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Dear Marilyn,
Who is the 'field'? our base is the field ..
the million women's network - the county
coordinators who reach activists on the
ground and on the
internet with action and information alerts
from the CAWA e-system; the policy task
force chairs who keep us abreast of critical
issues and legislation that needs action; the
CAWA Legislators' Council - key members of
the California Assembly, Senate and
Congress; and the 700 California-based
partner organizations.
This month we are focusing on Women's History
Month and International Women's Day with an
article by Anna Marks, WIN/CAWA's new
Communications Director, and a Calendar of
Events celebrating women's progress locally
and globally. You can also check out the National Women's
History Project, our partners in Santa
Rosa, for more information on Women's History
Month.
WIN sponsored two panels
during the 52nd Session of the UN Commission
on Women in New York City on February 25th
and 26th - "The Politics of Funding and Funding
Politics"; and, "Envisioning a 5th UN Women's
World
Conference," a panel with Gloria Steinem. Look
for
our report next issue by WIN Chair Elahe Amani,
who served as moderator for one of the panels
- digital audio
recordings will be made available to
those who were unable to attend!
As a member of CAWA, and our Mother Ship, the
Women's Intercultural Network (WIN), you can
receive late breaking information and alerts from
our action networks.
To learn more about CAWA, visit us
online.
| Celebrating International Women's Day and The Global Women's Agenda - Locally and Globally |
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-- By Anna L. Marks, Communications Director,
WIN/CAWA
International Women's Day (IWD), March 8th,
was born at the turn of the last century - a
time of economic and political upheaval.
Celebrated around the world, IWD is rooted in
the global movement for women's rights
including the right to vote, the right to
equal pay and job opportunities, the right to
hold elective office, and the right to live
and work
in a safe environment free from fear.
In 1975, the first of four International
Women's Conferences was held in Mexico City -
this same year was officially identified as
the International Year of Women (at the
recommendation of the UN
Commission on the Status of Women), and
IWD was given official recognition by the
United Nations. It was also the year that CEDAW,
the Convention for the Elimination of All
Forms of
Discrimination Against Women, was first
drafted. Often described as the
"International Bill of Rights for Women,"
CEDAW was formally adopted in 1979 by the UN
General Assembly and has since been ratified
by 185 countries, yet, to date, still awaits
ratification by the U.S. (the only developed
nation that has not yet done so).
In an effort to continue the progress women
have made toward true equality, there have
been three more International Women's
Conferences; in Copenhagen in 1980; Nairobi
in 1985; and Beijing in 1995. The Beijing
Conference saw the unanimous adoption of the
Platform
for Action (first drafted in Mexico
City and formulated from agreements reached
at the three previous conferences) by
representatives of 189 countries, and which
continues to represent the framework of
gender equality globally.
The Women's
Intercultural Network (WIN) was
instrumental in implementing CEDAW
locally here in the Bay Area, and has been
instrumental in bringing the Beijing Platform
for Action home to California and to women
throughout the U.S via U.S. Women
Connect.
As the 'mother
ship', WIN formed the California Women's
Agenda (CAWA) as a "network that organizes."
CAWA links one million women together in
California on the ground and on the internet
to set priority strategies for grassroots
action. Whether connecting First Nation
Native American women on the North
Coast with
women behind the "digital divide" in the
Central
Valley, CAWA continues to build
alliances to advance the UN goals of
equality, development and peace for women and
girls.
"Setting an Action Agenda is essential. The
status of women and the well being of our
children and families are in great danger. We
must use our resources wisely and we cannot
afford to waste one minute in implementing an
agenda that will protect and enhance the
status of and opportunities for women and
girls throughout California, the United
States and the World" - Congresswoman Nancy
Pelosi in her acceptance of the Circle of
Courage Award from WIN, December 2004
Eleanor Roosevelt, chair of the UN's
Commission on Human Rights, was instrumental
in the creation of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (signed
December 10, 1948), and succinctly stated
that, "The destiny of human rights is in the
hands of all our
citizens in all our communities." In 1995,
Senator and then former First Lady Hillary
Rodham Clinton spoke at Beijing saying that
"it is no longer acceptable to discuss
women's rights as separate from human
rights."
Yet gender-based violence continues
throughout the world, both domestic and
war-time, with no end in sight. As women
around the globe continue to draw the links
between peace and gender equity, they also
continue to struggle for access to adequate
childcare and health care, for equal
political participation, for legal and safe
abortions, for equal access to education, and
to live free from violence.
For women of the Bay Area and the world, IWD
and Women's History Month is a time
to review how far we have come in our
struggle for justice, peace and equality. It
is also an opportunity to unite, network and
mobilize for meaningful change with a new
administration in 2009.
While implementing and enforcing the Beijing
Platform has taken center stage, at the same
time,
there is a strong movement,
also born in the Bay Area, that has spread
across the U.S. and globally for a Fifth World
Conference in 2012 which
portends to be the largest gathering of women
to date in solidarity for financing and
moving the global women's agenda forward.
Stay in touch with these
agendas and conference plans for California,
the U.S. and the 5WWC at WIN and CAWA's
home page, or email us at win@win-cawa.org.
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| Honoring Roma Guy, Co-Chair CAWA Health Policy |
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Proclamation
WHEREAS Roma Guy has served three terms on
the Health Commission, City and County of San
Francisco, co-chairs the Health Committee of
the California Women's Agenda, and is a
member of the Board of Directors of Health
Access; and,
WHEREAS Ms. Guy served on the Mayor's Local
Homeless Board and Jim Hormel Advisory
Council for the SF Public Library and served
on over fourteen boards and commissions since
1995; and,
WHEREAS Ms. Guy recently retired after
thirteen years teaching at the San Francisco
State University, College of Health and Human
Services in the Department of Health
Education where she was Clinical Faculty for
the MPH program, founder of the campus
Stay-in-School Family Resource Center and a
fellow at the Institute for Community and
Civic Engagement; and,
WHEREAS Ms. Guy was one of the founders of
several community- based women's and girls
programs and organizations such as The
Women's Foundation of California, Women's
Building and SF Women Against Rape, The
Women's Foundation, and La Casa de las
Madres; and,
WHEREAS Ms. Guy was one of the 1000 women
nominated in 2005 world-wide for Nobel Peace
Prize; and,
WHEREAS Ms. Guy, thanks to San Francisco, has
helped create and lives openly in a
multi-generational and diverse family with
her life partner Diane Jones; now, therefore
be it
RESOLVED that the San Francisco Board of
Supervisors hereby declare January 29, 2008
to be declared Roma Guy Day in San Francisco
in recognition of her invaluable
contributions to fighting for healthcare, the
homeless and human rights for women and
girls, people of color, refugees and immigrants.
--Tom Ammiano, San Francisco Board of Supervisors
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| Join the Action Locally and Globally |
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We continue to update our Internet technology
for a more effective and interactive on-line
activist community and for adaptability to
"women behind the digital curtain" - a CAWA
focus in 2008. Your membership donation
will
help to support our efforts on the ground to
connect marginalized women to the CAWA
network for a voice in public policy.
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Women's History Month Events: |
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March 5, 11am to 3pm,
Alameda
County
Health Care: An Economic Human Right, A
Teach-In and Dialogue. Presented by the
Women's Economic Agenda Project. 449 15th
St., 2nd Floor, downtown Oakland. Call
(510)
986-8620 for more information.
March 6, 6:30 to 8:30pm,
Marin
County
Women and Girl's Actions & Solutions, Town
Hall Meeting, hosted by the Marin Women's
Commission. Dance Palace Church space, Pt
Reyes Station. Free with donation. Contact
Marcia McLean at (415) 457-5691.
March 6, 7pm - 9pm,
Alameda County
Speaking Fierce: Celebrate
International Women's Day with an evening of
art, spoken word, humor & music. Hosted by
the Women of Color Resource Center, which
promotes the political, economic, social and
cultural well being of women and girls of
color in the U.S. First Congregational Church
of Oakland, 2501 Harrison Street,
Oakland. For
information, contact (510) 444-2700; or visit
the website.
March 7, 7pm to 9pm,
San Mateo County
Celebracion de Dia Internacional de la
Mujer
This dinner event will recognize
businesswomen and community leaders from
around the Bay Area. Hosted by the Nicaraguan
American Chamber of Commerce of No.
California. Admission is $20. State Room, 306
Baden Avenue, South San Franciso. For
information,
contact (415) 259-1498; or visit
the website.
March 8, 1pm to 5pm,
Alameda
County
Moving Women's Global Agenda Forward.
Presented by the United Nations
Association- USA East Bay Chapter. Keynote
"Women's Global Agenda: A San
Francisco Perspective" by Emily Murase,
Exec. Dir. of the SF Dep't on the
Status of Women; with panel presenters
Charlie Toledo (Women's Intercultural Network
and Suscol Intertribal Council), and Saadia
Ahmed (Ahmadiyya Muslim Community). Mills
College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Bender Room,
Carnegie Hall, Oakland. $10 suggested
donation, free for students. Email
tomikonojima@att.net.
March 8, 11am - 4pm,
Los Angeles
County
Women Say NO to War! Women say no to
war and fight for their rights with 1000
women to march against the war and then
convene for a political fashion show. Olympic
and Broadway, Downtown Los Angeles.
Sponsored by the Gabriela Network & Mariposas
Alliance, an organization that functions as a
training ground for women's leadership.
March 8, noon to 5pm,
Nevada County
Woman to Woman: Being the Change We Want
to See In the World. Join "Gather
the Women" in an afternoon of inspiration
featuring local women artists, speakers,
singers and musicians. Admission is $10 at
the door. Call (530) 477-7883.
March 8, 2pm to 4pm,
Alameda County
Free showing of "Iron-Jawed Angels."
The true story of women who dared take a
stand for women's suffrage. Presented by
Oakland/East Bay NOW and the
California Women's Agenda. Rockridge Library,
5366 College Ave., Oakland.
March 8, 2pm to 7pm,
Santa Clara County
Eve's Elixer, Int'l Women's Day
Celebration! Presented by Amnesty Int'l
USA, Cardea Center for Women, and Kavosh
Women's Organization. Holly Shaw and Hannah
Romanowsky will perform dance pieces from
Eve's Elixir 2007 production to kick off the
event. Keynote speaker: Congresswoman Zoe
Lofgren, will lead a panel discussion on
CEDAW. The event includes art,
jewelry, and crafts by women, plus a live
concert with Agua Libre. Soto Theatre, 701
Vine St., San Jose. For reservations,
call (415) 435-7552; (408) 597-5174.
March 8, 6pm to 10pm,
San Francisco
County
Women, Power and Politics. Presented
by the Int'l Museum of Women in celebration
of their global online art exhibition. Westin
St. Francis Hotel, Grand Ballroom, 335 Powell
St., San Francisco. Contact (415)
543-4669.
March 8, 3pm,
San Diego
County
Jazz for Peace. United
Nations Association of San Diego, celebrating
International Women's Day at Jack's La
Jolla, 7863 Girard Ave. Tickets are $35. Contact
una@unasd.org or call (619) 233-3970
March 13, 6pm to 8pm,
San Francisco
County
Alice Walker in Conversation with Saidiya
Hartman In celebration of Women's Month, the
Museum of the African Diaspora will honor
Pulitzer Prize winning author Alice Walker in
conversation with Columbia professor Saidiya
Hartman - bringing two generations of talented
female authors together to discuss their
work, their inspiration, and their vision.
Admission is $10; $5 for students and
seniors. Contact (415) 358-7200. 685 Mission
St., San
Francisco.
March 13, 4:30pm to 6pm,
San Francisco
County
Reproductive Rights and Justice in the Age of
Biotechnology All are invited to a panel
discussion with Lisa Ikemoto (Law Prof. at UC
Davis); Dorothy Roberts (Prof. at Northwestern
Univ.); and Charis Thompson (Assoc. Prof. at
UC Berk Depts of Gender and Women's Studies and
Rhetoric, and Co-Dir. of Science, Tech, and
Society Ctr). Learn of the relationship
between biotech and race, class,
gender, nationality, geography, and ability.
Golden Gate Univ. School of Law, 526 Mission
St., Rm 3201, San Francisco. RSVP to
egalpern@geneticsandsociety.org.
March 15, 8:30am to 2pm,
Placer County
"In Celebration of Women: Body, Mind &
Spirit," a panel of women focusing on health,
government, media, education and senior
issues in regard to women. Speakers include
Pat Malberg, civic leader in Placer County;
and Mary Wiberg, Calif. Commission on the
Status of Women. Sponsored by the California
Women's Agenda and the Doris Foster
Foundation. Loomis Congregational Church,
6440 King Road, Loomis. For registration
information, call Diana Madoshi at (916)
435-9760.
March 25, 11:30am to 1:30pm,
Tulare
County
Report on the State of Latinas in
California, and,
The Importance of Participating in the Electoral
Process. Enjoy this insightful Women's Month
event which includes a Latina art display and
music. Tickets are $18 per person, payable
at the door. Marriott Hotel, 300 South Court,
Visalia.
Contact Lali Moheno at (559) 733-4121.
March 25,
Sacramento County
California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom
Day with workshops, speakers, training and
visits with state representatives. $40 in
advance, includes continental breakfast,
lunch, materials, legislative visit.
Sacramento Convention Center Visit
the website for info.
March 29, 10am to 2pm,
San Francisco
County
Partnered to Present: Young Women's Breast
Health Summit. Presented by the Sisters
Network SF Chapter and Mammography Screening
of Alameda Breast Health Organization. Free
admission. African American Art & Culture
Complex, 763 Fulton St., San Francisco.
Contact Gail
Bishop (415) 310-3207.
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