Feminist Events Calendar

Over the Summer Plan For a Fabulous Feminist Fall!

May 3rd: National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Day

14-20: National Women's Health Week

15- June 2nd: 35th Meeting of UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women

June 27th: National HIV Testing Day

August 7-25: 36th Meeting of UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women

26th: Women's Equality Day

September Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month

28th: Anniversary of FDA Approval of Mifepristone (RU-486)

October Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

11th: National Coming Out Day

15th: Love Your Body Day

19th: National Young Women's Day of Action

November 6-10: EC Week of Action

7th: Election Day

25th: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

26- December 10th: 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence

December 1st: World AIDS Day

10th: International Human Rights Day

Contact Us!

Call us toll free at either the East coast office (1-866-444-FMLA) or the West coast office (1-866-471-FMLA). You can also email us at campusteam@feminist.org. We are always happy to hear from you and answer any questions or concerns!

What do you think?

This is your E-zine, and we are always updating and changing to fit your needs, so please let us know what you think of our new format! Email campusteam@feminist.org with any suggestions, ideas, or comments.

Celebrate Earth Day, Equal Pay Day, and the National Day of Silence this week!
On April 22nd celebrate Earth Day! Show the connections between environmental degradation and women's rights. For informational fact sheets click here!

April 25th is Equal Pay Day! Speak out about the wage gap by hosting educational forums or pay equity bake sales. For more information check out:pay-equity.org and wageproject.org!

April 26th is the National Day of Silence! Educate your campus about discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. To find out if your campus is participating or how to get involved, check out www.dayofsilence.org!

Walk for Women's Lives 2006 ~ Philadelphia, Iowa City, and Washington, DC!
Support the University of Iowa FMLA or Widener University FMLA Walk for Women's lives Saturday, April 29th! Both campuses will be hosting walks on this day to support ovarian and uterine cancer research. If you are Philadelphia or Iowa City register for either walk by clicking here!

Close to DC? Join the National Walk for Women's Lives in Washington DC Sunday, April 23, 2006. This 5k fun walk to support research on the use of mifepristone to treat progesterone-dependent cancers is set to take place Sunday, April 23rd, 2006 at the Women's Memorial in Arlington, VA. The rally is set to begin at 9:00am with the walk to follow at 9:30am.

If you can't walk please consider sponsoring the walk with a tax-deductible donation. To donate or to register for the walk, click here!

Imaging Ourselves: A Global Generation of Women
Be Inspired - Get Involved - Take Action! The American Association of University Women (AAUW) has become a partner in the International Museum of Women's Imagining Ourselves: A Global Generation of Women. The project reaches out to a new generation of women – one billion women between the ages of 20 and 35 – to answer the question, "What defines your generation?" It draws upon the thoughts of young women worldwide to reveal a generation of women poised to take the reigns of global leadership like no other generation in history – a generation of women who believe that anything is possible for young women today. Imagining Ourselves is a platform for young women to create change in their lives, their communities, and their world.

This four-month project features different themes and discussions each month. March focused on Love and Relationships in a Changing World, April is Money and Young Women in Today's Economy, May is Culture and Conflict and focuses on uniting women across boundaries, and June is the Future and Taking Action. To find out more about the project and how you can get involved, check out the International Museum of Women site!

Demand EC OTC!
Senators Clinton and Murray are blocking the confirmation of Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach to replace Lester Crawford as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner until the FDA agrees to make a decision on Over-the-Counter (OTC) status for Emergency Contraception. The Senators are standing up for women, especially young women and they need to hear from you. Before you leave campus for the summer send a letter of thanks to Senators Clinton and Murray and a letter of shame to the FDA for keeping EC OTC in limbo.

The facts don't lie-

• More than 70 medical organizations support over the counter status for EC.
• EC is 95% effective if taken with 24 hours of unprotected sexual intercourse
• It is estimated that EC have the potential to cut in half 3 million unintended pregnancies.

Politics must not trump science!

Take action today and tell the FDA to stop playing politics with women's lives and approve Plan B for Over-The-Counter (OTC) status. Sign the online petition today! Also send a "Thank You" to Senators Clinton and Murray for blocking Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach confirmation. To learn more about the status of the Plan B application click here!

Graduating Feminists!
Congratulations to those of you who are graduating this May! Don't forget update your information on FeministCampus.org. Just sign in at www.feministcampus.org and click on 'Update your Profile'. Over the summer keep a look out for our new Alumnae Section in which members can receive special discounts on FMF products.  Also, before you graduate signup for Ms. Magazine and receive a special discount ~ $12.50 for a year of Ms!

End of Semester Interviews
It's that time of year again for the End of Semester Interview with your Campus Organizer! Please call or email your campus organizer today and set up a time and day to complete the interview. This is the last end of semester with your current Campus Organizer. Your new Organizer will be contacting your exec board this summer! Also, please email your Campus Organizer with the contact information of your Fall 2006 exec board after your spring elections. Don't know who your organizer is? Click here or email campusteam@feminist.org.

SUNY- Courtland ~ Planet Of Women for Equality and Respect (P.O.W.E.R)
The inaugural POWER of Women Conference was held on SUNY-Cortland on Saturday, April 8th with over 75 attendees, was a wonderful success. The conference was organized by FMF's Affiliate P.O.W.E.R to engage attendees in active discussion about the problems facing women today and what can be done to solve these problems.

The keynote speaker, Judy Gorman, kicked off the conference with inspirational songs.  Gorman noted that women's contributions have been written out of history and that it is important to begin writing women back into history. Dr. Davis-Russell, the Provost of Cortland, recognized P.O.W.E.R's contribution to the campus and stressed how important it is to keep P.O.W.E.R to provide a forum for discussion.

There were thirteen workshops that were conducted throughout the day. Including: “Confessions of a Male Feminist”, “I'm a Feminist, But…”, “Life Outside the Mold: Butch and Androgynous Women's Appearance, Performance, and Society's Response", “Girl – Hate: Where Does it Start?”

Judy Gorman, Dr. Colleen Kattau and Karina Murphy closed the conference with a musical performance in Brown Auditorium. Singing songs about Emma Goldman, violence against women, and worker's rights, it was a fitting end to a conference focused on the status and roles of women both in the past and present.

Hunter College ~ Hunter Women's Rights Coalition
The Hunter Women's Rights Coalition embarked on a gender rights project to create private and comfortable bathroom facilities to be used by all members of the Hunter College community, including trans-identified student, faculty, and staff. The group began the project by approaching the Director of Health and Wellness in the Department of Student Services. The group wrote the Director a short memo describing the need for these facilities. In addition, they also investigated the Hunter College Non-Discrimination Policy and found that it included 'gender identity.'

Concurrently, they showed 'Toilet Training,' a video distributed by the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, which advocates for the need for gender-neutral bathrooms. And gathered publicity for a page-long piece in The Envoy, the Hunter College newspaper, describing the campaign to the student body.

The Director of Health and Wellness, along with the Vice President, were instrumental in the re- labeling of two already-existing single-stalled, locking bathrooms, with new signs.

This was a multi-faceted group effort, which was only possible through the collaboration with students on campus and the administration.

Penn State University ~ FMLA
During the last week of March the FMLA at Penn State held a Feminist Fair and a Rock For Choice Concert. The Feminist Fair had approx. 150 attendees and focused on educating the campus community about feminism and progressive leadership on campus. Additional campus groups who participated in the event were: ALLIES, Eco-Action, Amnesty International, College Democrats, Indian Student Association, MAV, PHREE< the Microbiology Club, and SLAP. In addition, Rock For Choice raised $170 to be split between their local women's clinic and the FMF National Clinic Access Project which assists in funding the last abortion clinic in Mississippi.

Indiana University - Bloomington ~ FMLA
"Stand Up & Be Counted", the FMLA's Rally for Sexual Assault Awarness Month took place Thursday, April 20th on the IU Bloomington campus.  About 120 people attended the rally and the numbers on their shirts represented the 131 victims of sexual assault on this campus over the past year.

They picked this day for the Rally because it is Little 5 week, the BIGGEST party weekend on the IU campus.   Many student groups use this weekend as a chance to educate people on
the biggest date rape drug - alcohol- and sexual assault/rape.

Campus Organizers Sky Dive to End Sexual Assault
FMF Campus Organizers Jessica Bearden, Daquanna Harrison, and Candice Lopez will be participating in Operation Freefall 2006 on Saturday, April 29th to raise money for Speaking Out About Rape (SOAR) and the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). Collectively they have raised over $2000 for these amazing organizations. "I'm really excited to take part in such a daring event while raising money for such an important cause!" says Jessica Bearden. To learn more about how you can get involved in the future check out:http://www.operationfreefall.com/

Federal Judge Rules Against Kansas Attorney General
April 19, 2006 -- A federal court ruled yesterday that Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline could not use a Kansas statute requiring doctors and teachers to report potential child abuse to require health care providers to report consensual sexual activity among teenagers under the age of 16. Kline had issued a broad interpretation of the law in 2003 that would have required health care providers, including abortion clinics, to report any sexual activity or intimate contact reported between teens under the age of 16. US District Judge J. Thomas Marten wrote in his opinion that such a requirement would deter teens from seeking health care services, according to the New York Times . More

White House Easter Event a Milestone for Acceptance
April 18, 2006 -- In an effort organized by the DC gay-rights group Family Pride Coalition, over 100 lesbian and gay families attended the annual White House Egg Roll for the first time in its 130-year history yesterday, wearing rainbow-colored leis to show their solidarity. Children accompanied by their parents rolled Easter eggs through the grass with long-handled spoons, dyed eggs, and hobnobbed with their favorite cartoon characters, such as Clifford the Big Red Dog and Arthur from PBS. More

Colorado Governor Vetoes Emergency Contraception Bill
April 17, 2006-- Bill Owens, the Republican Governor of Colorado, has vetoed State House Bill 1212, which would have allowed pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception (EC) without a doctor's prescription. State Senator Jennifer Veiga (D) said to the Denver Post that “this is the second year in a row that the governor has turned his back on women's health,” referring to Owens' veto of a bill that would have obligated hospitals to give referrals for EC to all rape victims. Kathryn Wittneben of NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado said, “It is not enough for the governor to give lip service to wanting to reduce abortion … [EC] is one of the safest and most effective ways to help women prevent unintended pregnancy” reports the Associated Press (AP). More

More Feminist News

Report Shows Continued Violence and Discrimination Against Afghan Women
April 17, 2006 -- A new report on the current status of Afghan women and girls issued by the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) demonstrates that Afghan women and girls continue to face extreme obstacles and discrimination as they seek to exercise their rights. The “Evaluation Report on General Situation of Women in Afghanistan” states that despite the Afghan government's constitutional obligation to “observe and respect women's rights” and the numerous human rights treaties Afghanistan has signed, women face many problems in all aspects of their lives More

Four Nobel Prize Winners Honored With Global Women's Rights Awards
April 14, 2006 -- At a star-studded ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Tuesday, the Feminist Majority Foundation honored four of the seven living women Nobel Peace Prize winners for their work for women's rights. “These are obviously extraordinary people. All the more so when you realize how hard it is to win a Nobel Prize… Of the 758 Nobel Prize winners, only 33 have been women, and only 12 have been awarded the Peace Prize,” said host Salma Hayek in her opening address. Actor-director Hayek co-hosted the event with Mavis and Jay Leno. More

More Global Feminist News

Million Voices for Darfur - April 30th Deadline
On January 12, 2006 (the 55th anniversary of International Genocide Prevention Day), the Save Darfur Coalition and over one hundred advocacy, humanitarian aid, and faith-based organizations have launched the Million Voices for Darfur Campaign to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur and to demand that Congress and the Bush Administration take action to halt the atrocities. The Coalition and its partners are calling for 1,000,000 postcards, phone calls, and electronic signatures calling for the U.S. government to support a larger, stronger, multinational force to protect the civilians of Darfur. On April 30th, the Coalition will deliver these messages to Capitol Hill and the White House. Get involved and encourage others to raise their voices to help stop the genocide and hold President Bush to the words that he wrote in the margins of a briefing memo on the Rwandan genocide: "Not On My Watch." Send a message to help Darfur!

Promote Literacy Across the Globe! Have an End of Semester Book Drive!
The FMF and the National Women's Studies Association have teamed up to help your FMLA/affiliate collect used class books, donate them to international book organizations, and make a difference on a global scale!

To make the process as simple as possible, we are collaborating with Better World Books and Books For Africa, who collects books on behalf of libraries, schools, and hundreds of non-governmental organizations, who then distribute the materials among communities in need. Better World Books (BWB) began as a book-drive run by three friends on a university campus - now, it's a nation-wide effort with thousands of people involved, all working to improve people's quality of life through literacy. One of their biggest partnerships is with Books for Africa, whose mission is to help end the book famine in Africa; since 1988, the organization has shipped over 10 million books to 26 countries in Africa.

At the BWB collection center, the books are sorted; some are donated to Books for Africa directly, and others are offered for sale online to generate funds for the shipment of containers of books to Africa. BWB has raised $500,000 for BFA through online book sale, and every book sold online sends 5 to Africa.

For more information on the book drive, click here! For more suggestions on campaigns that target anti-sweatshop, pro-global reproductive health, and pro-environment organizing, check out the FMF 2005-2006 Global Actions Kit!

March for Peace, Justice and Democracy ~ NYC ~ April 30th On Saturday, April 29, activists from women's rights organizations, the peace movement, environmental groups, civil rights, labor, and religious communities will come together in New York City to march for peace, justice and democracy. Learn more about this exciting event and how you can be involved by clicking here!

Assemble: 22nd Street and Broadway, 10:30AM
March: At noon down Broadway to Foley Square
Grassroots action festival: 1:00-6:00PM, Foley Square

National Student Lobby Day to Defeat the Federal Marriage Ammendment (FMA)! Stop the So-Called “Marriage Protection Act" by speaking out and raising your voice to your Senators.

Why Should Senators Oppose the FMA?

• The government should not enshrine the religious view of any one faith in laws
• Senators should not write discrimination into the Constitution
• The Constitution should extend, not restrict rights

Why Should YOU Get Involved?

• Potential consequences will affect You during your lifetime
• Students hold critical power to educate others on campus
• Youth voices must be heard in the policy process

Date: Tuesday May 23, 2006
Location: Washington, DC
Time: 8am-5pm Visit www.au.org/lobby to register

Find a feminist internship or post-graduate job!

Job Search Tips: Keep Up Your Feminist Activism Post-Graduation! Join the Feminist Majority Foundation!

Are you graduating this May and looking for an awesome feminist career? The FMF is now hiring a new class of Campus Organizers to assist in leading the most innovative feminist Campus Program in the United States. To read about the job and learn more, click here!