Feminist Events Calendar

February-Black History Month:
-14th: V-day
-14th-21st: National Condom Week

March-Women's History Month:
-1st: International Women of Color Day
-8th: International Women's Day
-22nd: Back Up Your Birth Control Day

April:
-8th: Feminist Leadership Institute
-9th-11th: National Collegiate Global Women's and Human Rights Conference
Register Today!

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February is Black History Month

Celebrate Black History Month and International Women of Color Day (March 1) by educating yourselves and your campus on the contributions Women of Color have made (and continue to make) to the feminist movement.

From Ida B. Wells, Suffragist and anti-lynching activist to Helen Zia, (Asian Pacific American) activist and award-winning journalist, the feminist movement is diverse in personality and perspectives. bell hooks once affirmed, "Feminism is for Everybody."

While women of color feminists face struggles that include (the many layers of) racial injustice, all feminists have the goal of political, economic and social equality for women.

For more resources on Women of Color and Social Justice check out our Women of Color & Feminism webpage and print out our new informational handouts for your group and campus.

Send a Condom Week of Action ecard today!

Condom Week of Action
Join the FMF in spreading awareness about Condoms and Emergency Contraception (EC) during National Condom Week of Action, Feb. 14th-21st. Knowledge and practice lead to consistent condom use which reduces the risk of HIV transmission by 85-100%. Consistent use is 85%-98% effective in preventing unintended pregnancy. National Condom Week of Action is all about protecting yourself and your partner. Find out more!

New Materials
Go to the Program Materials section of Feminist Campus to view and download all of the factsheets for our current campaigns, including new handouts for February on Violence Against Women, EC, and Condoms.

Another Delay by the FDA!
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has done it again. They were scheduled to make a decision on the over-the-counter (OTC) status of Emergency Contraception (EC) Plan B by January 21, 2005. Instead of following scientific research and its own expert advisory panel, which has overwhelmingly demonstrated the safety, efficacy, and need for EC OTC for all women, the FDA seems to be bowing to right wing, anti-women pressure. Tell the FDA to Stop Holding EC Hostage!

Temple University
The Temple University FMLA (Philadelphia , PA) is celebrating diversity of size by hosting a Love Your Body Week (Feb. 7-10). They will host a number of workshops to educate fellow students on: eating disorders, healthy alternatives to popular menstruation products, body image, and sex toys.

University of Southern California
On January 26 the USC FMLA hosted a very successful Roe v. Wade commemoration party. They provided free food and used the party as a way not only to spread information and awareness about the landmark Supreme Court case, but also to give people the opportunity to personally take a stand on protecting reproductive rights by signing their Pledge of Solidarity. The goal of the Pledge is for individuals to restate their commitment to gender equality and feminist ideals.

New FMLAs!
We would like to welcome South Dakota State University's Campus Women's Coalition to the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance community!

New Young Feminist Task Force Holds Meet-Up
February 3, 2005--The newly formed Younger Women's Task Force of the National Coalition of Women's Organizations held its first major event this past weekend. Launched in summer 2004, the Task Force brought young feminists from around the country to a three-day conference in Washington, DC to strategize and discuss issues of importance to younger feminists. More

Abstinence Only Sex Education Proves Futile with Texas Teenagers
February 2, 2005--In the first evaluation of abstinence-only sex education programs across the state of Texas, researchers found that almost all high school aged students were more sexually active after abstinence education. The ongoing state-sponsored study conducted by Texas A&M University researchers examined five abstinence-only sex education programs in 24 Texas schools, reports the Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report. More

Bill Restricting Teen Abortion a Top Senate Republican Priority
February 1, 2005--The so-called Child Custody Protection Act, legislation supported by President Bush which would criminalize the transportation of a minor across state lines to obtain an abortion, has been deemed a top ten priority by Senate Republicans. Cited as a threat to the health and safety of young women by abortion rights groups, the CCPA claims to prevent the evasion of parental consent or notification laws in the girl's home state, carrying a sentence of up to one year in prison, reports the Associated Press. More

More Feminist News

UN Commission Finds Crimes Against Humanity in Sudan; Urges International Court Action
February 3, 2005--A United Nations-appointed commission released a report earlier this week that found that the pattern of atrocities in the Sudan did not constitute acts of genocide committed by the government, but instead found the government guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes. The commission is urging the Security Council to refer the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC), instead of an ad hoc tribunal like the United States is proposing. While the commission did not find evidence of an organized governmental act of genocide, it did state that it is up to a competent court to decide if there is evidence of government officials committing acts with "genocidal intent." More

Vatican Official Says Condoms OK to Fight AIDS in Africa
February 2, 2005--A senior Vatican official from Switzerland has stated that condoms could be used to fight AIDS in the poorest parts of Africa and Asia. While keeping with the Vatican's official stance against using condoms as contraception, Cardinal Georges Cottier stated that there is justification to use condoms under certain circumstances, like fighting AIDS because the AIDS threat is so immediate. According to Cottier, "The virus is transmitted during a sexual act; so at the same time as [bringing] life there is also a risk of transmitting death," the Guardian reports. More

Male Dominance Has Led to World's Highest Rate of HIV in Swaziland
January 25, 2005--Experts are pointing to polygamy, rape, sexual violence, and legal exploitation as the main causes why Swaziland, an African country that borders South Africa, has the world's highest HIV infection rate (39 percent). Alan Brody, a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) representative, concluded that the quick spread of HIV/AIDS in the country is due to men's dominance over women and their use of laws, religious, and customs to justify their dominance, reports the LA Times. The ten countries with the highest percentages of adults living with HIV/AIDS in the world are all in sub-Saharan Africa, where patriarchy is deeply rooted. More

More Global Feminist News

Global Conference
The Feminist Majority Foundation's National Collegiate Global Women's and Human Rights Conference will be held on April 9, 10, & 11, 2005!

The conference will connect the dots between the need to build a national constituency to increase international family planning and health funding aid, to ratify international treaties for human rights and the environment, to combat sweatshops, and to promote non-violence and peace. Register Today!

Spread the word about FMF's Conference, April 9-11, with our NEW flyer, fill in the blank with your own campus contact info. and organize a delegation from your campus!

Beijing +10 Appraisal and Review
On February 28, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women will meet for the 10 year Appraisal and Review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA). In public statements, beginning last March, U.S. officials have opposed language in the BPFA intended to protect women's reproductive health, expressed antipathy towards the evolving norms of human rights, and made light of the governmental obligations for implementation taken at the World Conference on Women in 1995.

If the United States pulls out of the international consensus supporting the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), it will publicly signal this administration's non-support for women's human rights. It will also open up a political space for other governments to assert their non-accountability to the BPFA and/or exemption from CEDAW (International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women), DEVAW (United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women) or other international instruments seeking to advance women's rights and full participation in society.

We need to let the administration know that we are paying attention to the Beijing +10 Appraisal and Review process, and that we have concerns about the actions being taken by our government and its representatives!

Join us in urging President Bush and Secretary Rice to forthrightly and unequivocally affirm the Beijing Platform for Action and to use the power of their offices to serve the world by leading us in fulfilling the human rights aspirations of all women and their allies. Download the petition!

For more information or to sign the petition online, visit the official petition website. Questions? Contact nwsaoffice@nwsa.org

Condom Week of Action

• Make sure you are informed about condoms and reproductive health by reading FMF's new brochures: Everything You Need to Know About Condoms and Emergency Contraception.
• Print the brochures out and spread them around your campus.
• Send an ecard to your friends reminding them to know the facts and use protection!

Tell the FDA to Stop Holding EC Hostage!
On Friday, January 21, 2005 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) once again gave in to right-wing pressure in deciding to delay its decision on over-the-counter (OTC)
status for the emergency contraceptive, Plan B, for women ages 16 and older. Take Action!

"Voices of Men"
An Educational Comedy by Ben Atherton-Zeman

This 47-minute, multi-media play deals with several important issues:
--Sexual assault and date rape
--Dating violence and domestic violence
--Sexual harassment and objectification

The play uses humor and celebrity male voice impressions to bring these topics to a male audience in a way that minimizes defensiveness. Each male character in the play is forced to deal with one of the issues listed above -- in doing so, they come to the realization that they are, in fact, both part of the problem and part of the solution. The process each male character goes through has led boys and men in several states to become involved in both self-reflection and in violence prevention efforts.

Ben Atherton-Zeman has thirteen years' experience working with domestic violence programs and rape crisis centers. In addition to performing "Voices," he is also available for keynote addresses, workshop facilitation and ongoing consulting.
"Voices of Men", whenever possible, is presented in cooperation with local domestic violence programs and rape crisis centers.

Contact Ben Atherton-Zeman at (978) 263-3254 or benazeman@hotmail.com for booking information.

Rise and Resist: Young Queer Women Do Activism
Submit a paper to be included in this new anthology!

This is a call for personal essays written by lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women (in their late teens to early thirties) on their participation in queer activism(s).The authors of the anthology want to create a snapshot of what young queer women are doing to resist the current oppressive political climate that engulfs our lives.

This is an outlet for the legacy of creative queer women's resistance and an offering of hope for future endeavors in queer activist struggles. Possible topics may include, but are certainly not limited to:

• How one became involved in queer activism/learning how to become an activist
• Everyday activism(s)
• Historical presence of activism
• What we've learned from lesbian separatism/the current place of lesbian separatism
• Queering the queer: bi and trans activisms
• Coalition-building politics
• Gender activism as queer activism
• Experiences in activist organizations/circles
• Activist families (chosen or biological)
• Support networks in queer activism
• The importance of street activism(s), radical activism(s), etc.
• Queer activism in this particular political climate

Submissions must be received by June 31, 2005
Send one hardcopy of your submission to: Maura Ryan, Department of Sociology, University of Florida, Turlington 3219, P.O. Box 117330, Gainesville, FL 32611

2nd annual Women and Media Conference (WAM!)
The Center for New Words, in collaboration with the MIT Program in Women's Studies, in sponsoring its second annual Women and Media Conference (WAM!).

The conference will be held March 18-20 at the Stata Center at MIT in Cambridge, MA. There will be breakout and networking sessions, as well as outreach tables, vendors' tables, and book signings throughout the weekend.

Keynote speakers include Medea Benjamin, the co-founder of Code Pink and Founding Director of Global Exchange; Maria Hinojosa, an author and journalist with CNN and NPR; Jill Nelson, a commentator, author, and journalist with niaonline.com and USA Today; and Daisy Hernandez, an author and journalist with ColorLines, Ms. Magazine, and The New York Times.

Registration fees vary depending on date of registration and status, but scholarships and work-study are available. Contact Andi Sutton at asutton@centerfornewwords.org or (617) 876-5310 for more information. Register by February 28 to recieve the best rates. To learn more about the conference, visit www.centerfornewwords.org.

Find a feminist internship or post-graduate job!

Job Search Tips:

• Attend job search conferences so that you can network with future employers.

Each issue will have new tips to help you succeed in finding a feminist internship or job. Have a great tip for this section? Submit it to campusteam@feminist.org!