Women
Some 10,000 women of all classes and walks of life took to the streets of
Cairo on Dec. 20 to protest the military’s misogynistic, violent assaults
on Egyptian women. Many demanded that the military step down immediately....
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African-American lesbian activist, poet and writer Audre Lorde wrote that
“the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s
house.” Published in 1984, her statement is a perfect response to U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Dec. 6 announcement that the U.S.
will supposedly be championing the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and queer people around the world. Clinton gave her outrageously
hypocritical remarks at an event recognizing International Human Rights Day in
Geneva, Switzerland....
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The Occupy Wall Street movement at Zuccotti Park in New York City heard the
powerful voices of women activists, the majority of them immigrants from Latin
America, at a rally organized Nov. 20 by a broad coalition led by Women Workers
for Peace and La Peña del Bronx....
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On Saturday, October 29, 2011, the
life and work of accomplished pianist and theatrical performer, Consuela
Edmonia Lee (aka Consuela Moorehead), will be honored at the historic
Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York by an impressive list of
renowned filmmakers, musicians and artists....
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The International Women’s Alliance (IWA) supports the ‘Occupy Wall Street’
actions and calls on women’s organizations, networks, and alliances
worldwide to join and express their solidarity especially on the Global Day
of Action on October 15....
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The International Migrants’ Alliance (IMA) denounces former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s sexual assault on female migrant worker Nafissatou Diallo, as well as the case’s subsequent handling by US prosecutors and the Western media, as not only an attack on her person but on women and migrants as well....
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The International Women’s Assembly successfully held its First General
Assembly on July 5 and 6 in Quezon City, Philippines, under the theme
“Advance the Global Anti-imperialist Women’s Movement! Strengthen
the International Women’s Alliance!”...
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On June 2 hotel housekeepers who are members of UNITE HERE launched a
coordinated eight-city speak-out “to break the silence on the dangers of
their jobs.” The workers stated that they were “inspired by the
courageous stand taken by the housekeepers in New York against some of the most
powerful men in the world.” ...
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Just as the right of public sector workers to collective bargaining has been attacked this year in state legislatures from New Hampshire to California, so too have there been widespread legislative attacks on women’s right to legal, safe, accessible abortion....
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The hotel housekeeper who accused then-head of the International Monetary Fund Dominique Strauss-Kahn of raping her is fighting back after a media barrage meant to defame her character and undermine her credibility. This brave woman has filed a libel suit against the New York Post for a series of articles in which the paper, in vulgar and demeaning terms, openly claimed she was a prostitute....
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The U.S. Supreme Court recently dealt a brutal blow to women workers employed by Wal-Mart. On June 20 the justices dismissed the Dukes v. Wal-Mart lawsuit, decreeing that these workers cannot sue their employers as a class for sex discrimination....
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Consider these horrific facts provided by the National Organization for
Women: Every year approximately 132,000 women report they have been violently
violated by rape or attempted rape. More than half of that number knew their
attackers. It’s estimated that two to six times that many women are
raped, but do not report it. Every year 1.2 million women are raped by their
current or former male partners, some more than once....
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And the beat goes on. Right-wing, pro-corporate politicians continue their
attacks on working and poor people across the country. At the same time, they
are escalating their war on women’s rights and health care, but not
without resistance....
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Women — mostly teenaged or very young — have been kidnapped,
tortured, raped, mutilated and killed by the hundreds in Ciudad Juárez,
Mexico, sister city to El Paso, Texas....
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Jan. 22 marks the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court
decision legalizing abortion. Tens of thousands of women have been saved from
death and serious injury since abortion became legal in 1973. Women who chose
to have safe, legal abortions ever since have felt enormous security and relief
as they went about their lives....
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The New York chapter of the Women’s Fightback Network hosted a
reportback meeting Dec. 4 on the Montreal International Women’s
Conference that took place Aug. 13-16 in Canada. The meeting, held at the
Solidarity Center in Manhattan, was standing room only as women activists of
many nationalities, ages and political backgrounds saw video footage and a
power point presentation about the conference....
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This past August, activists attended a historic Women’s Anti-Imperialist Conference in Montreal Attend a Special Forum to hear reports ...
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A United Nations Human Rights Council gathering in Switzerland heard testimony from oppressed groups inside the United States who exposed Washington’s official state policy of gross violations against peoples of color and workers in general....
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Most political pundits and leading corporate-oriented publications are
predicting significant gains by right-wing Republican candidates across the
United States in the midterm elections taking place Nov. 2. This possible shift
in power within ruling-class politics is attributed to two main factors: the
so-called conservative backlash as represented by the Tea Party and the lack of
enthusiasm among key constituents within the African-American and Latino/a
communities, as well as among working women, who voted overwhelming for the
Democratic Party in 2006 and 2008....
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The French government of Nicolas Sarkozy is attacking the country’s large and diverse immigrant and foreign communities, which it calls the sources of delinquency and crime, with expulsions and deportations, loss and denial of French citizenship, and new laws imprisoning parents for the crimes their children commit, as well as increased police violence. According to many French political analysts, the Sarkozy administration is using this approach to repair its public standing, which has been battered by the worldwide recession, growing unemployment and the anger of France’s combative unions....
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Uniting under the theme, “Moving forward the militant global women’s movement in the 21st century,” more than 350 women from 32 countries participated in the Montreal International Women’s Conference, held Aug. 13-16. The conference resulted in the formation of an International Women’s Alliance. The IWA will hold its first assembly in 2011 to adopt a constitution of principles of unity and an action proposal....
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Racism and ageism were themes for the keynote speakers at the Old Lesbians Organizing for Change national gathering here in July, and for the speakout sessions done in a format known as “fishbowls.” The 150 participants ranged in age from 59 to 87....
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Many articles have been written reflecting on five decades of historical experience — referred to as the 50th anniversary of the “Year of Africa” — since 17 African nations gained political independence. Yet few pay adequate attention to the indispensable role of women in the campaigns for national liberation and their continuing efforts in the present century....
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Expressing the sounds of her beloved Puerto Rico, hundreds of people singing plenas and chanting about her valiant character accompanied independence fighter Lolita Lebrón to her final resting place in the Old San Juan Cemetery. She was buried close to her dear Maestro, Don Pedro Albizu Campos. As she had requested, the burial took place just over 24 hours after her death....
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On Aug. 13-16, a ground-breaking conference of women from many countries and
organizations will be held in Montreal to take up the crucial issues facing
women worldwide, such as war, occupation, and corporate globalization, which
brings with it low wages, and sweatshops and forces millions of women a year to
leave their homelands to obtain jobs. The worldwide economic crisis is only
worsening conditions for millions of women....
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Marilyn Buck, a political prisoner in the U.S., was released July 15 from
the federal prison medical center in Carswell, Texas, according to her support
group, Friends of Marilyn Buck. She is paroled to New York. As of the writing
of this article, no further details about her release have been made
available....
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Iraqi women have been among the most liberated of their gender in the
Middle East. They have a long history of political activism and social
participation since the 19th century, having taken part in the struggle against
colonial domination and in the fight for national unity, social justice and
legal equality throughout the 20th century. In fact, UNICEF reported in 1993
that “rarely do women in the Arab world enjoy as much power and support
as they do in Iraq.”...
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The corporate media may give it a different spin, but for
Palin and Wall Street’s Tea Party, Boston was a bust....
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With 30 million unemployed or underemployed, the failure of the just-signed
health care law to meet the needs and expectations of the population, plus its
giveaway to the health care industry, is bound to add to the frustration and
alienation of the workers....
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Tens of millions of people in this country were hoping to be delivered from
the clutches of the ruthless profiteers who control the health care system and
were hoping for universal health care. But the very opposite has happened....
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Renee Washington DeFreitas, a 51 year old state employee and mother of five
did everything she was supposed to: she worked hard long hours, volunteered for
overtime when it existed, saved her money, and bought a home with the hope that
she would have something as she grew older, both for herself and her children
and grandchildren....
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On March 2, seven U.S. doctors gave a report on their month-long mission of providing post-earthquake medical services in Haiti at a program at Judson Memorial Church in New York City....
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Against all odds the southern African nation of Zimbabwe is celebrating its
30th year of independence from British settler-colonialism....
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On March 4 more than 100 demonstrations were organized in 33 states
against the devastating cuts, layoffs and tuition hikes as part of the National
Day of Action to Defend Education, including campuses such as the University of
Maryland and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The following reports
are examples of some of these significant protests, which are signs pointing to
the potential of a revitalized national youth and student fight-back movement
reminiscent of the 1960s....
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Students protested cuts in education in over 100 cities across the U.S. on March 4th, 2010, a day of National Student Action. This is the first national student protest involving thousands of students and workers. These are some of the videos from that event....
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Women's International Democratic Federation, of which the WFN is a member, will be holding its annual Seminar in the United Nations. This year will be a special one since it is the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the International Women's Day....
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On March 4 students and workers from all around the country will take action
to defend education against increased privatization of pre-kindergarten through
12th grade schools, budget cuts, layoffs, furloughs and tuition increases at
college and universities — especially the public institutions....
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The year is 2010. Yet discrimination against and exploitation of the workers who grow and harvest our food supply continues today and in its vilest forms — against immigrants and women....
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Across the country, students, teachers, faculty and other workers, along with
concerned parents, community activists and organizations, will be using the
week of March 4 to strike decisively to defend public education and the right
to pursue higher learning. The effects of the economic crisis have been felt in all sectors. Hundreds of
thousands have faced having their homes foreclosed on or being evicted.
Millions have lost their jobs and have added to the ranks of unemployed,
especially people of color. Many families face hunger on a daily basis....
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The renowned film director Roman Polanski is being held in a Swiss jail,
awaiting possible extradition to the United States. He was arrested on a
31-year-old warrant while traveling to the Zurich Film Festival to receive an
award. He faces charges for sexually assaulting a child in 1977 in Los Angeles....
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The push for meaningful health care reform is in peril. Congressional
Democrats have advanced flawed legislation that fails to live up to their
campaign pledge of universal health care reform. Republicans allied with
right-wing “Blue Dog” Democrats have worked overtime to derail any
attempt at reform....
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If the U.S. government was interested in supporting democracy or in building
respect for the will of the people in a democratic election, it should have
started by respecting the outcome of the 2006 Palestinian election. The
Palestinian people voted in large numbers, electing Hamas candidates to
parliament with large enough votes to form the Palestinian government. In Gaza,
Hamas had a total sweep....
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Holding a banner calling for “Jobs & Human Needs, Freedom,
Equality, Peace,” a multinational group of women led a spirited march
through downtown Providence, R.I., on June 12 to the site of the National
Mayors Conference....
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Women have lost a true friend. Dr. George Tiller stood up for decades and provided vitally necessary medical and reproductive health care for women of all ages and backgrounds....
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On May 18, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a stunning blow to women workers,
overturned lower courts’ decisions and ruled that AT&T, the
seventh-largest corporation in the world, could exclude maternity leaves when
calculating pension benefits....
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Organizers of the People's Summit, including a tent city, in downtown
Detroit June 14-17 report momentum is building for the event. It's billed
as "four days of active resistance" to counter the National Business Summit held June 15-17 at the GM Renaissance Center....
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s layoffs have spread to the service and retail sectors, where women are
the majority of workers, their jobless rate grew by an alarming 36.7 percent in
the five months prior to February 2009. The rate worsened for African-American
women, whose unemployment rate rose to 9.9 percent in February, while for
Latinas it reached 10.2 percent....
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Imagine that you're on your way to a medical appointment or your job, and you face a gauntlet of screaming, angry people who are threatening you and trying to stop you from entering the building. That is what women nationwide have faced for 36 years -- since abortion was legalized -- as virulent right wingers have used hostile tactics to try to stop them from exercising their fundamental rights to reproductive choice and health services....
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Dorotea Manuela saluted working women warriors, including those who carried
through the Flint sit-down strike to victory in 1937. Sandra McIntosh of Work
for Quality, Fight for Equity spoke of the struggle for access to quality
education, which is under attack in Boston. Palestinian activist Layla Hijab
Cable gave an inspiring historical overview of Palestinian women resisting
Zionist occupation, ethnic cleansing and genocide...
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Celebrations, commemorations and protests were held worldwide on
International Women's Day (IWD) this year from Lima, Peru, to Lahore,
Pakistan. The themes varied but all actions demonstrated women declaring their
rights and protesting against injustice....
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On International Women's Day this year, we express our solidarity with
our heroic sisters in Gaza who have endured the horrific U.S.-backed Israeli
siege and who are standing up with courage and resilience....
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Hundreds of women, along with male supporters, rallied at Union Square and
then marched together on March 8 to commemorate International Women's
Day. They called for "a bailout of women and our communities," not
the banks, in the U.S. and worldwide....
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This year's event included strong participation from Latina, Asian and
Black women, as well as many activists from Philadelphia's LGBT
community. With the growing economic crisis hitting women the hardest, many
speakers addressed social and economic justice issues, including the mortgage
crisis, health care reform and the struggle to pass the Employee Free Choice
Act....
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The foreclosed homes auction today [March 8, 2009] at the Jacob Javits Convention Center is an
insult to the millions who have lost their homes and jobs in what is know the
biggest economic crises since the depression of the 1930s....
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Ending Ceremony Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Memorial at 4 p.m. Site of 1911
fire that killed 146 women workers and girls.......
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The November elections were considered a mandate by the people to stop the
war in Iraq. What does this have to do with women? With the pro-choice
struggle? With reproductive freedom for all women? It has everything to do with
it because the money that is funding this vicious war and occupation comes
directly from us. ...
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The Jersey 4 are young African-American lesbians from Newark, N.J., who were
convicted of "gang assault" charges in June 2007 after defending themselves against a man who attacked them and three of their friends in August 2006....
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Pro-choice organizations sprang into action in July after they discovered
proposed Bush administration regulations that endanger women's reproductive rights and medical care....
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On March 8, 1908, working women in the needle trade industry took to the streets of New York City demanding better working conditions, higher wages, shorter workdays and the overall improvement of women's lives in this country. These women marched through New York City demanding justice for women workers and immigrant workers; they were in fact working immigrant women. The message and militancy of these women were so inspiring to women around
the world that in 1910 the International Socialist Congress meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, officially declared March 8 International Women's Day....
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Jan. 22 marks the 35th anniversary of the legalization of the right to
abortion in the United States. The Supreme Court's landmark 1973 ruling
in the case of Roe v. Wade finally guaranteed women the right to obtain safe, legal abortions in every state in hospitals, clinics and doctors'offices....
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Fighters for reproductive justice for poor women are stepping up their campaign to overturn the Hyde Amendment, a reactionary law enacted by Congress in 1976 and signed by Democratic President Jimmy Carter in 1977. The Hyde
Amendment denies women on Medicaid the right to funding for abortions. It is named for its archreactionary sponsor, Henry Hyde, a former long-term Republican congressman from Illinois. ...
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From June 27 to July 1, Atlanta will host the first-ever Social Forum held in the United States. The U.S. Social Forum will gather thousands of grassroots and community activists from across the country who will engage each other in political discussion and strategy planning. The operating slogan for the five-day event is "For another world to be possible, another U.S. is
necessary."...
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Under the theme “Women of the World: a
vital force against neoliberal globalization, terrorism and imperialist wars;
for equality, social and economic justice and for peace,” more than 1,000
women representing organizations from five continents met in Caracas,
Venezuela, from April 9 through 14. They were joined by thousands of Venezuelan
women who hosted the 14th Congress of the Women’s International
Democratic Federation....
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The Women's Fightback Network is a grassroots alliance of poor and working women, immigrants, disabled activists, students, elders and youth, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual and transgender women--all standing together to protest budget cuts, racism, sexism and war. As women, we have a special place in the fight for equality and human needs....
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We the undersigned--lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, gender-nonconforming, and other activists fighting oppression based on sexuality, gender and sex--express our support for the right of the Black community in Brooklyn to decide to rename an avenue for the late Black community activist Sonny Abubadika Carson, who some called the "Mayor of Bed-Sty" for his long-time community activism....
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Low-income women are often forced to use money they need for food and rent to cover the cost of an abortion. Many women cannot raise enough money and must continue the pregnancy and stay trapped in poverty. ...
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Aug. 26, "Women's Equality Day," marks the day, 87 years ago, that women legally got the right to vote in the U.S. There was no equality for all women back then and today there is still no "equality" to celebrate....
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