I was ashamed that I was depressed.

I was embarrassed that this wasn’t something I could “handle on my own.” That I had let it get so bad that I actually needed to see a shrink. I was ashamed that I was somehow “broken” or “crazy” or “abnormal.” I was worried that the anxiousness and pain I was feeling was “just in my head” and not real (yes, depression can be painful even when there is not self-harm – nothing hurts quite like the feeling of your rib cage collapsing in on itself).  I was even afraid to tell my therapist that I was depressed. It was hard for me to even say it aloud in therapy! (Don’t worry, I swear that this deep, emotional personal backstory has a point.)

As I became more aware of the shame I was feeling about being depressed and needing therapy, my always-thinking queer feminist brain was at work. I realized that a lot of the shame was from the stigma surrounding mental illness. 

I’ve noticed in recent years more discussion about the stigma of mental illness, but normally in relation to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and a few others. Depression and general anxiety disorder (GAD) are not usually part of the discussion or are quickly glossed over. It’s important to realize that the stigma surrounding “severe” mental illness (for the purposes of this blog, those generally defined as ‘psychotic’ by the DSM-IV*) also affect those that are less “severe” (those not considered ‘psychotic’ by the DSM-IV*).

This stigma prevents even those with mild anxiety disorder from seeking help, let alone those contemplating suicide or suffering from schizophrenic symptoms. Stigma can prompt those of us with anxiety disorders to constantly question ourselves about if we really are just making it up (answer: we’re not.) And if you don’t have a mental illness, or any connection to mental illness, trying to understand what it means to have your mind constantly fighting against you can be hard if not impossible.

Mental illness and the stigma around mental illness is also something that has been absent from a lot of feminist discussion. Or when there is talk of a stigma around mental illness, there’s little discussion about challenging that stigma. I feel like we feminists are expected to go into the campaign field, register some voters, escort at clinics, organize a rally, lobby our legislatures, host a speak out, write some blogs, and be a veritable Energizer Bunny of social activism. But how can you be a champion for social justice when you can barely get out of bed? What happens, when after you’ve done all this organizing for others, you’re left with your own thoughts about yourself? Who can you turn to as a resource when you are a resource for your community? What happens when you’re so busy fighting for the larger cause that you forget and ignore to fight for yourself? And what happens when the feminist community you’re supposed to be a part of is unaware or even perpetuates the stigma?

A few weeks ago I was at the Civil Liberties and Public Policy (CLPP) conference. In a panel on medicalized bodies I learned a new term for this stigma – “neuro-normalcy.” And even though I sometimes feel like the feminist movement is all about new “-isms,” neuro-normalcy struck a cord with me. For once there was a word for all the pressure and shame that I was feeling that I at first wasn’t even aware I was feeling. Even as feminists when we meet someone we assume that everyone is neuro-normal. We try to take the extra measure to use appropriate pronouns, be mindful of class differences/cultural differences/ability differences, and rightfully so. Yet we assume that everyone is neuro-normal.

So feminists, I propose that we take the next step – let’s challenge the stigma around mental illness and neuro-normalcy.

I don’t mean that we ask every person at our group meetings “And do you have any mental illnesses?” as part of our introductions. No one should be asked to disclose private medical history if they don’t want to. However, let’s start being mindful that depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses are present at our events as well. We need to remember to take care of ourselves, and not just the movement. Let’s start some self-care events, whether that’s a dinner with your FMLA where you don’t talk about sexism on campus or even “No-Meeting” meetings when everyone pledges to take 30 minutes to do something purely for themselves. You know about the reproductive health care services in your area, but what about counseling services? In addition to speak outs and safe spaces to talk about abortion or sexual assault, maybe have a closed group to talk about experiences with mental illness. The possibilities are endless!

Some of my strongest allies in life I have found through feminism. But no matter where I’ve looked, stigma has prevented me from finding allies for dealing with my depression and anxiety. If we as feminists can begin to challenge that stigma and break it down, my hope is that other activists suffering silently with depression or other mental illnesses will be able to find people they can trust and reach out to. As much as we may hate to admit, sometimes we do need other people to help us. If anywhere should be a safe place to ask for help, it should be feminism.

–

*The DSM-IV, or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, is the standard guidelines used by therapists and psychiatrists to diagnose, treat, and categorize mental illness. Despite being used as a point of reference in this blog, it’s important to realize that there is a lot of debate about many flaws in the DSM.

Three green apples, smiling and crying on white from Shutterstock

Some brick walls isolate a different individual from other people. Digital illustration. from Shutterstock

A sad, depressed person stands alone, apart from the group in this episode of Sticky Note Theatre from Shutterstock

What is an “Ag Gag” bill, you ask?

An “Ag Gag” bill is a piece of legislation that makes it illegal to photograph, film, and/or otherwise document agricultural operations without explicit permission. It can also place restrictions on when/how any documentation, making it virtually impossible to publish.

So?

SO! There are a number of reasons why Ag Gag bills are more than just an environmental issue. They are also also a feminist, immigration, and human rights issue. I’ll start with some of the obvious ones first.

1. Ag Gag bills are attempts to keep unpleasant truths about food production away from public viewing, nevermind that this is the very food we put in our bodies. The largest meat recall in U.S. history came as the result of an undercover video of “downer” cows, which are too sick or weak to stand, being propped into position by a forklift, slaughtered and used for human consumption. Downer cows are suspected carriers of mad cow disease, salmonella and E. coli. Best part? The meat recalled was predominantly tagged to be used for school lunches or by fast food chains. Under an Ag Gag law, the person videotaping would be a criminal. Ag Gag bills could also prevent people from exposing the use of toxic pesticides on vegetables and fruit, the effects of genetically-modified-organism (GMO) soy, corn, and wheat on our genetic makeup, and how bovine-growth-hormone creates imbalances in our hormones.
2. Ag Gag bills also prevent individuals or organizations from taking action when the EPA or other government agency fails to do so. A prime example of this is the use of gestation crates. Through acts of videotaping and photographing, the use of gestation crates on pigs was banned in nine states and is being phased out by some pork producers. However, government agencies don’t always have the resources to enforce the bans, and some farms are completely exempt from inspections. But thanks to an Ag Gag bill, if individuals notice the infractions and document them so the agency has evidence, they are now criminals.
3. Undercover photos/videos not only uncover animal abuses, but labor and worker abuses too. Farms aren’t the rolling hills with the red barn that we see in kids books. Often there is lots of heavy machinery, enclosed spaces, toxic chemicals, animal excrement, and poor building regulations. Workers have to wear gas masks and gloves when working with animals to make sure they do not breathe in ammonia. On meat farms, workers must avoid manure lagoons that will kill them if they fall in. In some factory farms, workers are not being properly paid, are denied workers’ compensation for injuries, and are threatened when they try to report an infraction. Even if a photograph or video documents severe human rights abuses, under Ag Gag, it wouldn’t matter because the person recording the image committed a crime.
4. Many of the workers are undocumented and have few, if any, legal protections against abuse. Many factory farms, whether meat, dairy, or vegetable, often hire undocumented workers so they can pay lower wages and not worry about complaints. Combined with language barriers among workers and supervisors, the factory farm system utilizes borderline free labor while not having to worry about worker protections. Supervisors can threaten workers with reporting them to Immigration and Naturalization Services if they try to report an infraction or file a complaint. With few resources available inside the food industry, outside individual documentation of animal and worker abuses can provide some visibility of what undocumented workers are exposed to. But with Ag Gag bills, the food industry could keep the abuse of undocumented workers away from public eyes.
5. What about Freedom of Speech? In multiple cases Wanted posters of abortion providers that could incite violence have been defended as free speech, but these Ag Gag bills would violate first amendment rights in cases where there is no explicit or implicit threat against an individual.

Think Ag Gag bills won’t really amount to anything? One woman has already been charged for violating the Utah Ag Gag law. Her charges have since been dropped due to new evidence in the case.

I personally am terrified of the idea that I could be arrested for trying to find out what’s in my food, especially when food is so loosely regulated as it is. What affects meat affects dairy affect vegetables affects meat and so on. Five states already have Ag Gag laws on the books and more are considering them.

–

Poultry farm from Shutterstock

Well it’s been two years since college, and I obviously work at the Feminist Majority Foundation now. That could only mean…

PERSONHOOD IS BACK IN MISSISSIPPI

Before you throw your computer at the wall, here’s a picture of a kitten to calm you down. 

Cute little Kitten from Shutterstock

Adorable animals aside, the threat is real. Last week, the Attorney General of Mississippi approved a personhood initiative measure proposed by the state legislature. Now, personhood supporters have to gather 107,216 valid Mississippi signatures to get it placed on the 2015 ballot. The ballot initiative would read “Should the Mississippi Constitution be amended to state that the right to life as a person begins at conception?” and it only gets better from there! Sarcasm! The actual amendment added to the state constitution would read:

“The right to life begins at conception. All human beings at every stage of development are unique, created in the image of God, and shall enjoy the inalienable right to life as persons under law.”

Umm…

For those of you who don’t remember the 2011 Personhood Amendment or are unfamiliar with that what such an amendment could do, here’s a lovely list of all the potential ramifications -

• Outlaw abortion
• Outlaw abortion in cases of rape
• Outlaw abortion in cases of incest
• Outlaw abortion in cases of severe, non-viable fetal abnormality
• Outlaw abortion to protect the mother’s health
• Outlaw abortion to save a woman’s life
• Give rights to a fertilized egg, thereby
• Ban emergency contraception
• Ban IUDs
• Ban birth control pills
• Outlaw in vitro fertilization
• Deny life saving cancer treatment
• Criminalize miscarriages

 At least making signs for this will be easy.

But y’all, hope is not lost! Already people are angry in Mississippi that this is even an issue. There’s a petition on SignOn.org collecting signature against the personhood amendment. There’s also a Facebook group No means NO: Mississippians United Against Personhood that is already ranting and raving against Initiative 41. No Means NO has been active since the battle began in 2011 and has been supporting the lone abortion clinic in Mississippi, the Jackson Women’s Health Organization (JWHO). And they aren’t the only ones.

Remember that the 2011 Personhood Amendment was overwhelmingly defeated 58% to 42%? Yeah, that happened.

–

Featured Image: Beautiful woman screaming from Shutterstock

Soosan Firooz

An Afghan rapper. The founder of the first primary school for girls in a Kenyan village. A trailblazing member of Congress who fights to create an AIDS-free generation. An advocate for women’s and children’s rights and empowerment.

Tonite in Los Angeles, the Feminist Majority Foundation (publisher of Ms.) will award these four women with its 8th annual Global Women’s Rights Awards, celebrating their hard-fought accomplishments for girls and women on the world stage.

The rapper–considered to be Afghanistan’s first woman at the mic–is Soosan Firooz. Though facing death threats, she continues to use music to speak out against the injustices and violence faced by women and girls in Afghanistan. Through her performance and bravery, Soosan has brought attention to the need for peace-building in Afghanistan. Check out this video report on her:

Kakenya Ntaiya

The school founder is Kakenya Ntaiya, a tireless advocate for the education and empowerment of girls. The first woman in her Kenyan village of Enoosaen to leave and attend college in the U.S., she returned to her homeland in 2009 to establish The Kakenya Center for Excellence, which finally allowed girls in her village to attend primary school there. National Geographic has honored Kakenya as an Emerging Explorer and CNN named her one of its CNN Heroes. Check out her wonderful TEDX talk.

Barbara Lee

The congressperson is Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), a leading feminist in the House and a critical voice for the world’s women and girls, who remain disproportionately affected by the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. Lee conceived of and co-authored the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth Act.

And the advocate for women’s and children’s human rights is

Cheryl Saban

Cheryl Saban, who was recently a member of the U.S. delegation to the 57th U.N. Commission on the Status of Women and was appointed by President Obama to be the U.S. representative to the 67th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Saban–a psychologist, author and philanthropist–has just announced a groundbreaking partnership between UN Women and her Women’s Self Worth Foundation to work for women’s empowerment and gender equality.

We’ll be live-tweeting from the event tonight @msmagazine under the hashtag #fmfgala. Join us for a discussion with these amazing women and FMF president Eleanor Smeal!

]]> http://feministcampus.org/blog/index.php/2013/04/22/global-heroes-honored-in-l-a/feed/ 0 http://feministcampus.org/blog/index.php/2013/04/17/trap-tyranny-my-experience-at-the-virginia-board-of-health-meeting/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=trap-tyranny-my-experience-at-the-virginia-board-of-health-meeting http://feministcampus.org/blog/index.php/2013/04/17/trap-tyranny-my-experience-at-the-virginia-board-of-health-meeting/#comments Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:43:02 +0000 Allie Lundquist http://feministcampus.org/blog/?p=7622 On Friday, April 12^th, the Virginia Board of Health met expectations in the same way a car with no breaks rolling towards a cliff meets expectations – inertia did its thing, and now we’re falling face first towards the rocks below.

In an 11 to 2 decision, the Board approved Senate Bill 924, a Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (“TRAP”) law that will require women’s clinics to adhere to the same building standards as most new hospitals (but more specifically, “ambulatory surgical centers”).  The outcome was unsurprising; the Board has overwhelmingly voted to keep the TRAP bill in play a half a dozen times since its introduction in 2011.  Nevertheless, it was quite the blow – eleven individuals of considerable power effectively said “no” to defending women’s health.  They did so despite the fact that anti-TRAP citizens turned out in droves for every public comment period, armed with thousands of likeminded petitions.  More often than not, they outnumbered the pro-TRAP individuals.

Board members who voted “yes” did so despite the fact that multiple medical experts had come to them and explained the repercussions of holding an underfunded women’s clinic to nonsense criterion.  Some doctors who supported SB 924 when it was first drafted now express dismay at what it has become:  “I don’t know where [the regulations] got changed,” said Dr. James E. Ferguson II, who sat on the bill’s advisory panel, “but ultimately they were different, more stringent and more restrictive – and several of them, at least, unnecessary.”  The decision will lead to the closure of many of Virginia’s twenty or so women’s clinics that perform first trimester abortions.  It has already started happening.

I’ll step away from the Board and the future for a bit and describe the concerned citizens who showed up.

The pro-TRAP side seemed to consist mainly of church congregations and independent older couples, though there was a small college-age youth division as well.  Riffing on a World War II British slogan that’s enjoying a surge in popularity again — “Keep Calm and Carry On” — a handful of people wore stickers saying “Keep Calm and Carry a Baby.”

Approximately thirty pro-TRAP commenters addressed the Board during the hour-long public comment period.   Most commenters made no bones about their ideology and motives: they are Christian, they are anti-choice, and they want the law to pass so abortion is vastly reduced.  They generally focused on either women or fetuses. Unborn children need a defender, they said – one woman came to the microphone with a poster-size photo of an aborted fetus, going for the “it’s hard to look at so it must be wrong” tactic.  Others said that women are better off not just morally when they avoid abortion, but physically. A few commenters made women’s clinics out to be evil, corner-cutting places that were out to hurt women in a bind.

After all those speakers, a board member who was sympathetic to TRAP tried to counter another member’s comment by saying “we don’t want to shut down abortion clinics.”  The anti-TRAP side couldn’t help but laugh.

A slight majority of the speakers were anti-TRAP.   A number of individuals kicked off their comments by calling their own efforts fruitless – they had spoken before the Board multiple times on the issue of the TRAP law, some ever since 2011, but clearly it held no sway over how the members would vote.  Still, it was important to not go down without a fight.

The TRAP law seems to rest on the notion that abortions are complex procedures that threaten the health of the woman, hence a need to make facilities which provide them adhere to harsher standards.  Commenters from my side pointed out that this fuss is unfounded – standard first trimester abortions are ten to fifteen minute outpatient procedures that don’t require the incapacitation of the patient, nor do they require an overnight stay.  Colonoscopies, dental surgery, and plastic surgery carry more risk.  One openly anti-choice Board member recalled a visit to a Virginia Beach women’s clinic, and said in a grave tone that women walked from the room where they had the procedure to the recovery room.  Her gist was that the clinic was cheap and uncaring for not wheeling their patients to and fro; anti-TRAP medical experts knew better.  Patients can safely walk after the procedure – it IS an outpatient procedure. This is the gift of Roe vs. Wade – safe abortions performed by professionals in sanitary settings, instead of novices in back alleys or motel rooms.

Many commenters referenced the big to-do of June 2012, when the Board voted to grandfather in existing women’s clinics (translation: exempt them from the standards) and apply the code only to future ones.  Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli weighed in heavily afterwards, saying the Board was out of line – they didn’t have the authority to make exceptions, and if they upheld their decision they would not receive legal support from the Attorney General or his office should any of them be sued.  The Board, cowed, voted again and reversed the grandfathering decision.   Anti-TRAP advocates cited precedents and posited that the Board was well within their rights to grandfather, urging them to see the pro-life Cuccinelli’s threat for what it was: a bullying tactic.

One speaker highlighted the nature of this bureaucratic threat:  “there isn’t a janitor’s closet big enough to hide Cuccinelli’s disdain for women.”

When the Board returned from a ten-minute break, the political fireworks began.  Anna Jeng and Jim Edmundson, our champions, asked that the decision be deferred until June on the grounds that the Board hadn’t gathered the necessary amount of information yet.  Setting aside pro-choice/anti-choice ideology, Jeng brought up an important point: women’s clinics are classified as small businesses, and one of the major priorities in America today is helping the small business owner succeed.  More than that, Virginia’s Governor McDonnell issued a set of parameters for regulation not too long ago, in the form of Executive Order 14; the Order calls upon the Board of Health to “cite the best reasonably available scientific, economic, and other information in support of regulatory proposals.”  The duo of Edmundson and Jeng was forthright in its view that the Board had not made all the considerations it needed to make yet, and if it went through with the voting process that day anyway, they would be guilty of violating the governor’s mandate.  Sadly, the motion to delay was voted down, as was a motion to amend the language of the law.  Evidently, the majority of the Board was perfectly happy with TRAP.

My shoulders were up around my ears for the duration of the meeting, but the pinnacle of stress came at the expected time – the final deliberation.  The Board had heard an hour’s worth of public testimony, the majority of which opposed the law.  Had any of it gotten through?  No – each member voted just as they had in their previous TRAP decisions.  As the “yes” votes rolled in, a number of red hands went up in the audience, signifying blood from a future slew of self-executed abortions were now on the Board and Cuccinelli’s hands.  When TRAP was finalized and the gavel banged, many in the anti-TRAP division stood up and shouted “Shame!  Shame!  Shame!”  Some had donned Cuccinelli masks at this time.  Security was called in to escort the standing protestors out.  One man was jostled out singing a popular civil rights song.

The meeting was an education for me, and not the fun kind where you learn about theory and all the diversity and possibility in the world.  It was an education in realness and narrowness – sometimes the People speak and they aren’t heard.  Sometimes a decision is made and it has immediate real world consequences – perhaps right now, women’s clinics all over my state are drawing up construction plans and trying to figure out how to pay for it all, or deciding when to close their doors.

Friday did not teach me that my presence and voice makes a big difference, but it did teach me to fight the fight, even if it is a losing one.  It energized me – I want to be that person standing in line at 6:30 in the morning many times over in my life, ready to show my solidarity or opposition with a given bill or motion.

Photo by Emily Butler

Women still only make 77 percent of what our male counterparts make. So we have to work an extra 23% to break even with men. In calendar terms, that means today would be the end of our fiscal year as opposed to December 31. Our extra 23% of the year is up. Yippee!

[That was sarcasm.]

But not everyone can celebrate. If you’re a woman of color, your fiscal year isn’t over yet. The end of the fiscal year for black women is May 11th. The Latina end of the fiscal year is June 13th.

If only having to work an extra 23-45% of the year would give us an extension on our taxes.

[Again, sarcasm.]

You would also think that since we have to work more to earn the same money as our male counterparts, we would also be able to take time off for health reasons to keep us in working condition. But the truth of the matter is that 48% of women have no paid sick leave or paid family medical leave. So if you get sick, or have a child or family member who relies on you get sick, you either have to sacrifice your health (and that of those you work with) or sacrifice your job.

I wish I could say that this financial story had a happy ending. However, despite such victories as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, multiple attempts to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act or the Equal Pay Act have failed. Conservatives in Congress keep digging up new ways to keep women, and especially women of color, as a cheap labor force.

But the struggle to gain equal pay is still going. The Paycheck Fairness Act has been reintroduced. Maybe the third time is the charm? And the more pressure we put on our elected officials to make sure that our paychecks are filled with dollars and not 77 cents, the sooner we will get equal pay for our equal work.

–

Worried young businesswoman holding a calculator from Shutterstock

]]> http://feministcampus.org/blog/index.php/2013/04/09/the-end-of-the-fiscal-year-for-women/feed/ 1 http://feministcampus.org/blog/index.php/2013/03/24/nyflc-2013-closing-assembly-feminist-action-from-campuses-to-state-capitols/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nyflc-2013-closing-assembly-feminist-action-from-campuses-to-state-capitols http://feministcampus.org/blog/index.php/2013/03/24/nyflc-2013-closing-assembly-feminist-action-from-campuses-to-state-capitols/#comments Sun, 24 Mar 2013 21:10:51 +0000 Emily Butler http://feministcampus.org/blog/?p=7526

Eleanor Smeal opened the final assembly

After a long weekend of workshops, skills building, education, and activism, the FMF campus team closed out a fantastic NYFLC that got every young feminist present fired up and ready to fight for the feminist cause – beginning at their college campuses and encouraging them to take their passion all the way to the state capitols!

We want you to work at your STATE LEVEL! We heard from Brandi Murley from South Dakota State and her involvement with student government. This is a great catalyst for running for office and getting feminist voices in the legislative offices of our country.

“Look into the law because that is the tool we can use to make sure universities are responsible.” -Laura Dunn of SurvJustice

“You don’t have to leave your campus. You can schedule a meeting with your representative.” -Eleanor Smeal, President FMF

Activist Pledges from all the young feminists at NYFLC 2013

“I’m here to ask you, please, please…please, please run for office!” -Brandi Murley from South Dakota State

“Issues at the state level — you cannot underestimate how much power you have!” -Miranda Petersen, Campus Organizer

“It’s all about harassment with [anti-choicers]. They’re bullies and they need to be dealt with.” -Brooke Hoffenke, Campus Organizer

“The environment and reproductive health is an economic and human rights issue.” -Kari Ross, Campus Organizer

“Get [students] registered to vote, get them educated on the issues, get them mobilized to VOTE.” -Francesca Witcher, Campus Organizer

Many students also stood up to the mic and talked about what they’re going to do back on campus and asking what they can do after they graduate. Run for public office! City council! Many brave feminists shared their stories of sexual violence. When every single attendee in the room literally stood in solidarity, there was more than one person tearing up.

If you missed the Closing Assembly, you can watch the video on our Ustream channel: http://bit.ly/nyflcTV

Also available on Ustream:
General Assembly I – From Campuses to the Capitols
Town Hall with Tina Tchen
General Assembly II – The Fight for Women’s Rights & Health Worldwide

Anushay Hossain opens GAII

It’s important for young feminists to be involved in the fight for women’s rights both at home and abroad. This general assembly was moderated by the Global Programs Director of Feminist Majority Foundation, Anushay Hossain. Hossain discussed the importance of ratifying CEDAW in the United States, to take a stand for women and girls around the world. It is our mission, and we hope “Ensure that every girl around the world has access to quality education.”

The GA featured influential feminists such as:

• Anu Kumar, Executive Vice President, IPAS
  “Our message is women’s rights are at stake and their lives are at stake everywhere.”
  “Every ninety seconds a woman dies in pregnancy and childbirth… in the developing world… These deaths, especially in 2013, do not need to occur.”
  “Legal status doesn’t actually change the rate of abortions. Legal status does help women find their way to safe abortion and that is very important.”
  Kumar talked extensively about the Helms Amendment and how it hinders the United States in helping family planning around the globe. “The Helms Amendment is the institutionalization of stigma.”

• Seema Jalan, Director of Universal Access Project and Policy, United Nations Foundation, talked about the importance of taking every opportunity. Jalan was inspiring to so many young feminists who are approaching graduation and beginning their careers by sharing her experience working in the private sector, interning, going back to school, and finding a way to work for her passion.
  “I learned how to take my passion for talking… and I made that into a job.”

• Jennifer Redner, Senior Program Officer U.S. Foreign Policy and Advocacy, International Women’s Health Coalition
  “Women are and should be treated as equal citizens of the world.”
  “We need to vocalize and express that [women and girls] ARE the majority!”
  Redner talked to the crowd about child marriage survivors and organizations working to aid these girls.
  “The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate in the industrial world.”
  “Make sure you tell them loud and clear what you want for yourself and women and girls around the world.”

• Zareen Taj, Afgan Scholars Program, Feminist Majority Foundation
  “Education is a pathway to autonomy… Education of women unlocks the shackles of oppression in Afghanistan.”
  “At the age of 14 when became activist I came out of the silent role.”
  “Education gave me a voice to speak for myself and to speak for other Afghan women.”
  “If I didn’t receive that scholarship… I would never be able to fulfill the dream I had for a long time.”
  “They are not longer purely victims… they are survivors.”

• Katherine Spillar, Executive Vice President, Feminist Majority Foundation & Executive Editor, Ms. Magazine
  “Boys and girls around the world have the right to be educated…  There’s a gender gap to access to education.”
  “There are two battlegrounds for advancing girls’ global rights. The first is the US Congress… The second is the United Nations.”
  “Neither culture not tradition can trump human rights.”
  “We don’t care that it’s an uphill battle…” Feminists will fight! We all need to talk about CEDAW.
  “Now is the time to talk about girls education and girls rights.”

• Sheethal Jose, Girls Learn International (GLI) Alum, University of Virginia
  “Coming from India I knew how much education meant to these girls… [The parents] did not consider in investing in their daughter’s education as any value to them. ”
  “GLI is the perfect platform for an immense cultural exchange.” GLI and their partner schools exchange letters and scrapbooks to understand the history and culture of other nations.
  “I’m hoping to pursue a career path in global health and advocacy.” What an inspiration to young feminists!

If you missed General Assembly II, you can watch the video on our Ustream channel: http://bit.ly/nyflcTV

Coming up on Ustream at 3:30 to 5:00: Closing Assembly – Feminist Action from Campuses to State Capitols

“This is the hardest working White House I have ever seen.” -Eleanor Smeal

Tina Tchen first met FMF President Eleanor Smeal organizing for the Equal Rights Amendment  What a great example for all the young feminists at NYFLC that are meeting hundreds of fellow feminists, many at campuses near them.

“We have to make sure that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) stays the law of the land.”

Tchen talked about how much misinformation exists with the ACA. Under 26 and still on your parent’s health insurance? That’s ACA!

Tchen also discussed many issues that we held workshops on at NYFLC, including immigration reform and what it means for women.

“We are the closest we’ve ever been [on immigration reform] and we are determined to get it done.”

Tchen also talked about the importance of VAWA, especially when it comes to sexual violence on college campuses.

We were so lucky at NYFLC to have had Tina Tchen take questions from all those attending NYFLC, as well as all our digital viewers at our Ustream and on Twitter. The line for the mic to ask questions was almost out the door!

Questions from our conference attendees ranged from questions about campus activism all the way to activism on a national level. Some attendees picked Tchen’s brain… What is the POTUS really like?

Tina Tchen said that one of her proudest moments in her job was when President Obama signed the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

We love that Twitter can make cyberfeminism a true avenue of activism. Stand Up for Women North Dakota asked:

(StandUp4WomenND tweeted:) @feministcampus Does Tina Tchen have any advice for women living in #ND? we have rallies planned 4Monday 3/25 #reproroghts#rallyND

(FeministCampus tweeted:) @StandUp4WomenND “Don’t get disheartened! #Personhood may be on the ballot but we defeated it in #MS. We can do it again!” – Tina #nyflc2013

Tina Tchen on rape and consent “We have to keep educating men and young boys on sexual assault and consent.”

We had so many young feminists with questions to ask Tina Tchen, that we ran over nearly thirty minutes!

If you missed the Town Hall, you can watch the video on our Ustream channel: http://bit.ly/nyflcTV

Coming up on Ustream tomorrow, March 24, 2013, at 9:45AM to 11:15AM: The Fight for Women’s Rights & Health Worldwide