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Fat Talk Free Week
Published October 20, 2009 @ 07:41AM PT
The thin ideal of beauty effects all of us. And we don't just see it in magazines and on TV. We hear it from our coworkers, friends and family. We hear it in our own heads, echos of a culture that prizes being skinny over being happy and healthy. How many times have you heard something like the following from friends, family or colleagues?
"She's too big for that dress."
"I'll feel better when I weigh 5 pounds less."
"You look great, did you lose weight?"
It's time to stop this stream of body hatred. It's time to enjoy beauty at every size and embrace a healthy ideal. Make a commitment to eliminate fat talk from your life this week, from October 19 to 23rd.
Fat Talk Free Week is an international campaign to draw attention to body image issues and the damaging impact of the thin ideal. It is also an opportunity to reach out to the women you love, including your self, and develop a more positive dialogue.
Apply Now: National Summit to End Domestic Violence
Published September 28, 2009 @ 08:07PM PT
Given the intense discussions about domestic violence we've had lately here at Change.org, I thought it appropriate to share this opportunity:
Mary Byron Project is a national non-profit organization with a core mission of eliminating domestic violence. The agency is named in honor of the young woman whose murder led to the creation of VINE (www.vinelink.com ), now used in 2,300 communities in 47 states to notify crime victims when their offenders are released from jail.
The Mary Byron Project will host a National Summit to End Domestic Violence on November 8 - 10, 2009 in Louisville, Kentucky. This one-time-only event will showcase innovative programs from across the country that are proving successful in ending domestic violence. Fifty scholarships to attend the Summit have been made available. Recipients will receive a $500 stipend, $300 of which will cover the cost of registration and meals, and the remaining $200 can be used for airfare, hotel, or other travel expenses. Applicants can use the attached form to apply; the deadline is Friday, October 9, 2009.
You can find details at www.marybyronproject.org/NationalSummit.html.
Get Ready for Freedom Week
Published September 17, 2009 @ 08:20PM PT
Just found out about this exciting event series coming up in New York City called Freedom Week, which is seven days of awareness-raising events, delving deep into the issue of modern-day slavery in all of its many forms. I hope to be able to make it to some of the events, but wanted to share with those in New York.
SEPTEMBER 20
- The Economics of Sex Slavery by Siddharth Kara, author of Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery. TBA; FREE
- Fatal Promises documentary featuring actress Emma Thompson, activist Gloria Steinem and Free the Slaves founder Kevin Bales. 3, 5, 7 and 9:30pm; $11, $8 student, $6 senior
SEPTEMBER 21
- "Faces of Freedom" photography exhibit co-sponsored by UNICEF & RugMark. TBA; FREE
- The World of Sex Trafficking with New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof & Kaign Christy of International Justice Mission. 8pm; FREE
SEPTEMBER 22
- Q&A forum with Restore and other organizations. 7-9:30pm; FREE
- "Redemption Songs of Freedom" benefit concert with hip-hop artist Emmanuel Jal. 8pm (doors open at 7:30pm); $5 with Columbia Univ. student ID, $15 without
Pull Me Up: New Leaders Council Launches 11 Chapters in 2010
Published September 10, 2009 @ 09:06PM PT
I may be only 25, but I am still concerned about the progress of those around me. I want to make sure all young people have the tools, the networks, the opportunities to succeed and make this world a better place. I wouldn't be where I am today without someone pulling me UP and having faith in the person I can be.
This is why I volunteer as the Chief Technology Officer of New Leaders Council. We are a completely volunteer non-profit that is extending to 11 cities around the country in 2010. By January, we will have infrastructure to train the next generation of progressive political entrepreneurs in the following places: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, Chicago, Louisiana, Missoula, Atlanta, New York, Washington DC and Boston.
The mission of the NLC is to identify, train and support these new leaders across the country - those who are leading industries, setting trends, and building institutions that support robust civic and political life in a global America.
NLC believes in recruiting emerging leaders from outside of the traditional power structures, engaging them on both local and national levels, and equipping them to be civic leaders - not only for elective office, but also in their communities and workplaces.
NLC accomplishes this mission primarily through the NLC Institute; the nation's premiere political entrepreneurship training program that builds local teams of outstanding young professionals in twelve cities across the nation. NLC Fellows engage in ten days of intensive training over a five-month period to learn cutting-edge entrepreneurship, leadership, and political management skills from over 150 industry-leading volunteer faculty. Upon graduation, Fellows are paired with career mentors, join a national alumni network, and agree to fundraise to support the next class of Fellows.
The result of NLC is a growing corps of diverse and highly-skilled new progressive leaders who rise to the top of their fields, working together across sectors and in their local cities to build, expand, and improve the progressive infrastructure necessary for strong democracy, social justice, and equal opportunity.
On September 15th, 2009 we have a fundraiser in Washington DC with former Gov. Howard Dean, California Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, and several other elected officials to celebrate the expansion of this notable leadership training program. On October 14, we will celebrate 11 events in 11 cities across the nation that will work to recruit, inform and engage the progressive community about our mission to train the next generation of political entrepreneurs. On October 18th, we will accept applications from those young leaders (age 22 - 35) who want to be part of the NLC fellowship program in 2010.
I am an activist. But I am also a teacher. We can't act unless someone reaches down to then pulls us up.
I hope you will consider joining the NLC event in Washington, DC on 9/15, participating in a local event for NLC Day on October 14th or applying to be a fellow in the 2010 NLC Institutes. You can also become a Fan of NLC on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter @NewLeadersCncl.
Are you ready to change the world? I am. Let's go.
PCCC: We Need Female Candidates
Published August 31, 2009 @ 12:31PM PT
I don't usually use this blog as a message board for fellowship opportunities, but this request demanded some attention after I got the following plea from one of the staff members at the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC):
PCCC is looking for fall fellows, and we desperately need women. We have not received a single application from a woman for the fall fellowship. Not one. Please, please help me spread the word.
As someone who also runs a leadership training program for New Leaders Council, it is so important that we look at diversity with a serious eye and intentionally recruit all types of people from a variety of backgrounds to engage with the political process early on. Particularly, if we want more women to run for office in the future, they must be part of programs like PCCC from the beginning.
Fellows can hail from anywhere in the United States, so I encourage women everywhere to apply. The deadline for applications is THIS Sunday, September 6th - so don't wait!
Fall Fellowship Program
September 14 - December 11, 2009
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) is an organization dedicated to helping better, bolder progressive candidates get elected. We provide candidates with the tools and knowledge to hit the ground running from Day One, skipping the learning curve that can cost so many campaigns months of lost time and hundreds of thousands of dollars. Our staff includes senior organizers from top-tier congressional campaigns and progressive movement organizations. We're a not-for-profit, one-stop shop for progressive candidates at the state and federal levels.
We also run online advocacy campaigns on prominent issues like the public option. In the last couple months, ABC, NBC, CNN, Politico, Washington Post, New York Times, Associated Press, Huffington Post, and others have reported on our work.
On any given day, our work might include: recruiting a great candidate to run for office; managing a field team; designing the next generation of campaign software development; tracking competitive races nationally; writing a press release or blog post; planning a fundraiser; and more!
We are now launching the 2009 Fall Fellowship Program. From September 14 - December 11, our Fall Fellows will have the opportunity to take responsibility for high-level projects, matched to their unique skill sets and interests, while working remotely from their own homes. These projects might include:
- Designing and building a website for a congressional candidate.
- Outreach to national bloggers and analysis of key congressional races.
- Working on field targeting for a top legislative race.
- Learning the world of campaign finance and fundraising.
In addition, we'll offer monthly "brown-bag lunches" via webcasts with senior organizers and congressional staff, and periodic seminars on different skills associated with political campaigns.
Interested? Send your resume and a one-paragraph statement about why you consider yourself a progressive to pcccapplications@gmail.com. You can read more about the PCCC at http://www.BoldProgressives.org.
Deadline for applications is Sunday, September 6 at 5pm EST. Fellows must commit 15 hours a week. The Fall Fellowship is unpaid at this time.
Take Action Against Anti-Choice Rally Today in Omaha
Published August 28, 2009 @ 06:10AM PT
Today's the day to Counter Protest the extreme Pro-Life Group, Operation Rescue, which is organizing against the opening of abortion clinics in Nebraska.
The protests are targeting Dr. LeRoy Carhart's plans to open a late-term abortion clinic in Omaha. Carhart is a former employee of Dr. Tiller - who we all remember was killed only three months ago for his basic, but profound belief: to trust women.
As written about in a Newsweek profile of Dr. Carhart - he is a target because he gives women the most options when it comes to abortion - and subsequently trusts that they make the effort to come to him when they must choose such a procedure:
What makes Carhart such a target isn't just that he performs abortions—about 1,800 doctors do so today—but that he is among the very few still willing to do so late into pregnancy. Only 1.3 percent of abortions happen after the 21st week of pregnancy, according to the Centers for Disease Control. But those procedures have become the focus of intense debate. To pro-choicers they are tragic stories of late-discovered anomalies, with heroic doctors terminating a fetus that wouldn't survive long after birth. To pro-lifers they are morality tales that best prove the point about all abortion.
Once again, I want to emphasize something: no one is "pro-abortion" in the literal sense of the word. But why should it be up to interest groups to decide the choices that women have in terms of access to a legal medical procedure? Being pro-choice means defending the right to make a decision for yourself, not allowing someone else to decide for you. Until we start trusting ourselves, however, it will be hard to trust other women. So this process starts first and foremost within ourselves; I hope everyone realizes that and if they are anti-choice, please consider why you don't trust other women in the first place. You may find that it has nothing to do with abortion but a larger societal problem that sees women as less instead of more.
In conclusion, for those in Omaha, Nebraska I hope you will counter protest (peacefully) the actions by Operation Rescue. For those outside of Nebraska, NARAL is hosting a virtual rally and here's how you can participate:
Women accessing their legal right to abortion--and the providers who make this possible--should never be targets of violence. That is why NARAL Pro-Choice America is holding a virtual rally on Friday, August 28 to show support for Dr. Carhart, his staff, his patients, and all women's reproductive health and health-care professionals. Here are easy ways you can participate:
- Sign our letter in support of Dr. Carhart.
- Add your photo to our "Trust Women" Flickr slideshow.
- On August 28, update your Facebook or MySpace status to "Trust women. Stand against anti-choice extremism." and post a link to this page.
- On Twitter? Tweet in support of Dr. Carhart (and, of course, follow us if you don't already!)
- Change your profile photo or icon on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or LiveJournal to your own "Trust Women" photo, or use one of the graphics from our "Virtual Rally Center." You can also feel free to add any of these graphics to your blog, or anywhere else you can think of.
Counter Protest: Pro-Life Group to Organize Against Abortion Clinic
Published August 16, 2009 @ 01:42PM PT
Just saw this from the extremist pro-life group, Operation Rescue, about protesting the opening of a late-term abortion clinic in Omaha, Nebraska. This comes almost exactly three months after the death of abortion provider, George Tiller and targets a former employee of Tiller's clinic. It is very important we expose these efforts, particularly given the continued threats being made from Scott Roeder, the suspected murderer of Tiller, who said only a few months ago to the Associated Press,"I know there are many other similar events planned around the country as long as abortion remains legal." When asked by the AP if he was referring to another shooting, he refused to elaborate.
I am asking everyone who is near Omaha to organize themselves and counter protest this event. It is important that these ideas are challenged in the public square. Being pro-choice, doesn't have to be about being pro-abortion, it is about trusting women to make the right decision about what to do with their body and giving them the choice to make that decision, not the government.
Also, please make sure to let the local law enforcement know about your plans to organize against this group so there is police presence available. You can also contact your local Planned Parenthood chapter to gather support.
Schedule Announced for Pro-life Opposition to Carhart's Late-Term Abortion Clinic
Omaha, NE - Operation Rescue will join with Nebraskans United for Life and Rescue the Heartland in the Omaha area for a series of pro-life activities on August 28-29 opposing LeRoy Carhart's apparent plans to open a late-term abortion clinic.
The events are part of a national "Keep it Closed" campaign to block Carhart's efforts to establish a post-viability abortion clinic to replace the now closed Women's Health Care Services in Wichita, Kansas, where he once worked.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Press Conference: Exact time and location be announced
7:00 PM - Rally For Victory
St. Cecilia Cathedral
701 North 40th St. Omaha, NE. 68106
Meet in the Church social hallSaturday, August 29, 2009
8:00 AM - Rescue Outreach at Carhart's Abortion Clinic
1002 W. Mission Ave., Bellevue, NE 68005
Afternoon training with Operation Rescue is by invitation only for security reasons.
