Migration Category: Campus Old Site

MOUNT HOOD COMMUNITY ITY COLLEGE Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance organized a peaceful protest in response to a campus visit by known anti-choice extremist Paul de Parrie. De Parrie was arrested in 1991 for participating in a massive blockade of an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas. He is also a signer of the Defensive Action petition, which advocates lethal force to stop abortion. The FMLA and the Pride Student Alliance on campus organized a silent protest, carrying signs and hangers and wearing pro-choice stickers and t-shirts during De Parrie’s speaking event.

The Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance at SPELMAN COLLEGE in Atlanta recently hosted a Faces of Feminism panel. Over 300 people turned out to the event, which was co-sponsored by the FMLA and the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. The panel included six diverse faces of feminism, including one of FMF’s own Campus Organizers. The event generated tremendous interest in the FMLA, and the group successfully used it as an opportunity to recruit new members.

The UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSINÑGREEN BAY Leadership Alliance mobilized over 600 students, faculty, and staff to participate in a major visibility event and petition drive for on-campus day care. In response to findings from the University’s most recent Status of Women report, the FMLA is leading efforts on campus to draw attention to the fact that their campus is the only 4-year institution in the University of Wisconsin system that does not provide on-campus childcare. Following the group’s press release, the campus paper and three local TV stations covered the event.

The NORTHEASTEARN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY Leadership Alliance recently hosted a workshop and concert with singer, activist, and actress Holly Near. The workshop, entitled, “Singers in the Storm: Living an Activist Life,” drew in a great crowd and the concert that followed played to a full house. Near has worked with the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Campus Program in the past, having hosted an online chat last year. Read the transcript of the chat.

The FMLA at TRUMAN STATE in Missouri hosted another big name in the feminist community on their campus- Jean Kilbourne. Kilbourne is known for her Killing us Softly videos and work on images of women in advertising, The FMLA’s efforts to publicize the event, in cooperation with a range of progressive organizations on campus, drew over 600 people to attend Kilbourne’s speech.

The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) and Ms. magazine announced last week that FMF will assume ownership of Liberty Media for Women, the publisher of Ms. magazine. The magazine, co-founded in 1972 by Gloria Steinem, provides an international feminist space for new ideas and issues and has been recognized as one of the most influential magazines in history. Eleanor Smeal, FMF President, expressed excitement about joining forces with a magazine that “has provided the feminist movement with a unique and unfiltered voice.” According to Smeal, FMF is “committed to making sure that the Ms. voice thrives as a forum for challenging conventional ideas and continues to act as a springboard for the development and spread of feminist ideas.” For more on this story, read the Press Release: “Ms. Magazine and Feminist Majority Foundation Join Forces.” More on this week’s feminist news stories.

College students nationwide joined Feminist Majority Campaign to Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan Chair Mavis Leno online to chat about how students can get involved in the FM Campaign to mobilize awareness and support for women and girls in Afghanistan. Leno focused the discussion on the humanitarian crisis for Afghan refugees, seventy-five percent of whom are women and children, and the need for the restoration of women’s rights, re-establishment of a constitutional democracy, and economic development in Afghanistan. Students expressed concern for the Afghan women, and a desire to bring peace to Afghanistan. In response to a question about ensuring peace to the region, Leno responded, “The recipe for peace is simple and obvious to state, but harder to achieve. It is the eradication of poverty, abuse, and injustice, which is the breeding ground for rage.” Feminist Majority Leadership Alliances, campus groups throughout the U.S., have been raising awareness of gender apartheid and collecting funds to send directly to Afghan women and girls living in refugee areas in Pakistan. Find out more about the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliances and learn how to start a group on your campus. Get involved in the Feminist Majority’s Campaign to Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan aimed at increasing humanitarian aid, restoring Afghan women’s rights, and ensuring women’s participation in the reconstruction of Afghan government.

Earlier this month, new Prescribe Choice Campaign resources and materials were mailed to our network of Leadership Alliance activists and Choices affiliates. Leadership Alliances from SUNY STONY BROOK, WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY, IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY, JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY, CAL STATE LOS ANGELES and other groups from more than 247 campuses from 31 states received the Prescribe Choice materials to promote petition drives and public education on campus availability of mifepristone (formerly RU-486) and emergency contraception. The new materials are available to download directly from the Prescribe Choice Campaign website, www.prescribechoice.com.

The Cerritos College Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance used their Homecoming events to spread the pro-choice message and promote feminism campus-wide. Leadership Alliance activist Claudia Geldis won the title of Homecoming Queen. Her platform on the campaign focused on eating disorders and women’s equality. The group also garnered the “Best Float” award for crafting a feminist-themed Homecoming Float based on the movie “Thelma and Louise.”

The Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance at St. Mary’s College in Maryland collaborated with their campus Black Student Union and participated in a panel discussion addressing the intersection of race, class and gender. Share your thoughts on class, race and gender.

The People for the American Way (PFAW) recently launched “Election Protection,” a non-partisan campaign to help inform Americans of their voting rights and helps to protect voters’ rights at the polls. The project is primarily organized through volunteer activists, with hundreds of volunteers already committed to organizing during this final weekend before Election Day. PFAW still needs volunteers to monitor and protect voters’ rights at the polls on Election Day, this Tuesday, November 6. PFAW will be providing hotel accommodation, transportation and food for Election Protection volunteers traveling from DC to New Jersey and Virginia. Buses will be leaving from Washington, DC for our sites in Newark, NJ and Petersburg, VA at: 6 a.m. Saturday morning, 4:30 p.m. Monday afternoon and 6 a.m. Tuesday morning. For more information and to sign up, contact Robin Hershkowitz at 202/467-4999 or rhershkowitz@pfaw.org.

Women age 20-30 are more likely to be victims of firearm related homicides than any other age group. Now more than ever it is apparent that gun violence is an epidemic that affects young women. Take a stand against the gun industry and their role in manufacturing their deadly product by joining the Alliance for Justice First Monday Campaign: Unite to End Gun Violence. On November 13th, on college campuses and community gatherings nationwide, there will be exclusive campus screenings of the documentary, “Deadly Business: How the NRA and Gun Industry Market Mayhem to America.” For more information on this event, contact Stacey Schesser, at the Alliance for Justice, First Monday Campaign (202) 822-6070 or email her at staceys@afj.org.

Leadership Alliances are invited to participate in the WASTE Summit: Women Assessing the State of the Environment this November 9 – 11th, 2001 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Rachel Carson Institute (RCI) at Chatham College and The Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) have joined efforts to support women’s leadership for environmental change. The WASTE Summit will advance women’s perspectives on critical sustainable development issues. FMF President Eleanor Smeal will speak to conference participants on women’s rights and the environment, other guest speakers include activists and leaders from national environmental, women’s, labor, and human rights groups, as well as grassroots activists, community leaders, scholars, and students. Visit http://www.feministcampus.org/waste.asp or visit http://www.wastesummit.org for a detailed description, schedule of events, list of participants, registration details, contact information and lodging recommendations.

Quiz question of the week: what percentage of abortion clinics were targets of severe violence in 2000? Test your knowledge of feminist issues and activism online with our weekly feminist quiz and polls while learning about domestic terrorism, clinic violence, and the right wing backlash against feminism.

Your group can create a web site in as little as 3 minutes with our “Online Office” web builder. Leadership Alliances and affiliates from CORNELL UNIVERSITY, HAMLINE UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY, BRYN MAWR COLLEGE, HUNTER COLLEGE, WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY, PORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE, MIDWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE, and the UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA have utilized this new web builder to announce their meetings, post their news, and share current projects and events with fellow feminist activists and Choices Campus Community members. Elect one interested member of your group and have him/her get started today!

Hundreds of students gathered on October 6th for a Rock For Choice concert organized by the GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance. Bringing local rock bands and artists together, the group collected hundreds of dollars in donations for the FMF’s National Clinic Access Project and used the concert as an opportunity to educate their campus and community about reproductive rights and clinic violence. Some students sold their own artwork to help fundraising efforts for the National Clinic Access Project. The National Organizations for Women, Amnesty International and Advocates for Youth, were all in attendance, staffing information tables at the event.

The Feminist Majority Foundation’s National Clinic Access Project engages in public education, advocacy work, and grassroots organizing to increase public awareness of anti-abortion extremist violence. Leading efforts nationwide to keep women’s health clinics open in the face of violence and intimidation, our clinic access project conducts the most extensive research and monitoring of extremists’ actions and violence. More information on the National Clinic Access Project and Rock for Choice.

Building a bridge between academicians and activists, the CAL STATE LOS ANGELES Leadership Alliance hosted a faculty mixer, their first major event of the year. Feminist activists at the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO held their first general meeting as an official Leadership Alliance last week and gathered dozens of sign-ups and support for the group. The ST. MARY’S (MD) Leadership Alliance hosted a teach-in and reproductive & sexual health workshop featuring a Health Educator from the local Planned Parenthood.

Rallying support for campus safety and non-violence, the newly chartered ILLINIOS STATE UNIVERSITY Leadership Alliance organized a Take Back the Night March for one of their first major actions of the year. Despite torrential rain, over 100 people attended the rally, and the march was featured in the campus newspaper. Also educating their campus and community on violence against women, the TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY Leadership Alliance organized a dating violence public education campaign that garnered press from their campus newspaper. Dozens of students participated in panel discussion on Domestic Violence co-sponsored by the GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance. They are also organizing a Take Back the Night march and rally on campus this Friday and expect a large turnout for this event to raise awareness about campus safety and violence against women.

More than 170 clinics from 14 states and the District of Columbia received threatening letters yesterday containing a white powder. The letters stated, “You have been exposed to anthrax. We are going to kill you. Army of God, Virginia DARE Chapter.” Clinic workers opened envelopes believing that they came from the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Marshall Service – the return address indicated on the envelopes. Postmarks on the envelopes were marked Atlanta, GA; Knoxville, TN; Chattanooga, TN; or Columbus, OH. County health officials are currently testing the letters’ contents for anthrax spores.

The Army of God (AOG) is a clandestine, violent anti-abortion extremist group who has claimed responsibility for several abortion clinic bombings and arsons across the country, including a 1998 fatal bombing at an abortion clinic in Alabama. AOG has also been implicated in the 1996 Olympic Park bombing as well as the bombing of an abortion clinic and a gay and lesbian nightclub in Atlanta. The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) has been monitoring the Army of God since 1982. FMF President Eleanor Smeal declared “We must have a zero tolerance for both domestic and global terrorism. At a time like this, these incidents must be taken seriously.”

The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE) makes these anthrax threats a violation of federal law. Margie Moore, Director of Law Enforcement Operations for the FMF’s National Clinic Access Project urged clinic staff who receive these letters, or any other threatening letters, to notify local law enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation immediately.

The Pro-Choice Public Education Project (PEP) is a collaborative project led by the country’s leading national pro-choice organizations dedicated to building the next generation of pro-choice leaders and supporters. In an effort to raise awareness among young women about threats to their reproductive rights and to encourage them to defend those rights, PEP has launched a powerful new national ad campaign for 2001. Learn about PEP or request posters for visibility events. PEP.

MillennialPolitics.com is a non-partisan site dedicated to educating and motivating people about youth activism. The organization wants to hear from pro-choice students from across the country to include their perspectives in a new book about youth activism. Sign up for their newsletter, learn more about “Team Millennial,” a group of over 220 activists contributing to the book, and discuss political issues online.