Women in the Media: Controlling Our Image
Room: Versailles
The media does not portray the truth about women’s lives. Be
it the lack of representation of professional women in this industry, biased
news, shock jock radio, oppressive content in TV & film, or advertising
that is hazardous to our health. Come to this workshop to learn how
to take action and get involved in NOW’s Love
Your Body Day, Girls Figure In and more.
Presenters: Helen Grieco, Stacy Karp, Donna Hazley, Mellonise
Johnson
Women-Friendly Workplace Campaign
Room: Empire
Hear from a plaintiff who is taking on a Fortune 500 company. Explore
how companies can provide a women-friendly workplace and what activists
can do to put an end to harassment and discrimination. Learn about recent
Supreme Court rulings that clarify employers’ liabilty for sexual harassment.
Presenters: Wanda Alston, Martina Pickett, Yolanda Wu, Ellen
Zucker
The Role of Feminist Men In The Movement
Room: Oakhurst
Feminist men have been and continue to be allies within NOW and society.
What do feminist men bring to NOW and how are we responded to? What are
effective strategies for addressing the fear of emasculation inherent in
identifying as a feminist in a pro-male privilege culture?
Presenters: Jonathan Darr and Ben Zeman
Working at the State Level: How to Lobby Legislators
Room: Brighton
With the decentralization of many federal programs, more responsibility
has fallen upon state and local governments to deal with issues critical
to women and families. Panelists will discuss how to lobby state legislators
and strategize with participants on creating an action plan.
Presenters: Rep. Barbara Evans Fleischauer, West Virginia (former
WV NOW State President)
Adriana Ruelas and Robin Davis
How to Know (or Create) a Feminist Candidate When You Meet Her
Room: Whittier
Believe it or not, many campaigns revolve around issues beside feminism,
and many candidates have not yet formulated stands on our issues. Learn
how to talk with them about women’s rights and turn them into strong allies.
What is a feminist issue, who is endorsable by NOW
PAC and what do we do with candidates who are clearly the lesser of
two evils?
Presenters: Linda Berg, Patricia Ireland, Andrea Shorter, Hannah
Olanoff
Family Law Reform: Combatting Anti-Feminist Fathers’ Rights Groups
Room: Palm
Family courts are under attack. Women seeking justice are shocked when
they lose their children to an abusive ex-partner and horrified to find
they must pay child support. Presenters and participants will discuss
trends in family law and who’s behind this growing movement.
Presenters: Gloria Woods, Dorothy Jonas, and Bonnie Sloane
Lesbian Rights: Follow-Up to the 1999 Summit
Room: Rodeo
Find out what was discussed and what strageties were proposed. Where
will we go in the next millennium? Where should we put our resources
and energy? Find out what was discussed . . . during this highly
successful April 1999 Lesbian Rights Summit. We’ll refine the strategies
and an action plan to implement.
Presenters: Cindy Jordan, Marion Wagner
ABC’s of Organizing Actions
Room: Santa Monica
Creating social change requires organizing on multiple levels – in
your community, in your state and nationally – and it also requires various
types of actions. This session includes discussion about organizing
individuals and groups through marches, rallies and other special events.
Presenters: Alice Cohan, Toni Troop
Title IX Project and What’s Happening on the Athletic Equity Front
Room: Wilshire
Significant progress has been made under Title IX, which prohibits
discrimination in all aspects of public education. But many schools
are still a long way from providing equal athletic opportunity. This
workshop will explore options available to activists and introduce the
NOW Title IX Project that will help ensure compliance at four year colleges
and universities.
Presenters: Linda Joplin and Pat Varieur
Election 2000: NOW Taking the Lead
Room: Versailles
Join NOW leaders and fabulous feminist elected officials for a lively
discussion about the burning issues for the upcoming election. With
our Victory 2000 resolution, we “talked the talk.” Now meet our members
who have “walked the walk” and run for political office.
Presenters: Patricia Ireland, Judy Murphy, Kathy Austin, Andrea
Shorter, Barbara Evans Fleischauer
Pratfalls and Progess: A Report Card on the Media
Room: Rodeo
During this session, presenters will review media coverage of feminist
issues by looking at what strategies work, what strategies don’t work,
and why the media neglects to cover key issues. Participants will
be invited to share their media successes and learn how to develop a broad
media plan of action.
Presenters: Loretta Kane, Judith Meuli, and Linda McCabe
Impact of Welfare “Reform” on Women
Room: Brighton
NOW vigorously opposed the Congressional attack on welfare. Now
that it has been implemented, have our predictions come true? Hear
from activists about the current status of women and poverty. Panelists
will also discuss the effect of family caps and abstinence-only funding
on women’s reproductive rights.
Presenters: Yolanda Wu, Elizabeth Volz, and a representative
from Women’s Economic Agenda Project
Developing Legislative Campaigns
Room: Palm
Veteran lobbyists will offer invaluable tips to chapters on how to
develop and sustain an effective legislative campaign on NOW issues.
Presenters will share their skills and explore strategies used at both
the state and federal levels.
Presenters: Kim Gandy, Pat Reuss
Working Toward Racial Diversity
Room: Oakhurst
Join an ethnically and racially diverse group of feminists at a roundtable
discussion that will examine the challenges faced as we overcome cultural,
religious and language barriers in our struggle for civil rights for women
of all colors. We will applaud our success and share strategies to
recognize racism and to diversify the movement.
Presenters: Josie Martinez, Rhoda M. Bradshaw and Angela Arboleda
Taking Action NOW
Room: Whittier
What grassroots strategies should we use for our short and long term
goals? How does a mass movement strategy fit into our vision of building
a community-based, grassroots movement? Panelists will discuss proposals
for marches and rallies in the year 2000 as well as lead a discussion about
successes at the chapter level.
Presenters: Elizabeth Toledo, Galen Sherwin, Linda Peterson
Starting a NOW Chapter
Room: Wilshire
Whether you are starting a new chapter on your campus or in your community,
or trying to reactivate one that hasn’t met for a while, this workshop
is for you! All participants will leave with a clear understanding
of how membership and chapter organizing works and the tools to get in
motion.
Presenters: Barbara Hays, Amy Drayer, and Andrea Lee
Redrafting NOW’s Statement of Purpose
Room: Santa Monica
In preparation for redrafting NOW’s Statement of Purpose, participants
in this workshop will review the original Statement of Purpose, the current
Statement in the bylaws, the 1998 Declaration of Sentiments. Excellent
workshop to get you thinking about a new mission statement.
Presenters: Karen Johnson, Gay Bruhn, Barbara DiTullio
Analyzing a District (Advanced Workshop)
Room: Empire
This advanced workshop will concentrate on how to use demographic and
statistical data to plan a successful get-out-the-vote program resulting
in the election of a feminist candidate. Learn how to target precincts
and design an effective phone banking campaign. For experienced campaign
workers and prospective candidates.
Presenter: Dr. Janet Canterbury and Linda Berg
Media Training Session
Room: Versailles
It is more important than ever for NOW activists to learn how to effectively
use the media. In this skills building session, you will discover how to
get media attention and what to do once you have it. From building
media contacts to writing letters that get published as op ed pieces, both
new NOW members and veterans will learn how to develop effective messages
and use the media to influence public policy.
Presenters: Loretta Kane, Diane Minor and Jennifer Coburn
In the Courts, the Clinics and Congress: Defending Reproductive Rights
Room: Palm
Defending access to safe and legal birth control and abortion can take
many forms. This session’s presenters will focus on strategies used
in the courts, clinics, and Congress. In addition, participants will
look at recent hospital mergers and the threat to full reproductive rights.
Presenters: Kim Gandy
Global Feminism: Organizing Strategies
Room: Brighton
In October 2000, women from all over the world will travel to the United
States to participate in an International Women’s March. The primary
focus of this action will be to draw attention to the world-wide economic
condition of women. In addition, the Convention to Eliminate all
forms of Discrimintion Against Women (CEDAW) has yet to be ratified by
the United States. Join presenters in exploring strategies to eliminate
adverse conditions affecting women globally.
Presenters: Karen Johnson, Brina-Rae Schuchman, Billie Heller
Student Organizing/ Young Feminists
Room: Wilshire
Bring NOW to your campus! Hear first-hand experience about organizing
on campus, the successes and challenges faced when addressing the feminist
agenda in traditionally conservative educational institutions. Share media
techniques and strategies on how to gain visibility and recognition among
campus staff, faculty, student government and the student body.
Presenters: Candi Churchill, Megan Seely and Angela Arboleda
Women and the Criminal Justice System
Room: Rodeo
Law enforcement is one of the last professions to wear its sexist,
racist and homophobic badge proudly on its sleeve. Hear from women about
their personal experience from inside the criminal justice system. Also
hear from women who have had experiences with police brutality. How have
these concerns been included or excluded from organizing efforts around
brutality?
Presenters: Cindy Jordan, Galen Sherwin, Chloe Watts
Dealing with Internalized Oppression
Room: Whittier
One of the outcomes of the 1998 Women of Color and Allies Summit and
the 1999 Lesbian Rights and Allies Summit, was a growing awareness of how
our own internalized sexism, racism, heterosexism, and even classism, gets
in the way of supporting one another. Participants will work on various
aspects of internalized oppression and explore next steps in tackling barriers
that keep us divided.
Presenters: Kathy Miller, Mellonise Johnson, Barbara DiTullio
Exploring Childcare Issues
Room: Oakhurst
Join a discussion on the complexities of child care. What would
a feminist child care initiative look like? How can local activists
be effective on this issue? This workshop will discuss current initiatives
on the state and federal levels. Finally, participants will brainstorm
grassroots strategies to help improve the state of child care both locally
and nationally.
Presenters: Elizabeth Toledo, Pat Reuss and Candy Kern
Growing Your Own Grassroots
Room: Santa Monica
Not for chapters who have too many new members or where every single
member renews, and on time! This workshop will cover membership recruitment
strategies and keeping members of your chapter active and committed at
their level of involvement. All participants will leave with a plan for
their chapter and a new packet of materials to help in getting and keeping
members so critical to our organization’s health!
Presenters: Barbara Hays and Jeanne Cashen
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