The Feminist Majority Foundation, with the National Organization for Women and the National Congress of Black Women, today announced Freedom Winter ’06, part of a joint campaign to stop the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. “Make no mistake about it: Alito is no Sandra Day O’Connor,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF). “As the pioneering woman on the Supreme Court, Justice O’Conner has been the fifth vote to preserve affirmative action and the right to abortion. The appointment of a reactionary judge like Samuel Alito to O’Connor’s seat could reverse decades of progress for women.”
In the spirit of Freedom Summer 1964, when thousands of students from across the country traveled to Mississippi and other Southern states to register and mobilize African American voters in unprecedented numbers, Freedom Winter ’06 is mobilizing students to save women’s rights and civil rights. “[T]he message from women, especially young women, [is]: This is a fight for our future, and we are ready,” said Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women.
“Young women are committed to defeating Alito because we have the most to lose if he is confirmed – Alito’s confirmation could delay progress for women and roll back the clock on women’s rights for generations to come,” said Crystal Lander, FMF Campus Program Director.
“Young people are coming to Washington, DC from colleges and universities in 35 states, giving up their winter vacations to help block Alito’s confirmation because they don’t want to lose rights necessary for modern life,” said Smeal.
LEARN MORE by visiting www.FreedomWinter.org
