social justice organizations. The truth is, we'll need the help of all of the Foundation's colleagues and friends to find our new leader, so please look deeply within your own networks and encourage qualified candidates to apply.

Over the next six months, I'll be working to personally thank as many people as possible in the Ms. Foundation's extended community -- our founding mothers, current and former board members, current and former staff members, grantee and donor partners, and colleagues and friends -- for your partnership, and for the opportunity I have treasured for so many years to be part of both this wonderful and dynamic organization and of the social justice movements that we serve. I'll also continue to write about the Foundation's activities and impact, and about what we are learning through this organizational transition.

I know that the Foundation can count on the continued support and partnership of every single one of you, for you are as passionate as we are about creating a just and safe world in which power and possibility are not limited by gender, race, class, age, sexual orientation, disability, citizenship or any other factor. We share a deep resolve to bring about the kind of systemic and lasting change that will create a society, and a nation, in which all voices are heard and valued. We know that this can only happen through the engagement of more and more women and men, bringing forward their voices, lived experiences and solutions to the complex and intertwined problems we face.

I know that everyone at the Ms. Foundation for Women looks forward to pursuing this crucial work with you. Thank you so much for everything that you do to create the just and safe world that we all desire.

Sara K. Gould
President and CEO
The Ms. Foundation for Women


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A Tribute to Dr. Dorothy Irene Height

A few days ago, I wrote to you about the legacy of Wilma Mankiller. Today, we mourn the passing, and celebrate the extraordinary life, of Dr. Dorothy Height, an iconic leader of both the civil rights and women's movements. In fact, Dr. Height's life and her work in many venues began the bridge building between these two movements as fulcrums for human rights. For this, and her many other contributions, we at the Ms. Foundation for Women are deeply grateful to Dr. Height. Her accomplishments, over many decades, paved the way for our work today, solidly at the intersection of race, class and gender.

René Redwood, a dear friend of Dr. Height, and a member of our board of directors, says that Dr. Height always spoke of her quest to bridge the two movements as her "life work." Dr. Height's commitment is an inspiration, and a wonderful reminder to us all that our work for racial and gender justice is truly ongoing, and that we stand on the shoulders of many before us. We have won, and we will win, many victories, but we can never be complacent.

In the late 1930s, for example, when she worked with the Harlem Y.W.C.A., Dr. Height called massive attention to the exploitation of black women working as domestic day laborers. Her naming of this unspoken issue brought change at that time, and laid the groundwork for further advocacy. In our era, Domestic Workers United in New York, and other organizations around the country, continue this fight to win basic labor rights and protections for thousands of domestic workers, who now include women from many immigrant communities.

In 1997, in an interview with the Associated Press, Dr. Height said that she knew immediately, as she was sitting on the platform with Dr. Martin Luther King that the "I Have a Dream" speech would "echo for generations because it gripped everybody." Dr. Height will also echo for generations, having touched, and deeply influenced, countless women and men of all backgrounds and walks of life, particularly African American women. We honor her extraordinary tenacity and courage, and salute her unending work to create a democracy that truly delivers justice for all.

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

Dorothy Height, Largely Unsung Giant of the Civil Rights Era, Dies at 98
New York Times

Wilma Mankiller: An Appreciation

All of us at the Ms. Foundation are deeply saddened by the passing of Wilma Mankiller, who died April 6 from pancreatic cancer. Wilma was the first woman elected chief of the Cherokee Nation, which she led from 1985-95. Throughout her life, she made indelible contributions to social justice in the US, particularly within Native and women's rights movements. Her vision, leadership and activism will be felt for generations to come.

Wilma was also active in philanthropy, and we were extremely fortunate to have her serve on the Ms. Foundation board from 1986-1990. While she made many contributions, Wilma especially helped us strengthen and advance our new (at the time) work in women's economic development. She was our keynote speaker at the first Institute on Women and Economic Development, held on Thompson's Island in Boston Harbor in 1988. Some 90 leaders of grassroots women's organizations gathered for three days, including, because of Wilma, seven Native women. When Wilma spoke to the gathering on the first evening, she included all of the Native women, inviting them on stage to tell their own stories of how women on their reservations were leading the way to local economic and community development that benefited individuals, families and whole communities. You could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium as the rest of us listened in rapt attention, learning about communities and experiences that we knew almost nothing about.

In ways like this, Wilma always made Native people and their lives more visible. She lived by values that the Ms. Foundation also holds dear: lift every voice, and trust those most impacted by an issue or a problem to have the solutions. We will miss her very much.

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

Read this Indian Country Today article for more from Sara and others about Wilma's life.

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

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.]

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.

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!

Celebrate Gloria Steinem: Be Outrageous for Simple Justice

Years ago, Ms. Foundation for Women co-founder, Gloria Steinem, began striking an “organizer’s deal” with audiences: “If each person in the room promises that the very next day she or he will do at least one outrageous thing in the cause of simple justice, then I promise I will, too.”

In celebration of Gloria Steinem’s upcoming 75th birthday on March 25 and Women’s History Month, we’re pleased to announce a new online Ms. Foundation campaign: Outrageous Acts for Simple Justice.

Outrageous Acts, a social networking, social change campaign, invites each of us to engage in, celebrate and support outrageous acts in the cause of simple justice on behalf of women, families and communities.

Learn How You Can Join the Outrageous Acts Campaign
Join us by taking a stand, making a gift, calling a strike, or hosting a party. Act in your life, with your family and friends, for your community. Share your efforts in person and online.

The times demand creative action. We face great challenges — from the economic crisis and barriers to reproductive health care to gender-based violence and war. But we also live in a moment of tremendous opportunity. More and more people are poised to create change from the grassroots. And on the heels of an historic presidential election, we’re reminded of just how effective local outrageous acts — from bake sales and buttons to signatures and songs — can be.

We’re certain that the more outrageous each of us can be, the more power we’ll have to bring about the kind of change we want to see in our communities, our country and our world. Join us.

Warmly,

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

Celebrate Gloria Steinem: Be Outrageous for Simple Justice

Celebrate Gloria: Be Outrageous for Simple Justice

Years ago, Ms. Foundation for Women co-founder, Gloria Steinem, began striking an "organizer's deal" with audiences: "If each person in the room promises that the very next day she or he will do at least one outrageous thing in the cause of simple justice, then I promise I will, too." [view video]

In celebration of Gloria Steinem's upcoming 75th birthday on March 25 and Women's History Month, we're pleased to announce a new online Ms. Foundation campaign: Outrageous Acts for Simple Justice.

Outrageous Acts, a social networking, social change campaign, invites each of us to engage in, celebrate and support outrageous acts in the cause of simple justice on behalf of women, families and communities.

Watch the Video and Learn How You Can Join the Outrageous Acts Campaign



Join us by taking a stand, making a gift, calling a strike, or hosting a party. Act in your life, with your family and friends, for your community. Share your efforts in person and online.

The times demand creative action. We face great challenges -- from the economic crisis and barriers to reproductive health care to gender-based violence and war. But we also live in a moment of tremendous opportunity. More and more people are poised to create change from the grassroots. And on the heels of an historic presidential election, we're reminded of just how effective local outrageous acts -- from bake sales and buttons to signatures and songs -- can be.

We're certain that the more outrageous each of us can be, the more power we'll have to bring about the kind of change we want to see in our communities, our country and our world. Join us.

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

New Connections Will Pave the Road to Economic Recovery

In an effort -- as of this morning unsuccessful -- to generate more Republican support for the economic recovery package, President Obama has conceded a provision that would have made it easier for states to extend Medicaid coverage for family planning services to low-income families. Yet, just last week on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, he issued a stirring statement that proclaimed:

"…..(W)e are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services."

Why, within days, has President Obama violated his own pledge?

Part of the answer is that our country's approach to economic policy simply ignores meaningful connections between the issues we face in our everyday lives. Because we allow abortion to be debated solely on ideological grounds, we repeatedly ignore the real-life connection between women's reproductive health and their economic security. How else could it go unnoticed that as more and more women lose their jobs, their economic well-being will be further jeopardized by limiting their access to contraception (through Medicaid or through private insurance), thus increasing their chances of an unintended pregnancy?

Making this connection visible would make it much harder for Representative John Boehner, the Republican House leader, to declaim, "How can you spend hundreds of millions of dollars on contraceptives? How does that stimulate the economy?"

A second part of the answer is that we still do not consider women's economic participation vital to our nation's economic advancement. Witness the lack of concern for the absence of decent-paying jobs for women in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan. How can this be when women account for nearly 70 percent of minimum-wage and below-minimum-wage workers, and when most poor Americans are women and children? Why do we not take action to realize the potential economic contributions of half our population as we prepare to spend billions of dollars to stimulate the economy and lay the groundwork for long-term economic growth?

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to criticism of the Medicaid family planning expansion by stating that it would "reduce cost." This is absolutely true. In 2007, the Congressional Budget office found that such a measure would save the federal government $200 million over five years by giving women the option to prevent unwanted pregnancies that would result in Medicaid-funded births.

But what Speaker Pelosi -- and President Obama -- didn't do, and must do, is make the connection that women's health is fundamental to our country's economic health. If we don't work quickly to ensure the economic security of women, particularly low-income women and women of color -- by increasing their access to contraception, decent-paying jobs with benefits, and quality and affordable child care -- our nation will forego the full benefit of their economic contributions now and in the future. Surely we can agree that this would be an enormous step backward in our quest for economic "recovery."

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

[See also "Obama Recovery Plan Can't Leave Women and Families Waiting in the Wings."]

Obama Recovery Plan Can’t Leave Women and Families Waiting in the Wings

As Congress prepares to debate President-elect Obama’s economic recovery proposal, they must consider how to reshape it to ensure the economic well-being of all people, particularly those facing the greatest amount of economic insecurity. Women, particularly low-income women, women of color and single mothers, who are overrepresented among those bearing the brunt of the economic and foreclosure crisis, should be a primary focus of the plan, and not left to wait for the indirect benefits of a recovery that privileges men.

We know that the Obama Administration’s proposed economic recovery package includes considerable investment in physical infrastructure and green jobs. We agree that rebuilding our decaying infrastructure to 21st century standards is absolutely necessary and that building up a “green” economy is long overdue. But this approach will create jobs in fields like construction and engineering that are typically dominated by men. When President-elect Obama first released details of his plan, women’s groups and experts asked how women—who make up nearly 50 percent of the workforce and are overrepresented among low-wage workers and people living in poverty—would benefit from such a male-oriented “recovery.” How can we create a sustainable, healthy economy without lifting up women alongside men and low-income people alongside those with higher incomes?

Last month, the Ms. Foundation and a number of our colleagues advocated for remedial prescriptions [pdf] to address the urgent needs of women, particularly low-income women and women of color, including: the inclusion of specific goals for women’s hiring and retention in nontraditional jobs; funding for programs that would create and improve the quality of jobs in fields that currently employ large numbers of women like education, child care and domestic violence prevention; and increased funding for, expansion and modernization of a range of safety net and education programs—from unemployment insurance [pdf] and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) [pdf] to child care, housing and health care.

The Obama Administration seems to have heard some of these concerns, but perhaps not clearly enough, judging by a recently released document, “The Job Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.” [pdf] The report sets out in part to justify (to women, in particular, it seems) why the current proposal skews towards male-dominated industries and how, particularly through tax relief and indirect job-creation, it will have a trickle-down effect for women and women-dominated fields. They claim that “the total number of created jobs likely to go to women is roughly 42% of the jobs created by the package.” Really?

Not so fast, Linda Hirshman points out: “Regardless of how you measure it, most of those promised female jobs are only the projection into next year of ‘indirect’ results of government spending this year. By contrast, the report recognizes that the jobs the program creates directly and immediately are overwhelmingly concentrated in the male categories of energy and infrastructure.”

Last month, Hirshman took the Obama administration to task for denying women equal access to jobs and economic recovery in its stimulus package in a much-circulated New York Times piece warning, “There are almost no women on this road to recovery…. A just economic stimulus plan must include jobs in fields like social work and teaching where large numbers of women work.”

It’s not too late for the incoming administration and Congress to fix the plan. The plan must include minimum standards for recruitment, employment and retention of women in non-traditional trades including funding for workplace supports like child care and paid sick leave that help women access training and stay employed. And alongside jobs, it must incorporate a strong emphasis on investing in social and human infrastructure—community infrastructure—and services such as health care and education that will create jobs and provide more help to address the needs and solutions of those most affected by this spiraling crisis: women, low-income people and people of color.

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

Ms. Foundation Joins Scores of Organizations in Call for Cabinet-Level Office on Women

In a historical move, nearly 50 women's organizations representing over 14 million women sent a letter to the Obama-Biden transition team, advocating for the creation of an Office on Women. Sara K. Gould signed the letter (text and signers below) for the Ms. Foundation. [A PDF version of the letter is available from the National Organization for Women.]

December 16, 2008

President-elect Barack Obama
Vice President-elect Joe Biden
c/o Obama-Biden Transition Team
Valerie Jarrett, John Podesta, Pete Rouse, Dana Singiser

Dear President-Elect Obama and Vice President-Elect Biden:

As leaders of women’s organizations and advocates for women’s equality, collectively representing over 14 million women, we are writing to elaborate on the need for historic levels of women’s appointments and the need to restore and strengthen executive branch offices for women.

We applaud your initial appointments of talented women and we encourage you to further gender balance your White House, Cabinet, and executive appointments. The U.S., with women composing just 17% of the members of Congress, ranks 71st among the world’s parliaments in representation of women. With women so underrepresented in Congress, we believe it is crucial for women’s representation to increase dramatically at the executive branch of decision-making. Many of us will be submitting names of excellent and diverse women for your consideration.

Like you, we believe that we are at a time of real change in our nation’s history. Through both words and actions, you have encouraged and challenged the nation to think transformationally.

In this spirit, we urge you to create a Cabinet-level Office on Women that will deal not only with the status of women, but with the many inequities women face in our society, our nation, and our world. Such an office is even more necessary today, because of the increased disparities and backward movement of the past eight years.

Although many countries have a Cabinet minister responsible for addressing women’s issues and concerns, it would be another historic “first” for the United States to recognize the importance of solving inequities faced by women as well as further empowering women and girls to reach for their dreams. The Director would hold cabinet rank and report directly to the President, and the new office would be responsible for, but not limited to, the following:

1. Impact Evaluation and Strategic Planning. The Office on Women would seek new ways to bring to this great country the full potential of tens of millions of women and girls of all races and from all walks of life through policies, inter-agency coordination, budgeting and initiatives that will bring us closer to equality.

The new Office on Women would evaluate federal programs, initiatives and policies for their impact on women (addressing both opportunities and inequities) and improve their effectiveness through coordination and strategic planning. The Office would have leadership of the reconstituted White House Office for Women’s Initiatives and Outreach as well as the restored Interagency Council on Women. It would also be charged with preparing a coordinated budget for all efforts aimed at achieving the equality of women.

Because women, especially women of color, are differently affected by so many laws and policies -- from health care to labor to the economy -- it is critical that the impact on women be "part of the picture" as each and every critical decision is made. A cabinet-level office is the most effective way to accomplish this goal. Many of our federal programs were designed at a time when women's roles in our society were very different, and they should be reviewed and reconsidered.

The disparate treatment of women and the disparate impact of seemingly gender-neutral policies are so systemic that they cut across departmental lines and require an intersectional approach. More importantly, women need an advocate at the policy-making table whose specific
responsibility is considering and weighing in on the potential of decisions to positively or negatively impact women’s opportunities for advancement. We cannot expect the few women at the table to bear this responsibility in addition to the responsibilities of their designated agency.

2. Interdepartmental Coordination [Interagency Council on Women]. Currently, women's programs are housed in many different departments, including Labor, Defense, Health and Human Services, Justice, and many others. Some of these offices are focused on making sure women's needs are addressed adequately as each agency seeks to achieve its mission and deliver services, while others focus primarily on advancing women within the agency’s workforce. It is important that each government agency have an effective and strong office (or offices) on women that address both women as workers and women as clients of the agency. These offices could learn much from each other and could work together to bring more effective and timely change for women.

To effectively coordinate the work of the various federal departments and agencies, we urge that the work of the former Clinton-era Interagency Council on Women be taken up by the Office on Women. We recommend the council staff be composed of representatives of each of the agencies and departments who are "lent" to the Council. The work of the Council should be reviewing and assessing the work of all agencies and departments that serve women, coordinate government-wide women's initiatives, and ensure the various agency and departmental policies are in keeping with our national and international commitments to women.

3. Policy Initiatives, Outreach and Inreach [Office for Women's Initiatives and Outreach]. The Office on Women should also include a restored and strengthened White House Office for Women's Initiatives and Outreach. That office, under President Clinton, was very small and its director was a deputy assistant to the President. The purpose has been described as "outreach to keep women's organizations informed (and presumably supportive) of presidential initiatives, and 'inreach' to solicit views of national women's leaders for injection into White house staff offices as policy proposals were being formulated."

We believe the restored program should be strengthened in rank, staffing, and function, to include both a political function (interrelation with women elected officials) and a communications function (creating communications opportunities for the White House and providing support on women's issues and events).

It is crucial that there be a policy function to this effort addressing a full range of women's issues, including work/family balance and women's disproportionate poverty. This function would include review of new federal policies and budgets and their impact on women in a cross-departmental approach, in addition to the previous outreach and "inreach" functions.

4. Interrelation with Other Agencies. The Office on Women would interrelate with the Status of Women Commissions of many states, counties, and municipalities of our nation, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the Status of Women Commission, as well as the women's ministries of many other nations.

Thank you for your consideration of these ideas. The extraordinary support you received from women in this election is testament to our confidence in your commitment to equality and change. We look forward to working with you and with the accomplished and visionary women and men who will bring new ideas and new initiatives to your administration.

Sincerely,

Eleanor Smeal, President
Feminist Majority

Kim Gandy, President
National Organization for Women

Lorraine Cole, Ph.D., CEO
YWCA USA

Lulu Flores, President
National Women’s Political Caucus

Dr. Elizabeth J. Clark, ACSW, MPH
Executive Director
National Association of Social Workers

Susan Scanlan
President, Women’s Research and Education Institute
Chair, National Council of Women’s Organizations

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq., Chairperson
National Congress of Black Women

Eleanor Hinton Hoytt, President and CEO
Black Women’s Health Imperative

Nancy Ratzan, President
National Council of Jewish Women

Dolores Huerta, Founder and President
Dolores Huerta Foundation

Kimberly Otis, Executive Director
National Council of Women’s Organizations

Irene Natividad, President
Global Summit of Women

Hedy Ratner, Co-President
Women’s Business Development Center

Joan A. Kuriansky, Esq., Executive Director
Wider Opportunities for Women

Irma D. Herrera, Executive Director
Equal Rights Advocates

Martha Burk, Ph.D., President
Center for Advancement of Public Policy

Irasema Garza, President
Legal Momentum

Claudia S. Morrissey, MD, MPH, National President
American Medical Women’s Association

Jodie Evans, Co-Founder
CODEPINK: Women for Peace

Ashley B. Carson, J.D., Executive Director
OWL – The Voice of Midlife and Older Women

Faye Wattleton, President
Center for the Advancement of Women

Silvia Henriquez, Executive Director
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health

Marsha Zakowski, National President
Coalition of Labor Union Women

Marie C. Wilson, President & Founder
The White House Project

Rose M. Ditto, Ph.D., International President
General Federation of Women’s Clubs

Ilana Goldman, President
Women’s Campaign Forum

Loretta J. Ross, National Coordinator
SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective

Sara K. Gould, President and CEO
Ms. Foundation for Women

Yvonne Scruggs-Leftwich, Ph.D., Chair
CCEJ, Inc. - Sojourner Truth Forum for Interactive Justice

Wilma L. Vaught, Brigadier General, USAF, Retired
President, Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation, Inc.

Leigh Wintz, Executive Director
Soroptomist International of the Americas

Carol Jenkins, Executive Director
Women’s Media Center

Linda Basch, Ph.D., President
National Council for Research on Women

Jill E. Adams, J.D., Executive Director
Law Students for Reproductive Justice

Melanie L. Campbell
Convener, Black Women’s Roundtable
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation

JoAnne Lyons Wooten, Interim President and CEO
Women Work! The National Network for Women’s Employment

Aisha S. Taylor, Executive Director
Women’s Ordination Conference

Julie Burton, Executive Director
Project Kid Smart

Sarah Harder, Chair
National Women’s Conference Committee

Pat Bakalian, Executive Director
Campaign for Gender Equality

Martha Allen, Ph.D, Director
Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press

Patricia Willis, Chair
Feminist Caucus of the American Humanist Association

Jennifer L. Pozner, Executive Director
Women in Media and News

Dr. Julia M. Watkins, Executive Director
Council on Social Work Education

Dr. Wynetta Frazier, National President
National Hook-Up of Black Women, Inc.

Ariel Dougherty, Director
Media Equity Collaborative

Wendy Pollack
Director, Women’s Law and Policy Project
Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law

Sara K. Gould Offers Advice to Timothy Geitner in Real Deal Blog Posting

The Real Deal blog of the National Council for Research on Women has posted a Q&A with Ms. Foundation President and CEO Sara K. Gould as part of its "Dear Mr. Treasury Secretary" forum. In her responses, reprinted below, Gould provides recommendations to Timothy Geithner, President-elect Obama's choice for the position.

Linda Basch: What three recommendations do you have for Timothy Geithner, our next Treasury Secretary?

Sara Gould:

• First, we must strongly urge that the next Secretary ensure that the $700 billion bailout and other actions designed to address the economic crisis prioritize getting relief to communities that need it most. It’s not enough to rely on support for large banks to trickle down to middle and low-income people who are disproportionately affected by the plummeting economy—particularly when the banks’ share of the bailout came with few regulations and the conditions it did come with are being defied (see Naomi Klein’s article in The Nation). Instead, the next Treasury Secretary should require that financial institutions use the bailout money for lending to consumers—instead of to boost the value of its shares. In addition to accountability and comprehensive regulations that apply to bailed-out banks and beyond, s/he should insist upon transparency and reveal exactly where the money is going and how it is being used.
  
  It is especially critical that the bailout money be used to help people who are facing or already in foreclosure—the majority of whom are likely women and people of color, as they were most likely to receive sub-prime loans in the first place. One promising option is to support FDIC chairperson Sheila Bair’s proposal to use $25 billion of the bailout to provide mortgage relief to homeowners. Her proposal would offer incentives to loan servicers to restructure mortgages, making payments more affordable.
  
• Second, an economic stimulus should be passed quickly. It should include immediate relief such as the extension of unemployment benefits as well as programs like job creation and training that will ensure economic stability for low- and middle-income people over the long-term. Any economic stimulus package should be sure to address the urgent needs of those who have been most impacted by the crisis, especially low-income women, women of color and their families. Recent statistics show that women are losing jobs at twice the rate of men.
  
• Third, we must return to a system of progressive taxation in which people with high incomes and net worth provide a larger share of tax revenues. New revenue should go towards domestic stimulus programs such as job training and infrastructure rebuilding as well as for key social and economic supports that have been eroded over the last two decades.

Linda Basch: During the economic meltdown, women and people of color were largely absent from the decision-making table, both on the corporate and federal crisis intervention teams. How do we ensure that there is true diversity in developing a new direction for moving forward?

Sara Gould: This is an uphill climb, and we must prioritize and step up all of the work to advance women and people of color into top-tier decision-making positions in all sectors. More women and people of color now serve in the second and third tiers of leadership; what will move them forward? We must use the election of the first person of color to the presidency of the United States to illustrate again the importance of breaking through barriers and striving to make our decision-makers, in both public and private settings, reflect the nation’s diversity. We should also support initiatives like the “Diversity in Democracy Project” that focus on identifying a diverse range of candidates for high-level positions. As well, we should continue to build the power and leadership of low-income women, women of color and others who are disproportionately impacted by economic insecurity and create a better leadership and communication pipeline from the grassroots to state and federal levels to ensure that their voices are consistently heard at policymaking tables.

Linda Basch: What kinds of regulations or checks need to be in place to prevent another economic meltdown or crisis, and how might we ensure that effective reforms and safety measures are followed?

Sara Gould: First, it’s unconscionable that the money given out so far as part of the $700 billion bailout package isn’t being closely regulated, particularly after a severe lack of regulation played a huge hand in creating the economic crisis we’re now in. That money, and the rest that follows, should be subject to regulations and accountability standards that ensure it goes towards lending to consumers to boost the economic security of those who need it most—not for mergers, dividends, or bonuses and salaries of corporate execs.

In general, all kinds of financial institutions, including banks, investment houses and hedge funds, must be subject to comprehensive regulations; they should all be playing by the same set of rules aimed at protecting borrowers and investors from the excesses of speculation and greed. Without a doubt, we should bring executive pay under control.

Finally, we must develop a far better safety net to protect women, families and communities from economic crises large and small. Such a safety net must include benefits that are easy to access and do not carry stigma, include automatic triggers that come into play during times of economic downturn, and be inclusive of immigrants. Without this, women and their families will sink deeper into poverty and be far less likely to recover from overwhelming threats to their economic security, like those they face today.

Ms. Foundation President Sara Gould Advises Geithner to Bail Out Responsibly
Real Deal Blog
November 24, 2008