ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress "Don't Cut Social Security and Medicare!"

TELL CONGRESS:
Don't Cut Social Security and Medicare
Mass National Call-In Day: Tuesday, November 30^th

Leaders of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (the "Deficit Reduction Commission") in Washington are proposing deep cuts to Social Security and Medicare, even though neither program had anything to do with causing the current budget deficit. Congress can reject them.

The Deficit Reduction Commission leaders propose to:

·         Raise the Social Security retirement age to 69

·         Cut lifetime benefits up to 35% for middle-income workers

·         Cut Social Security's COLA (which does not pay enough as it is now)

Social Security and Medicare belong to all of us.

You contribute to them with every paycheck.

Don't let Congress cut them!

On Tues. Nov. 30^th, call Senators Schumer and Gillibrand at:

866-529-7630

Tell them: "No to Social Security and Medicare benefit cuts."

"Hands off Social Security and Medicare!" 

http://www.strengthensocialsecurity.org

Mon, Nov 29: Join us for Students Active for Ending Rape (SAFER) Outreach Work Party!

Dan Wald, who is both a NOW NY State Young Feminist Task Force member, and on the board of SAFER, sent out the following request for an upcoming feminist event.  We jumped at the opportunity to help SAFER, not only because of Dan's involvment, but also due to the important work SAFER does for sexual-assault survivors across the nation.  SAFER helped me and another student propose and create the sexual-assault policy for about half-a-million students at City University of NY.  Without SAFER, the process would have taken much longer, and might not have had much student input.  Want to make a tangible impact against sexual assault while meeting energized and progressive activists?  Join the NOW NY State Young Feminist Task Force and SAFER feminists for a outreach work party.  RSVP to cap@safercampus.org

In Solidarity,
N. Jerin Arifa
National NOW Board of Directors
National NOW Political Action Committee
National NOW Young Feminist Task Force, Chair
NOW – NYS Young Feminist Task Force, Chair
National Organization for Women (NOW)

Board Member
Bella Abzug Leadership Institute
www.abzuginstitute.org


What: SAFER Outreach Work Party!

When: Monday, November 29th from 6-9pm
Where: Our Office!
32 Broadway, Suite 1801
New York, NY 10004

Students Active for Ending Rape (SAFER) is in the midst of a big push to the Campus Accountability Project and we NEED YOU to help us get the word out!

We’re looking for volunteers to join us for a one night work party! Meet the faces behind SAFER and help us gather contact information of schools missing from our national anti-violence initiative, the Campus Accountability Project.

Food! Music! Excellent Company!

Please bring a laptop with wi-fi capacity and an ID to get into the building. If you don’t have access to a computer and would like to join us, please send us a message and we will arrange something!

About the Campus Accountability Project

The Campus Accountability Project invites college students to become advocates by researching their schools’ sexual assault policies and find out what their schools are doing to prevent and respond to sexual assault. Students are encouraged to research their school’s policies and programs and submit their findings on our National V-Day/SAFER Campus Accountability Project Database. Our policy review form guides students through specific questions about what their school does and does not offer according to the current policy on the books. Students can begin the process and then save their work and return if needed. A complete policy analysis takes around two hours. Only students can submit to CAP. All CAP submissions are fact-checked by SAFER staff and then published on a public, search-able database which serves as a research tool for activists seeking to make change on their campus.

You can read more about the volunteer position here: http://www.idealist.org/if/idealist/en/SiteIndex/AssetViewer/default?asset=VolunteerOpportunity&asset-id=207933-18

Not based in New York? No worries! E-mail us and you can help out from anywhere!


PLEASE RSVP to cap@safercampus.org so we can add you to the security list!

THANK YOU!

Daniel Wald
Volunteer and Intern Coordinator
Students Active for Ending Rape (SAFER)


http://www.safercampus.org/
http://www.twitter.com/safercampus
http://www.facebook.com/safercampus

Turn "Black Friday" Golden for Women who Rely on Social Security

Do you do your holiday shopping on the day after Thanksgiving? This year, you can help NOW turn "Black Friday" golden -- with a donation to support our work to stop Congress from cutting Social Security benefits. NOW chapters and activists around the country are calling, emailing and visiting their senators and representatives -- and it's working! More and more lawmakers are taking the pledge not to cut Social Security benefits. Please help us keep the pressure up by donating today. Conservative elites from Wall Street to Washington are mounting a full court press to cut Social Security benefits, either directly or by raising the retirement age, in the name of balancing the federal budget deficit. But Social Security has nothing to do with the deficit -- by law, it can't borrow money to pay benefits. In fact, Social Security currently has a $2.4 trillion surplus. Some members of Congress, in response to our campaign, are speaking out against Social Security benefit cuts. We need to have their backs and grow their ranks, but we can't do it without you. Please donate NOW and help us keep the pressure on. Social Security keeps millions of middle-class women out of poverty. And in the current economic climate we need improvements in benefits, not cuts. With your help we can protect and strengthen Social Security. For equality and justice, Terry O'Neill, President National Organization for Women

NOW Home  |  Join NOW  |  Support NOW's Work

CALLING ALL YOUNG FEMINISTS! Join a Diverse Group to Work for Women's Equality

·         If you care about:

ü  Women's rights,

ü  Ending rape, domestic violence and other forms of gender violence,

ü  Reproductive Justice,

ü  Pay Equity and

ü  LGBTQ rights.

·         If you are age 35 or under,

·         If you live in New York State, and

·         If you want to belong to a group that has become a feminist safe haven and extended family for many of us.

Please join The Young Feminist Task Force of the National Organization for Women, NY State. http://youngfeministtaskforce.blogspot.com

If interested, please contact youngfeminists@gmail.com

About the taskforce:

Currently, we are compromised of 25 women, men and queer-identified feminists. We reside all across the state. Our ages range from teenager to 30s. We come from diverse backgrounds: Immigrant/Muslim/Jewish/Atheist/etc. We are diverse professionals from corporate jobs to artists.

We may or may not have different priorities within feminism from reproductive justice to engaging new media for the movement

What We Do/Have Done:

1.      Go undercover to expose "crisis pregnancy centers" who tell women condoms do not protect against STI's and abortion causes breast cancer

2.      Work with various organizations like SAFER to create and or implement sexual-assault policies on campus

3.      Work on healthcare reform

4.      Marches/rallies/protests

5.      We attend and present workshops at Feminist Conferences and events

6.      Use social media to spread the feminist word (Twitter: @NOWYoungFems)

7.      Monthly potluck to get together and relax/vent/cause feminist trouble in a safe space

Our next event:

Mon, Nov 29: Join us for Students Active for Ending Rape (SAFER) Outreach Work Party!

http://youngfeministtaskforce.blogspot.com/2010/11/mon-nov-29-join-us-for-students-active.html

What: SAFER Outreach Work Party!

When: Monday, November 29th from 6-9pm

Where: 32 Broadway, Suite 1801

New York, NY 10004

We are looking for volunteers to join us for a one night work party! Meet the faces behind SAFER and help us gather contact information of schools missing from our national anti-violence initiative, the Campus Accountability Project.

If interested, please contact youngfeminists@gmail.com

In Solidarity,

N. Jerin Arifa

National NOW Board of Directors

National NOW Political Action Committee

National NOW Young Feminist Task Force, Chair

NOW – NYS Young Feminist Task Force, Chair

National Organization for Women (NOW)

www.now.org

www.nownys.org

Feminist Radio: Joy of Resistance time change! 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of the month, 9-10 PM, starting December 1st

Joy of Resistance: Multicultural Feminist Radio @ WBAI, to begin airing on the 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of the month, 9-10 PM, starting December 1st.

 (99.5 FM, streaming live on the web @ www.wbai.org)

 
Dear feminist friend,
 
It is with great joy that Joy of Resistance: Mulitcultural Feminist Radio @ WBAI, announces that our program is moving to an evening timeslot. Starting on Wednesday, Dec. 1, and thereafter on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month, we will air between 9 and 10 pm (on WBAI @ 99.5 FM, streaming live on the web and archived for 90 days @ www.wbai.org).
 
This will mean we that we will finally be able to reach women who are at work or in school during the late morning hours during which we rpreviously aired--and can now hope to build a larger feminist listenership in the three States reached by WBAI's signal.
 
And not a moment too soon--as a newly elected Republican House and increasingly rightwing Senate--with a stated agenda of eliminating women's rights (they already started by defeating the Paycheck Fairness Act last week) takes office in January. We plan for Joy of Resistance, in its new timeslot, to play an important  role in spreading the kind of feminist consciousness and activism that is so needed as we enter this difficult time. (You can check out some of our history below this letter).
 
So please help us in getting the word out about this significant time change for our program! You can do this by forwarding this email to your feminist lists and contacts--and/or cutting and pasting the headline above, as a separate announcement, to your website or blog. 
 
And don't forget to call us live on the show at at (212) 209-2900, with your thoughts, responses and ideas, when we open the phones to listener call-ins. We want to flood the airwaves with feminist voices--and together create a feminist "community-on-the-air."
 
In sisterhood and solidarity,
 
Fran 

Fran Luck,
Executive Producer,
Joy of Resistance: Multicultural Feminist Radio @ WBAI,
99.5 FM, NYC, 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 9-10 pm
(broadcasting to New York, New Jersey, Connecticut
& worldwide on the web)
 
Brief history of Joy of Resistance: Founded 2002 @ WBAI, listener-supported, non-commercial radio.
Mission: "To cover the ongoing and worldwide struggle for the full equality of women, as it dynamically unfolds in every country and culture on the planet." To find out more about Joy of Resistance' origins, you can read an article that appeared in the Spring, 2010 issue of On The Issues magazine, at http://www.ontheissuesmagazine.com/2010spring/2010spring_Luck.php.
A few program highlights: Ongoing in-depth coverage of domestic fight for safe, legal, accessible abortion, birth control, affordable childcare, stopping men's violence toward women, equal pay and economic oppoortunity, women's objectification in media, street harassment...and much more. Worldwide Feminist News segment tracks global women's struggles. Guests have included: Michelle Wallace, Frances Beal, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Katharine MacKinnon, Terry O'Neill, Sunsara Taylor, Aishah Shahidah Simmnons, Yanar Mohammed, Ti-Grace Atkinson, Loretta Ross, Angela Davis, Dorothy Roberts .and many others. Original production of oral history series: The Civil Rights Movement and the Roots of Women's Liberation. Feminist music, including Music Special: The Feminist Music Extravaganza. Live theater productions include: Words of Choice (Cindy Cooper), Promise and Betrayal: Voices from the struggle for Women's Emancipation, 1776 to 1920, by Carol Hanisch. Consciousness-raising on the air has included the topics: "beauty pressures in our lives" and "the real working conditions of Motherhood." (Copies of all programs available on request).
 
Joy of Resistance can be reached at (212) 209-2987 or emailed at joyofresistance@wbai.org

Sign Petition to End Deceptive "crisis pregnancy centers" that tell women condoms do not protect against STI's, and abortion causes breast cancer

We at the taskforce sent out requests for people to attend the hearing below against fake "criisis pregnancy centers" that tell women condoms do not protect against STI's, and abortion causes breast cancer.  Our past co-chair, Meghan Shalvoy, traveled from DC to attend the hearing. 

If you couldn't make the hearing, you can still help.  Please sign the Planned Parenthood petition below to stop these deceptive anti-choice centers.  

In Solidarity,

N. Jerin Arifa

Chair

NOW-NYS Young Feminist Task Force

Thank you so much for standing with us last Tuesday at The New York City Council Hearing in support of legislation (Intro. 371) regulating Crisis Pregnancy Centers. And to those of you who couldn't make it to the hearing, but followed our updates on Twitter and shared with your friends…Thank you as well! Our call for swift passage of the bill was heard loud and clear. But, there's still work to be done.

Sign our Petition to End Deception!

Support City Council Legislation Regulating Crisis Pregnancy Centers (Intro. 371)

For those of you who missed the bill hearing and the powerful stories told, check out this excerpt of testimony provided by Balin Anderson, Director of Social Services for the Bronx Center:
"…My job is to inform, counsel, and provide support to women seeking reproductive health care services.  All too often I see women who have been misled, misinformed, and manipulated by Crisis Pregnancy Centers. These centers prey on our patients by setting up shop near our health centers and luring women in with deceptive tactics.  I am here today to give voice to the women that these centers have abused, manipulated, and deceived.  Last week, I met with a 32-year-old mother of two young children. She recently cut back her work hours because her three-year-old has autism and requires special services and care. After a missed period, she was concerned that she might be pregnant. This woman mistook the CPC across the street for the Planned Parenthood health center. When she explained that she needed a pregnancy test, she was told she would also receive a "consultation." The "consultation" began with personal questions, including the name and occupation of her partner. She began to feel uncomfortable, explaining to me that something felt "weird" about the clinic. After providing a urine sample, she was told she would have to watch graphic videos of abortion procedures in order to obtain her test results. This despite the fact that the patient had expressed no interest in or intention to have an abortion. The patient was surprised to discover that the staff expected her to conduct the pregnancy test herself using an over-the-counter test from the pharmacy. Simply seeking a pregnancy test, this woman was subjected to coercive practices, anti-abortion rhetoric, and propaganda."
Although this patient ultimately accessed necessary medical care at PPNYC, it was only after the CPC staff had deceived and emotionally traumatized her.
Enough is Enough.
Please stand with us and help put an end to the deceptive practices of Crisis Pregnancy Centers.

Sign the Petition to End Deception TODAY!

Tell Congress: Don't Carve Up Social Security

Tell Congress: Don't Carve Up Social Security Sign the pledge... After taking action, please support our work! The co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform have proposed carving up Social Security like a Thanksgiving turkey. They want to increase the retirement age to 69 (making us work longer), deeply cut benefits for middle-class workers and reduce annual Cost of Living Adjustments. We need your help to stop them! Join us in a National Call Congress Day on Tuesday, Nov. 30. Sign the "Count on Me" pledge to add your voice and tell Congress: DON'T CUT OUR SOCIAL SECURITY! Social Security is a promise that must not be broken -- we work hard and our payroll taxes pay for it. It belongs to our children, our parents, our neighbors and ourselves. Due to unequal pay, time spent out of the workforce, and little to no savings, investments or pensions, women disproportionately rely on Social Security, so they stand to lose the most if these cuts are made. Help ensure that Social Security will be there, keeping middle-class women out of poverty and not forcing them to work until they are nearly 70. After you've signed the "Count on Me" pledge, forward this e-mail and tell your friends, family and co-workers to add their voice by participating in the National Call Congress Day on Tuesday, Nov. 30. Don't let politicians in Washington cut OUR Social Security! Act today. P.S. If you don't act, Congress will assume you don't mind your Social Security benefits being carved up like a turkey! Sign the pledge NOW and we will send you a reminder email with the toll-free number the day before the call-in. and then TAKE ACTION: More Actions | Find Your Nearest Chapter | Tell a Friend | NOW.org SUPPORT NOW: Donate to NOW | Join NOW

Successful Feminist Art Show by One of the Taskforce Members

Layla Love, one of the members of the NOW-NYS Young Feminist Taskforce, is also a talented artist.  On Thursday, Nov 11, 2010, the taskforce showed up to the opening of her newest art show in NYC.  As in the past, we were impressed by Layla's talent, and moved by her dedication to feminism in all aspects of her life - especially her photographs. 

The event was standing-room only, with her big-name fans like Anthony Haden-Guest and Liz Abzug making appearances.  The taskforce members were happy to find each other in the crowded gallery space. 

It was a pleasant surprise to see NOW NYS Executive VP Gaby Moreno, who took time out of her busy schedule to support Layla.

I was lucky to take some photographs of the event.  One of my favorite photographs is the one below, of Liz Abzug speaking to Micah Bochart (of the taskforce) in front of a photo of Gloria Steinem. 

I am partial to this photo not only because my husband happens to be in it.  Liz has been a long-time mentor and has always been vocal about making the feminist movement as inclusive as possible.  It seems only appropriate that she is speaking to a male feminist.  Ms. Steinem was a close friend of Liz's mother, Bella Abzug, and is on the board of Bella Abzug Leadership Institute, (BALI), which Liz runs.   BALI helped organize a historic feminist conference at Hunter College exactly three years ago, on November 10-11, 2007, where I met Layla for the first time.  I remember wondering who this important young woman was, whom Rosie O'Donnell and the rest of the veteran feminists seemed to know. 

Since 2007, I have had the pleasure of getting to know Layla better each year; she never stops to amaze me.  Her impressive resume of photographing icons like Gloria Steinem aside, what draws people to Layla is her genuine compassion and humble nature.  The feminist movement, just like any other movement, has its in-fighting.  However, I have never heard Layla say one bad word about another woman.  In fact, she has stopped me and others when we feel the need to vent about women whose actions we find to be less than feminist.  Layla embodies what feminism's most important ideal should be - do no harm to another woman.

I feel privileged to have members like Layla in this taskforce, which has become a feminist safe haven and extended family for many of us.

In Solidarity,
N. Jerin Arifa
National NOW Board of Directors
National NOW Political Action Committee
National NOW Young Feminist Task Force, Chair
NOW – NYS Young Feminist Task Force, Chair
National Organization for Women (NOW)

Wed, Dec 1: Many Islams: A symposium on the nature of Islam

The Religion Forum at Hunter College presents

Many Islams

A symposium on the nature of Islam

 

Bert Breiner, Ph.D.

Hossein Kamaly, Ph.D.

Paul Weinfield, Ph.D.

1:30PM, December 1, 2010

Hunter College, 68th Street and Lexington Avenue, West Bldg., Rm 215

this event is free and open to the public

CEDAW Hearing Encouraging, U.S. Ratification Long Overdue

For Immediate Release Contact: Mai Shiozaki, 202-628-8669, ext. 116 CEDAW Hearing Encouraging, U.S. Ratification Long Overdue November 19, 2010 NOW applauds Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) for chairing a first-ever Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday on ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Eight years have lagged since the last hearing for the human rights treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1979. "Women around the world have waited more than 30 years for the U.S. to ratify this treaty. In an age when women can be stoned to death for surviving rape, and women are 70 percent of the 1.3 billion people living in poverty worldwide, it is unconscionable for a vocal reactionary minority to keep our country sitting on the sidelines. This hearing can be a significant step forward with very much deserved pressure on the Senate," said NOW Action Vice President Erin Matson, who attended the Nov. 18 hearing on Capitol Hill. To date, 185 countries have ratified CEDAW, and even though the United States helped draft the treaty, it is the only industrialized country that has yet to ratify. The other six countries that have refused to ratify CEDAW are Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Nauru, Palau and Tonga. CEDAW is the most comprehensive international agreement on the basic human rights of women and girls. U.S. ratification would lend weight to the treaty and the principle that women's human rights are universal across all cultures, nations and religions, and worthy of being guaranteed through international standards. Matson noted: "Until the U.S. ratifies CEDAW, it can neither credibly demand that other countries live up to their obligations under the treaty, nor claim that it is a leader in the global human rights community." The next step toward ratification is for Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) to hold a vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. If the treaty is approved by the committee, it must then be brought to a full vote on the Senate floor. Women in the U.S. and around the world stand to benefit greatly under CEDAW ratification, so NOW is using its RATIFY WOMEN! national action campaign to call on the committee chair to: "Hurry, Kerry!" "Women around the world want to know: Are Senators for women's human rights, or are they against them? It's well past time for a floor vote," said Matson. NOW's call comes with an additional appeal -- that CEDAW be ratified without the Reservations, Declarations and Understandings (RDUs) that prior administrations and conservative senators attached to the treaty. These RDUs, in essence, are loopholes that would undermine key provisions, and their presence creates a watered-down U.S. version of the treaty. The RDUs convey a lack of commitment to ending discrimination against women and specifically claim no responsibility for the U.S. to undertake efforts to expand maternity leave, improve access to health care services for women, or take more effective efforts to address sex-based pay discrimination, among other objectives designed to promote women's equality. "Ratifying CEDAW with debilitating RDUs attached would hurt the cause of women's rights worldwide," said Matson. "NOW urges ratification of a strong, clean CEDAW to display this nation's commitment to improving human rights for women in all areas covered by this important treaty." ###

Pelosi Elected Minority Leader! Pelosi, Schakowsky Demonstrate Leadership in Trying Times

For Immediate Release Contact: Mai Shiozaki, 202-628-8669, ext. 116 Pelosi Elected Minority Leader! Pelosi, Schakowsky Demonstrate Leadership in Trying Times Statement of NOW President Terry O'Neill November 17, 2010 NOW commends the Democratic members of the House of Representatives for electing Nancy Pelosi as their next minority leader. Having proven herself a strong and effective speaker of the House, we expect Pelosi to continue serving the interests of women as minority leader. Pelosi again demonstrated her keen leadership in the wake of the recommendations made by the co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, which called for Social Security benefit cuts -- a dangerous move that would push hundreds of thousands of middle class women into poverty. Speaker Pelosi immediately denounced this plan, stating that it is "simply unacceptable." Pelosi is not alone in her opposition. Representative Jan Schakoswsky (D-Ill.), who sits on the commission, spoke out against these recommendations and proposed an alternative, comprehensive plan to reduce the federal budget without cutting Social Security benefits. Schakowsky responded to the recommendations, saying: "Social Security has nothing to do with the deficit. Addressing the Social Security issue as part of the deficit question is like attacking Iraq to retaliate for the 9/11 attacks -- there is simply no relationship between the two and attempting to conflate them does a grave disservice to America's seniors." Schakowsky points out that in addition to the fact that there is no correlation between the deficit and Social Security, "[t]aking money from Social Security retirees whose average total income is $18,000 per year and average benefit is $14,000 ($12,000 for women) is simply wrong." Pelosi and Schakowsky are two beams of light in the dreary halls of Congress. These women must be applauded for their efforts to defend the middle class against the wrong-headed ideas of co-chairs Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson. NOW urges the commission to come together behind the recommendations offered in Schakowsky's plan, which does not attempt to arbitrarily balance the budget on the back of the middle class. Schakowsky's plan is detailed on her website. ### NOW.org | Press Room | Support NOW's Work

Paycheck Fairness Act Blocked, Foreshadowing Challenging Future for Women's Equality

For Immediate Release Contact: Mai Shiozaki, 202-628-8669, ext. 116 Paycheck Fairness Act Blocked, Foreshadowing Challenging Future for Women's Equality Statement of NOW President Terry O'Neill November 17, 2010 The new Congress hasn't taken office yet, but the writing already is on the wall. Efforts to advance women's equality will be relegated to the back burner, or worse, actively torched. Today we witnessed conservatives in the Senate block the Paycheck Fairness Act, denying women a significant step toward finally closing the gender wage gap. Back in January of 2009, under Speaker Nancy Pelosi's inspiring leadership, the House of Representatives passed the Paycheck Fairness Act with a strong bipartisan vote of 256-163. But it's a different day now, and the Senate needed 60 votes to end a Republican filibuster. Equal pay supporters were able to produce an encouraging but ultimately unsuccessful final tally of 58-41. The Paycheck Fairness Act would have closed loopholes in the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and strengthened it by creating incentives for employers to follow the law. Additionally, the act would have assisted women in negotiating for better pay and promotion, furthered skill trainings for girls and women, restarted key research on the wage gap and tracked businesses' compliance with the law. Critically important, the Act would have prohibited retaliation against employees when salary information is shared. Women are now half of the paid workforce, but as the recession continues, many women find that their family financial circumstances have changed. An unprecedented number of women are family breadwinners due to deeper unemployment rates among men -- making pay equity essential not simply to the economic security of families but also to the nation's economic recovery. Today's vote does not bode well for the next two years. The National Organization for Women is deeply concerned that women's rights will come under attack in all the areas where we've been working so hard, including: advancing economic justice, securing reproductive freedom, promoting diversity and ending racism, winning LGBT rights, stopping violence against women, achieving constitutional equality and so much more. Rather than view this vote as a defeat, we must take it as a rallying cry to stand up to the right wing and demonstrate our commitment to moving forward, despite their attempts to hold us back. ### NOW.org | Press Room | Support NOW's Work

RATIFY WOMEN! Tune in Thursday, Tell Senators It's Go Time

Urgent Action Required: CEDAW Senate Hearings Planned Watch The Hearing Attend in person this Thursday at 2 p.m. in room 226 of the Dirksen Senate building Click here to watch the webcast live Follow NOW Action Vice President Erin Matson's live tweets of the hearings After eight years without movement on the more than 30-years unratified United Nations (U.N.) Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has agreed to hold a hearing in his capacity as chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law. This is a significant step forward in our ongoing push to recognize women's rights as human rights, but your action is needed now. In order to get the CEDAW Treaty floor vote that women around the world have been waiting for, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) must hold a vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Take Action NOW! Tell your Senators to urge Sen. Kerry to hold a vote on CEDAW without restrictions or delay. Background For 30 years women around the world have waited for our country to ratify CEDAW. This women's rights treaty has been used around the globe to help women claim property rights, address systemic sexual violence and increase our representation in both public and private leadership. The U.S. is the only industrialized country in the world not to have yet ratified CEDAW. We need Senate action on the CEDAW Treaty to give the U.S. greater clout to help women worldwide claim basic human rights. NOW is working with dozens of national partners to ensure we RATIFY WOMEN! now. We won't let this CEDAW hearing be the end, but instead the beginning. Please ask your Senators to support the CEDAW Treaty and contact Sen. Kerry. For more information, please see our RATIFY WOMEN! website and NOW President Terry O'Neill's written testimony (PDF) for Thursday's hearing. Take Action NOW! Ratify Women Website   |   Donate to NOW

Final Countdown for Paycheck Fairness: Call Your Senators TODAY!

Final Countdown for Paycheck Fairness: Call Your Senators on Tuesday, Nov. 16. TAKE ACTION: The countdown is on and we need your help to get the bill across the finish line. On Tuesday, November 16, participate in the national call-in day! Call your senators at 1-877-667-6650 and ask them to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act this session! BACKGROUND: The moment is here – thanks to your support, we are within striking distance of passing the Paycheck Fairness Act! The Senate is back in session and precious few days remain for them to pass this critical bill. Taking action has never been more important than it is right now. The Senate must make this bill a priority: the Paycheck Fairness Act would deter wage discrimination by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and barring retaliation against workers who disclose their wages to coworkers. This critically important bill will greatly advance equal pay for women and must be passed this week during the short lame duck session. Under Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) able leadership, the House passed the Paycheck Fairness Act as one of it first votes in the current Congress. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has promised to bring the bill to a floor vote during the lame duck session which begins today. Important point: there may not be an opportunity for such legislation to be adopted in the next Congress because of the change in leadership in the House. So the Paycheck Fairness Act needs to be adopted now -- please call BOTH of your senators. YOUR ACTION: On Tuesday, Nov. 16, NOW and other leading organizations in the Paycheck Fairness Act coalition are hosting a nationwide call-in day to push the Senate to vote. We need only a few minutes of your time. Please dial 1-877-667-6650 and simple instructions will direct you to your Senators' offices. YOUR MESSAGE: After you are put through, be sure to tell them the following: Your name, address, and that you are their constituent. You are calling to urge them to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. Women currently only make 77 cents to the dollar paid to men. The Paycheck Fairness Act would deter wage discrimination by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and bar retaliation against workers who disclose their wages to coworkers. The House already passed the bill in January, 2010. The Senate must do the same this session and protect against any weakening amendments that arise. The final hours are ticking by and every call makes a difference. Please, take a few moments on Tuesday, November 16 to call your senators at 1-877-667-6650 and ask them to pass Paycheck Fairness for women and their families before time runs out! After you make your call, please make a donation to support our work. Thank you for your continued support and all the work you do for NOW. TAKE ACTION: More Actions | Find Your Nearest Chapter | Tell a Friend | NOW.org SUPPORT NOW: Donate to NOW | Join NOW

Stand Up for NYC Women: CPC Hearing Tomorrow

The New York City Council is holding a hearing tomorrow on a bill that would require Crisis Pregnancy Centers to post disclaimers on their doors and in their advertisements, letting women know that these facilities do not offer contraception and abortion referrals or services.

We need your help to work to pass the bill:

1. Thank Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Councilwoman Jessica Lappin for standing up for New York women and introducing this bill.

2. Attend the hearing. Show the City Council that this bill has the support of the public! The hearing is Tuesday, November 16 at 1 pm at 250 Broadway, 16th Floor in Manhattan.

3. If you have visited a crisis pregnancy center in the 5 boroughs of New York City, thinking it was a comprehensive women's health clinic, share your story. To speak at the meeting or to share your story in writing, email Rachel Cordero, Counsel to the Committee on Women's Issues or Adira Siman, Counsel to the Committee on Health.

Feminist activists across the country have been working to expose fake clinics for years. Thanks to the work of New York City feminists and a report by NARAL Pro-Choice New York, the New York City Council is considering truth in advertising legislation. Voice your support now!

For Women's Lives,

Eleanor Smeal
President
Feminist Majority Foundation

Final Countdown for Paycheck Fairness: National Call-In Day Tomorrow!

Call your Senator! Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act (S181) before Congress adjourns! Call your Senators at 1-877-667-6650 today OR E-mail your Senators! Working women cannot wait any longer for Senate action against wage discrimination! The moment is here – thanks to your support, we are within striking distance of passing the Paycheck Fairness Act! The Senate is back in session and precious few days remain for them to pass this critical bill. The countdown is on and we need your help to get the bill across the finish line. Call your Senator at 1-877-667-6650 and ask them to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act this session! OR send them an email. Taking action has never been more important than it is right now. The Senate must make this bill a priority: the Paycheck Fairness Act would deter wage discrimination by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and barring retaliation against workers who disclose their wages to coworkers. The Feminist Majority and other leading organizations in the Paycheck Fairness Act coalition are hosting a nationwide call-in day tomorrow, Tuesday, November 16, to push the Senate to vote. So call now and call again tomorrow! We need only two minutes of your time. Please dial 1-877-667-6650 and simple instructions will direct you to your Senators' offices. After you are put through, be sure to tell them the following: • Your name, address, and that you are their constituent. • You are calling to urge them to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. • Women currently only make 77 cents to the dollar. • The Paycheck Fairness Act would deter wage discrimination by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and bar retaliation against workers who disclose their wages to coworkers. • The House already passed the bill in January 2010. The Senate must do the same this session and protect against any weakening amendments that arise. You can also email your Senators now! We are in the final days before the Senate votes on this bill and every call makes a difference. Please, take a few moments to call the Senate at 1-877-667-6650 and ask them to pass Paycheck Fairness for women and their families before time runs out! Thank you for your continued support. For Equality, Eleanor Smeal President Feminist Majority     Norma Gattsek Government Relations Director Feminist Majority P.S. Don't worry, if you hate the phone, e-mail your Senators today! Paid for by Feminist Majority - feministmajority.org - and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. 1600 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 801, Arlington, VA 22209 | 703.522.2214 | femmaj@feminist.org

The New Health Care Law and What it Means for Older Adults & Other Metro NY Health Care for All Event

CALENDAR OF EVENTS OF INTEREST – LATE NOV. 2010

*Tues. Nov. 16, 10 a.m. – "Bending the Cost Curve for Medicaid in New York"; the monthly roundtable sponsored by NYers for Accessible Health Coverage; guest speaker Kathy Kuhmerker (Lewin Group); at the National MS Society NYC Chapter, 733 Third Ave. (bet. 45^th & 46^th Sts.), 3^rd fl., in Manhattan; more info at 646-442-4147.

 

*Tues. Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m. – "Hippocrates Shadow: What Doctors Don't Know and Don't Tell You, and How the Truth Can Repair the Patient-Doctor Breach"; featuring David Newman, MD (Mt. Sinai Medical Center) and Laura Boylan, MD (Manhattan VA Medical Center); sponsored by Physicians for a National Health Program and other groups; at Phillips Ambulatory Care Center, 10 Union Sq. East (at 14^th St.), 2^nd fl. Conf. Ctr., in Manhattan; more info at www.pnhpnymetro.org or 718-222-9266

 

*Wed. Nov. 17, 9 a.m. – "The New Health Care Law and What it Means for Older Adults"; featuring Mark Hannay (Metro NY Health Care for All Campaign) and Heidi Siegfried (NYers for Accessible Health Coverage); sponsored by the Westchester-Putnam Access to Health Care Coalition, and the American Cancer Society; at Putnam Hospital Center, 670 Stoneleigh Avenue, in Carmel; more info at 914-397-8804. 

 

*Wed. Nov. 24, 7:30 p.m. – Health Care on the Air: "Choices and Options for People During Medicare's 2010 Open Enrollment Period"; guest Doug Goggin-Callahan (Medicare Rights Center); broadcast over cable Ch. 56 (Time-Warner) or Ch. 83 (RCN) in Manhattan or streamed live at www.mnn.org; past programs available for streaming at www.metrohealthcare.org; more info at 212-925-1829.

 

(* indicates events or groups in which we play a leadership or sponsoring role.)

 

 

 

SAVE THESE DATES!

 

*Wed. Dec. 1, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Annual Meeting of Health Care for All New York; at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Albany; guest speakers to be announced; car pooling available from NYC; more info at www.hcfany.org or 212-925-1829.

 

*Thurs. Dec. 9, 6 to 8 p.m. – 2010 Annual Gala Honoring Leaders for Health Care Justice; a benefit for the Metro NY Health Care for All Campaign; honorees to include Rep. Anthony Weiner, Citizen Action of NY, and various NYC affiliates of lead HCAN unions (AFL-CIO, AFT, AFSCME, CWA, and SEIU); keynote speaker John McDonough (Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, Hunter College); at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Labor Center, 310 W. 43^rd St. in Manhattan; more info at 212-925-1829 or www.metrohealthcare.org

 

Metro New York Health Care for All Campaign

40 Worth Street, Suite 802

New York, NY  10013

212-925-1829

www.metrohealthcare.org