Interviews
The Feminist Queries: Sheryl Wudunn
Published October 18, 2009 @ 06:00AM PT
For today's Feminist Query, we have a special interview with Sheryl Wudunn a reporter for the New York Times and wife of Nicholas D. Kristof, about the book they co-wrote, Half the Sky. As you may remember in September, New York Times Magazine proclaimed that women's rights is the cause of the 21st century, which appeared to be prompted by the reporting done by Wudunn and Kristof in their book. The couple have already won a Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of China as New York Times correspondents and while at the Times, Ms. WuDunn worked as a business editor and a foreign correspondent in Tokyo and Beijing. Together, Mr. Kristof and Ms. WuDunn have written three books: China Wakes, Thunder from the East, and Half the Sky.
I got a chance to read the book and then ask Wudunn a few questions about it. Take a look at what she had to say and the final question she has for all of you.
Some people believe there are still many problems in the United States when it comes to gender repression and we can't help others until we help ourselves. Why does Half the Sky take a predominantly international focus given that there are many existing domestic problems at hand?
We recognize that there are problems here in the United States and we have to address them. It's not an either or, we can do both. We know that the problems are pretty bad domestically, but we also think that in terms of order of magnitude, and it is about an order of magnitude, things are more brutal overseas. Nevertheless, we still have to fix our problems at home as well.
In the book, you often write about the conflict of Western values with local traditions - in particular when it comes to medical treatment. How can we help women abroad by offering things like advanced medical services without appearing imperialistic in some sense?
That's a good question. It's always a hard issue, but I don't agree with the cultural imperialism argument that we shouldn't interfere and we should just stand by and watch. I am a Chinese American and my grandmother's feet were bound. But there was a strong movement inside China and outside that fought that tradition, and now it is no longer a common practice. I am very glad that happened because my mother and I did not have to have our feet bound. Sometimes, in outrageous situations, we have to interfere.
I really think that one has to think carefully about the ways in which we bring about change. The most successful way is to partner with local change agents and work through them. There are a number of places we talk about this problem of interfering with local customs such as in the case of genital cutting - which is a really tough one to resolve. How we see it, is that there are people locally who want to change this tradition. While they are currently a minority, the key is to work with them because they know how to navigate the local area and cultural nuances. What they need from us are often resources - whether financial resources or medical expertise - and that is how we can help create change, by supporting them locally.
Some reflected on the recent New York Times Magazine issue about women by saying that "women need rights, not rescue." What do you think about this? Is telling stories enough? What else can be done to ensure that women have the legal status they need and deserve around the world?
Our role is to raise awareness - that's what we can do best. There are also many different types of players who can all play a role. The average American citizen can contribute by learning about these issue, they can donate through small amounts such as giving micro loans to international organizations. There are many ways individuals can help, but they need to be made aware of the problems first. We need to create a greater awareness and after that a greater engagement.
If you don't get people engaged then change is not going to happen. And the ultimate change is not going to be made by top down decisions, but rather the real change comes from bottom up. If the average citizen doesn't care about women's rights, why should politicians care?
Finally, if you could ask women around the world one question, what would it be?
What do you want to be, what do you want to do with your life? Most in the developing world don't think about that or think about what they want to do. So really, it comes down to: what do you want accomplish in life?
Are More Women Farming Today?
Published October 15, 2009 @ 09:04AM PT
In my work traveling around the country for OrganicNation.tv, the majority of farmers I've come across happen to be men. That's why I was really excited when I saw the Women, Food & Agriculture Network booth at FarmAid 2009.
I was lucky enough to get a chance to talk with WFAN's Executive Director, Leigh Adcock, about the importance of women's roles in building sustainable food systems as mothers, gardeners, landowners, activists and farmers:
WFAN is a community of women involved in sustainable agriculture whose mission is to "link and empower women to build food systems and communities that are healthy, just, sustainable, and that promote environmental integrity."
The network's main goals are:
1. To promote sustainable agricultural and community structures.
2. Insist on social and ecological justice for current and future human and non-human communities.
3. Provide opportunities for education on economics and environment that articulate a holistic view of agriculture, instill a sense of place, and draw forward useful experiences from the past.
4. Create networks that support communities of growers, consumers, workers and others who strive for sustainability, increase effective access to and use of existing resources, engage participants in experiential learning, provide safe places for self-expression, and respect the spirituality of the land and people.
5. Advocate change by exploring alternatives and challenge the globalization of economies, cultures of domination and institutionalized discrimination, the disintegration of landscapes, and oppressive conceptual frameworks.
If you're interested in learning more, be sure to check out their 10th Annual Fall Harvest Gathering of Women in Sustainable Agriculture Nov. 13-15 in Whalan, MN.
Photo of farmer Gail Thorpe by Mark Andrew Boyer
The Feminist Queries: Jon Pincus
Published October 10, 2009 @ 04:58PM PT
For this Feminist Query, I have interviewed my first male subject (gasp!) - Jon Pincus. Jon has always impressed me with his awareness about feminist topics and how important it is to include women and people of color in his discussions about technology, social media, voters rights and many other initiatives. For those who don't know him, he is founder of Qworky, a Seattle-area startup aiming to revolutionize how people work together. His professional career includes research into computer science as a social science, investigating opportunities for "game changing strategies" in the web 2.0 space as General Manger for Strategy Development in Microsoft's Online Services Group, and founder and CTO of venture-funded software engineering startup Intrinsa, whose PREfix tool established the "static analysis" market category and was acquired by Microsoft in 1999. As an activist, he's helped organize Stop REAL ID Now! Get FISA Right, Twitter Vote Report, Voter Suppression Wiki, and #p2, and participated in and written about many other social network activism efforts. In 2010, he's chairing the 20th ACM Computers, Freedom, and Privacy Conference.
You are the first male subject I have interviewed for the Feminist Queries. Do you call yourself a feminist and if so, why?
I'm honored! Yes I do (at least to the extent a guy can be a feminist), because I embrace the "radical" notion that women are people.
From your point of view, how can we get more men engaged in the women's rights movement?
This isn't something I'm particularly good at, alas, so I don't have any great answers here. One thing that seems like it's been working well is the work the women-in-technology field has been doing challenging conference organizers about lack of representation and sexist behavior -- in several cases this has led to men admitting that there's a problem and people working together to try to fix it.
The Feminist Queries: Gloria Feldt
Published September 08, 2009 @ 06:00AM PT
For this Feminist Query, we are very lucky to have Gloria Feldt, a leading women's activist and best selling author of Send Yourself Roses (co-authored with Katheen turner) and The War on Choice.
Gloria is the former president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, she's an expert on women's lives and health from where the personal meets the political. Her commentary has appeared in the New York Times, Salon, The Daily Beast, Elle, and numerous others. She serves on the Women's Media Center board. She's a public speaker for universities, women's groups, and professional groups on these topics, and loves touring with the WomenGirlsLadies inter-generational feminist panel. She's currently writing a book about women's relationship with power to be published by Seal in Fall, 2010 and she wants to know the story of when you knew you had the power to (fill in the blank). You can e-mail your story to gloria@gloriafeldt.com or tweet @heartfeldt.
Onward to our interview...
When I met you at Netroots Nation this year, you shared with me a sense of urgency to get things done and take action. What are the major action items in the women's rights movement you think we should address immediately?
This is an amazing moment for women to get full equality of opportunity and influence at last--if we see our moment and seize it. Today's economy moves on brains, not brawn; American women make up more than half of university students, including half of budding lawyers, doctors, journalists, and even some denominations' clergy; marketers know women control over 80% of expenditures; and ironically the recession has pushed personal relationships to become more egalitarian because more men than women are losing jobs and more women than ever are the primary or equal breadwinners in the family. In politics, the public basically trusts women more since they have seen how men have screwed up everything from the economy to their marriages.
But women have historically been at these moments and stepped back ourselves from getting to the parity and social justice we deserve. That's my sense of urgency. I think women need to band together to address such issues as getting universal health care, passing the Equal rights Amendment, CEDAW, Freedom of Choice Act, and Prevention First Act. I also think that in the workplace, women should enlist men and together they can change things so both can have a life, including responsible parenting, and earn a living.
You might be interested in this article I wrote that unpacks more of the political agenda and how to get there here.
In an interview with Samantha Ettus you mentioned that all young girls go through the "jelly woman phase" - can you explain to Change.org readers what that means?
When I was 15, I wanted more than anything to please my 19 year-old boyfriend. I was willing to mold my body and my behavior to fit what he and others in my social circle wanted me to be. I still see that phenomenon in girls today once they hit puberty. The self-assured 10-year-old becomes the 13-year-old jelly woman who gets her affirmations from her friends rather than from her own core convictions, needs, and wants. Giving sexual gratification without getting it in return is one frequently cited example, but I think girls are still raised with much less sense of their own intention in life than boys are about choosing careers and civic leadership aspirations as well.
How can we get more young women and young men to embrace feminism?
If you don't worry about terminology, it turns out that they have embraced feminism for the most part. By that I mean, they live their lives believing women can do whatever they want to do with their lives. Feminism to me is simply about social justice, and I think young men and women today tend to value diversity more than previous generations and they've grown up in a world without "help wanted female/help wanted male" ads or other such overt discrimination. But they don't know the history of the struggles to get here, so they don't know why there we need to have a continuing feminist movement to counter remaining injustices and advance an agenda to expand on the past victories. One solution would be to integrate women's history much more fully into general history courses throughout the school years. And then we need to teach each new generation about the power of joining together in a movement to accomplish great things.
During your time as CEO of Planned Parenthood, what was the greatest accomplishment for you there? What was the biggest challenge?
I set forth to do two things. First to change the mindset about advocacy from defensive to proactive, which I did by creating an ambitious legislative agenda. Even though we were faced with the Gingrich-led congress, when we, for example, worked to get contraceptives covered by insurance plans, we made the anti-choice folks fight on our terms--and sometimes we even won, such as when we got contraceptive coverage for Federal employees, also passed in about 25 states, and by suing some of the big self-insured companies. As a result contraceptive coverage is routine in most plans now. Second, I changed services to our affiliates across the country so that they had top notch consultants available to help them improve their services. As a result of that, after years of no growth in patients served, we were able to increase the patients served every year. Once we had turned those basics around, the whole organization worked together to create a bold new 25 year vision. Oh yes, and then there was the March for Women's Lives, the largest protest march on Washington in the nation's history in 2004 :-) It gave many young people the chance to participate in that power of being in a movement that I mentioned above. I guess we did quite a lot, come to think of it.
The biggest challenge was keeping the movement moving, courageous, and willing to have a big vision in spite of George Bush, attacks on clinics, and other challenges.
According to your website GloriaFeldt.com, you have six children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. How do you teach them to be conscious of social justice and understand feminism early on? What tips do you have for parents out there trying to share those values?
Breaking news--now there are three great grands! (This is a blended family--my husband had three and I had three when we met.) Children learn most by observing. I don't recall consciously teaching them about these things, but they did participate with me in my work when they were young. And politics was a regular dinner table conversation. Amazingly we're all on same political wavelength.
Finally, if you could ask women everywhere one question, what would it be?
I'm writing a book about women's relationship with power, so I am obsessed with that topic. I want to know from every woman: What were the defining moments in your life when you knew you could (fill in the blank)? To anyone reading this, I invite you to send me your story.
AirAmerica.com Interview
Published August 25, 2009 @ 04:12PM PT
Check out my first interview on Air America with the Ron Reagan Show during Netroots Nation about why young women didn't vote for Hillary Clinton, the state of the boys club in the blogosphere and why being pro-choice isn't a completely partisan issue.
The Feminist Queries: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Published July 31, 2009 @ 11:11AM PT
For this Feminist Query, I got the opportunity to interview Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, who was appointed to the U.S. Senate in January 2009 to fill Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's seat.
Senator Gillibrand is also a candidate competing in the 2010 November elections. She has been endorsed by a wide range of elected officials and civic organizations, including EMILY's List, NARAL, NYSUT, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and nearly a dozen sitting New York Democrats in Congress.
I am very excited to share this interview with the readers of Change.org and I hope you will read it to the very bottom, where Senator Gillibrand challenges all women to run for public office!
Do you consider yourself a feminist? Why or why not?
Yes. Feminism represents a core belief that women matter and that their contributions and views are both valuable and necessary for the growth and success of families and communities. I have been blessed with strong feminist role models. My grandmother, for example, was very involved in politics in Albany and organized other women to serve the community. She inspired me to become active in politics and work on the grassroots level to elect candidates who shared our priorities.
As a young lawyer, working in New York City, I was also inspired by then-First Lady Hillary Clinton's powerful speech in China, when she said that "women's rights are human rights, and human rights are women's rights." As an Asian Studies major at Dartmouth who had traveled in China, I understood exactly what it meant for this woman leader to say those words, at that time and in that place. I have learned from her vision and commitment to helping women and children.
I have focused on women and family issues since my first term in Congress. I am committed to fair and equal pay for women in the workplace, addressing maternal mortality issues in America and abroad, and protecting reproductive rights for women. I also have legislation and a focus on safe baby products, safe drinking water, a not-for-profit option for public healthcare reform, research money for autism and childhood diabetes and school lunch investments on fruits and vegetables to fight childhood obesity.
What is it like to be a new Senator who is also the mother of a very young child? Does this unique perspective change your approach to legislation?
Well, as you might know, I was elected to Congress when Theo was 2 and I was appointed to the Senate when Henry was less than a year, so being a Member of Congress with young children is the only thing I know. But yes, I think it gives me a unique perspective when it comes to legislating. I try to have a family first agenda. Every day on every issue, I analyze how parents and children will be affected by our legislative actions, and I experience the real impact of our decisions.
How do you feel about the fact that women make up over 50% of the population, but only 17% of the Senate?
It's very disappointing, actually. It's 2009, that number should be a lot higher. I do think we've reached a point where women really can get elected at the highest levels of government all over the country. It's just a matter of seats opening up and more women running. I have no doubt that we will see more women in elected office in the coming years. In the meantime, we need to support the women candidates who are running, which is where blogs and online communities like yours come in. I really appreciate how much support there is online for what we are doing and the issues we are fighting for.
When it comes to matters of diversity, immigration is a key issue. Do you intend to be a vocal advocate for immigration reform?
Yes, absolutely. I know that our current immigration system is broken, and I am working with the Obama Administration on comprehensive reform. I support creating a real path to citizenship with accountability, and am advocating for a number of initiatives to provide immigrants in this country with education and other opportunities to thrive, including the DREAM Act, special funding for new opportunities to learn English, and changes to our visa laws to enable families to be reunited. America was built by the contributions of immigrants and our diversity only adds to the greatness of this country.
Recently, Lt. Choi was fired from the New York National Guard because of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policies. How do you plan on being an advocate for LGBT rights in the Senate?
As you may know, I met with Dan Choi in my office back in June and I expressed my strong support for the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. I have written a bill to place a moratorium on enforcement of DADT for 18 months until the military and the Administration can reassess the policy. While I have yet to garner 60 votes for this bill, Chairman Levin at my request has agreed to hold the first hearings on this policy since its inception. I will also be an original co-sponsor of Senator Kennedy's bill for full repeal of DADT when he offers it. Also, I support inclusive ENDA legislation and I support repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. And, of course, I'm a strong supporter of marriage equality. I've been excited to see several states this year move to pass marriage equality and I've urged New York's state Assembly and Senate to do the same. I really think it's the civil rights issue of our generation.
You believe in marriage equality, as do most New Yorkers. The New York State Assembly has just passed a Marriage Equality Bill, and Gov. Paterson, like you, supports it. But some of your fellow Democrats in the New York State Senate don't, and may block the bill altogether. Will you endorse or campaign for these state senate Democrats who don't share New York's values on this basic civil rights issue?
I have been very outspoken in my support for that legislation, and I have stood with state lawmakers to personally urge my colleagues in the State Senate to support the bill. I remain confident that we can pass this legislation before next year's election. Marriage Equality is the equal rights battle of our generation, and we should all be strongly united in our efforts to make progress. I will continue to be a strong advocate and work with all elected leaders to move this issue forward. I'll review all endorsements on an individual basis, however this issue will remain a fundamentally important issue affecting my view.
Finally, if you could ask women everywhere one question - what would it be?
I would ask women to consider serving their communities through elected office and other public service. I believe women in leadership can have a transformational impact on our communities and on the public policies that have the deepest impact on our families' lives. I hope my efforts will inspire women to go into public service, just as Secretary Clinton did for me many years ago.
Interview with Sheena Matheiken of The Uniform Project
Published July 02, 2009 @ 10:21AM PT
Starting Starting May 2009, Sheena Matheiken pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion.
As if this wasn't cool enough, The Uniform Project is also a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India. At the end of the year, all contributions will go toward Akanksha’s School Project to fund uniforms and other educational expenses for slum children in India.
I got a chance to catch up with Sheena, who is based in New York, in the midst of a whirlwind of press and excitement around her project:
How did the The Uniform Project get started?
The notion of wearing the same dress for a year (or in more extreme cases a whole lifetime) isn't necessarily a new concept. Many artists have done this before and I simply wanted to give myself a style challenge. The idea sparked early last year when I took a 6 month sabbatical from my full time job in order to decompress, travel and generally focus on some personal projects.
Aside from giving myself this creative challenge, I also wanted it to be something of consequence and also something that people could engage and participate in. That's how the idea of making this a fundraiser came about. I always wanted to do something towards education for lesser privileged children, and I had to look no further than the motherland to see the gaping need for it.
Do you work in the fashion industry?
No, I have no fashion experience, my background is in design and technology. I currently work as a creative director at an interactive ad agency in New York City.
Who designed the cute and functional dress you wear everyday?
My good friend and designer Eliza Starbuck is the mastermind behind the dress. She designed and made me 7 identical versions of the uniform dress, one for each day of the week. The dress is reversible so it can be worn front and back and also as an open tunic.
What is the The Akanksha Foundation and how did you become involved with them?
The Akanksha Foundation is a grassroots non-profit founded in Mumbai in 1990 through the volunteered efforts of college students devoted to bringing education to slum children. The Indian government spends an average of $360 on one child's schooling, of which 80% drop out before reaching the 10th grade.
Akanksha vows to spend the same amount on every slum child to afford them a better, more well rounded education. I met the founder of Akanksha in new york early this year and heard her speak about the foundations work. Listening to her speak I was convinced that this was where I wanted all proceeds of this project to go.
Is educating women a challenge for low-income families in India?
Certainly. Often, young girls not only carry all of the domestic responsibilities of an entire family, they are also more coveted as panhandling pawn and hence put to work on the streets more aggressively.
What has the response to the project been like?
Incredible! We are absolutely amazed by the viral response we have received thus far without doing any PR for the project whatsoever. The blogosphere picked up our project within days after our site launch and we've had incredible followership on twitter. 3 weeks into launch, we've received over 125,000 hits of which over 75% has been new visits. We're also bombarded with emails from people who want to donate accessories to the project and participate in some form. Its been overwhelmingly positive.
Do you feel that fashion has a unique quality that captures people's attention for a great cause like this?
In a way, yes. Fashion is such a visual and subjective medium, so there is that intrinsic draw. The repetitive model a 365 day project makes it addictive as well, bringing viewers back on a regular basis. The project is also an attempt to freshen up the fashion and sustainability dialogue, and I think people are excited to see that style and sustainability needn't be mutually exclusive.
The accessories I use to revamp the uniform everyday are pre-owned, repurposed, vintage, handmade or hand-me-down goods to make the case that you don't need to buy new things all the time in order to satiate our innate shopping bug.
What's next for you?
We're amazed by how well this project is being received so far, and have a lot of ideas on how to expand on this after the lifespan of this venture. But for now, I still have another 10 months to go, so the focus is one day at a time. But we're excited about the future and can't wait to see what unfolds at the end of this project!
Donate to the cause here: The Uniform Project Donate Page
