Amnesty International DC Women's Human Rights Action Team

New Website

2006-02-09T08:55:00.000-05:00

The DC Women's Human Rights Action Team has a new website which will replace this blog: www.dc-whrat.com.

1/26: Upcoming Panel: Women's Health at Risk

2006-01-16T13:10:00.000-05:00

Discussion Panel
Women's Health at Risk: The Far-reaching Impact of Violence

Please join Amnesty International's DC Women's Human Rights Action Team, our distinguished speakers, and members of the community for a discussion panel on the impact of violence on women's health. Speakers will discuss women's human rights violations currently taking place in Guatemala, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sudan which include the systematic sexual violence, rape and murder of girls and women. Speakers will link these forms of violence with women's health and will discuss ways in which their organizations and partners are working to improve women's health and human rights.

Speakers include:
Carrie Stengel, Program Coordinator at the Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA
Sarah Martin, Advocate at Refugees International
Ariela Blätter, Director of Crisis Prevention and Response at Amnesty International USA

When: Thursday 26 January 2006 at 6:30pm
Where: The Community Room at 400 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Metros: Chinatown and Judiciary Square

Light Refreshments will be provided

Please RSVP to Rachel (gomette4@gmail.com) by the morning of Wednesday 26 January 2006.
For further directions, please email Rachel.

DC WHRAT monthly meeting January 11th, 7pm

2006-01-09T14:52:00.001-05:00

Please join us for our monthly meeting this Wednesday 11 January 2006 at 7pm. We will discuss upcoming events and how the team wishes to get involved, and participate in an action for Guatemala. The meeting will be held at the Amnesty International office (600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, metro Eastern Market).

Meeting agenda:

--Plan a fundraiser/happy hour for February--Discuss Internation Women's Day activities (dancing and performance art)--Discuss topics for next teach-in and vote

--Domestic Violence panel: scheduled for January 25th or 26th

--April 28-30th: Amnesty International conference

--April is Sexual Assault Awareness month: discuss participation

--International Women's Day event

--Movie: Señorita Extravaganza: Discuss viewing it in group

--Action around Amnesty's Guatemala report; summary of report provided and letters will be written

Please remember: Wednesday 11 January 2006 at 7pm (DC WHRAT general business first) Amnesty International Office (600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE) Eastern Market Metro For more information please email Rachel Kaufman at rachel_kaufman@hotmail.com

2006-01-09T14:52:00.000-05:00

Photos from the VAWA petition drop

2005-12-19T08:14:00.000-05:00

Here we are in front of Bill Frist's office, the last place we dropped off petitions. VAWA was FINALLY passed by both the House and Senate over the weekend. For a detailed analysis of the final bill go the

Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act!

2005-12-14T12:18:00.000-05:00

Congress is about to adjourn for the year and they still haven't reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act. In order to ensure that no funding is lost for the domestic violence and sexual assault programs and services that depend on VAWA, it needs to be voted on before the end of the year - basically this week!

You can help by signing onto Amnesty International USA's petition or by calling your congress members directly. To find your MemberÂs contact information, including phone and fax numbers, visit http://www.house.gov/, http://www.senate.gov/, or call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your Senators and Representative.

Yesterday, a group of people representing AIUSA (including Marla and myself from the action team), Girls Inc., NOW, and Break the Cycle delivered over 100,000 petitions to key members of congress. My arms are still sore from lugging the huge binders of signatures around all afternoon. The highlight of my day was swiping a Little Debbie snack from Bill Frist's lobby -it's the little things in life . . . The real high point of the day for me was meeting the people behind the scenes (the government relations folks at NOW, AIUSA, Girls Inc., and Break the Cycle as well as the congressional staffers) who have been working so hard to get VAWA reauthorized.

I should have pictures to post soon - Janel

Ni Una Mas!

2005-12-14T09:33:00.000-05:00

I'm finally posting an update on the Juarez rally the action team organized a couple of weekends ago. On a very cold Saturday in early December, between 40-45 people showed up for a rally to support the murdered and disappeared women of Ciudad Juarez and their families (If we counted the bike messengers gathering for a Saturday ride next to our group, we would have well over a hundred!)

We had a great group of speakers that helped build public awareness about the situation in Juarez. Eric Olson (AIUSA), Matthew Pietz (DC Women's Human Rights Action Team), Macrena Cardenas (Mexican Solidarity Network), and Laurie Freeman (Washington Office on Latin America) all spoke about the femicide in Ciudad Juarez. In between the experts' speeches, members of the action team read stories of the disappeared and murdered women in an attempt to give them a voice at the rally.

We gathered over 60 signatures to submit to the Mexican Embassy here in Washington, DC. We'll send the signatures in with pictures from the rally. Thanks to everyone who came out! Janel

2005-12-01T14:10:00.000-05:00

Join the DC Women's Human Rights Action Team on Saturday, December 3 at Dupont Circle to demand justice for the women of Ciudad Juarez.

On March 9 resolutions conveying the U.S. Congress’ sympathy to the families of the nearly 400 young women who have been murdered and abducted in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua, Mexico since 1993 were introduced in the House and Senate. The goal is to raise public awareness about the tragedy, express Congressional concern, and propose a set of actions to deal with the murders and abductions of these young women.

This weekend the DC Women's Human Rights Action Team is planning a rally in support of this legislation. We are hoping to help raise awareness of the tragic violence against women in Mexico and to ensure that the Mexican authorities seek justice in these cases through our support of the legislation.

¡Ni Una Mas!: End Femicide in Mexico!
Time: 2:30 pm in
Place: Dupont Circle.

For more information about the rally or the DC Women's Human Rights Action Team email dcwhrat@yahoo.com. For more information about the femicide in Mexico or to take action online go to Amnesty International's Online Action Center.

October Meeting

2005-10-20T20:07:00.000-05:00

DC Women’s Human Rights Action Team Monthly Meeting
12 October 2005

Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference Update
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference will be held 21-23 October 2005 in Philadelphia. Folabi Olagbaju, the Director of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Office talked about some of the multiple purposes of the conference: (1) To get members into Amnesty’s priority campaigns, by having workshops etc; (2) To have members participate in the resolution process; and (3) To bring members together to meet each other. This year, there will be a lot of focus on the human rights abuses connected with the War on Terror. There will also be many interesting speakers, including women’s human rights defenders from both Turkey and Bahrain. There will also be workshops on specific topics such as CEDAW, health as a human right and its intersection with violence against women.

In addition, Marla updated us on the Reproductive Rights Table at the Ideas Fair. Marla gave us some more background on the newly introduced resolution on reproductive and sexual rights, and the current status of this issue and the process of the resolution within Amnesty. Prior to the Conference, the Steering Committee will be putting together a resolution packet with background information, resource implications, and arguments for various options.

16 Days of Activism Update
DC WHRAT is planning a serious of events for the 16 days of activism, which runs from November 25- December 10. This year’s theme is “For the Health of Women, For the Health of the World.” Janel recapped the previous week’s planning meeting. We are hoping to create a handout to circulate, which would give people a specific kind of action (big or small) to take on each of the 16 days. Additionally, we are planning to have both one educational event, such as a panel, and one more action-oriented event, such as a rally. The planning team had come up with a couple options for each, and everyone at the meeting voted on the options. We decided on: (1) an educational panel on the intersection of gender, health, and violence against women (with a possible focus on the DRC and/or Darfur); and (2) a rally in support of women in Juarez/Chihuahua, which will be linked to the current legislation related to Juarez/Chihuahua. Finally, Janel passed around a sign up sheet for those interested in helping to plan either the panel or the rally. Planning meetings and follow-up will be taking place outside of the regular meetings via emails, calls, and additional meetings if necessary. If you are interested in helping to plan the rally, please contact Janel, and if you are interested in helping to plan to panel, please contact Erica.

House Parties for Lifetime Trafficking Movie
Lifetime Television is about to premiere a movie on human trafficking, starring Mira Sorvino, who is also an Amnesty spokesperson for the SVAW campaign. Amnesty is urging all of its volunteers to host house parties for the premiere of the movie on October 24th at 9:00pm. If anyone has a home in the DC area which is metro accessible, has a TV with cable, and would like to host a small house party, please contact Erica.

Call for Volunteers to Design Our Website
Currently, the DC WHRAT has a blog, but we have been hoping to also get a website up and running. Janel has secured a domain name. We are now looking for a volunteer to help us design and start up our website. If anyone would be interested in doing this, or has a friend who would, please contact Erica.

Teach-in -- Amnesty 101 with Folabi Olagbaju, Director of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Office
Thank you to Folabi Olagbaju, who provided us with a great introduction to Amnesty!!

Please remember:
The next meeting is: Wednesday 9 November 2005 at 7pm Amnesty International Office (600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE) Eastern Market Metro.

10/12: DCWHRAT General Meeting and Amnesty 101 Teach-in

2005-10-07T09:20:00.000-05:00

Please join us for our monthly meeting on next Wednesday 12 October 2005 at 7pm. We will first discuss Action Team business and at 7:45pm we will start the teach-in. The meeting will be held at the Amnesty International office (600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, metro Eastern Market).

For the teach-in, we will be learning more about Amnesty International. This teach-in is a good opportunity to learn about Amnesty's structure and the human rights issues on which Amnesty works. We are honored to have Folabi Olagbaju, the Regional Director of the Mid-Atlantic office to talk to us.

Here is the agenda for the meeting:

Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference Update
- Presentation of Conference Activitie>

16 Days of Activisim Update
- Recap of Planning Meeting
- Vote on event options
- Call to Participate
- Schedule another meeting

House Parties for Lifetime Trafficking Movie
- Update on Planning

Call for Volunteers to Design Our Website

Teach-in -- Amnesty 101 with Folabi Olagbaju, Director of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Office

Please remember:Next Wednesday 12 October 2005 at 7pm (DC WHRAT general business), 7:45pm Amnesty 101 Teach-in
Amnesty International Office (600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE) Eastern Market Metro

For more information please email dcwhrat@yahoo.com. We hope to see you there!

September Meeting

2005-09-27T08:50:00.000-05:00

DC Women’s Human Rights Action Team Monthly Meeting
14 September 2005

Agenda

October 22nd and 23rd Amnesty International Regional Conference in Philadelphia
Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference will be held 21-23 October 2005 in Philadelphia. It is an opportunity to work with other activists and have our opinions heard. Everyone in the group is invited to come. The conference is a great way to learn about Amnesty. Janel passed around a sign-up sheet to see who is interested. We can possibly carpool and share rooms. The last day to get the special room rate of $109 is 30 September 2005. Full details about the conferences, i.e. workshops, will be sent out over the listserv. We do know that there will workshops on passing local resolutions on CEDAW and Women’s Health, HIV/AIDS and reproductive rights. There will also be a keynote speech by Turkish Women’s Human Rights Defender.

October 24th and 25th - House parties for the Lifetime movie on Trafficking
Lifetime Television did a movie on trafficking, starring Mira Sorvino. Mira Sorvino is an Amnesty spokesperson for the SVAW campaign. Amnesty is urging all of its volunteers to host house parties for the premiere of the movie on October 24th. DC WHRAT wants to put together a screening, possibly three (one in DC, one in Virginia, and one in Maryland). Any DC WHRAT member can volunteer to host a party in their home. There are toolkits with actions and discussion topics to use during the house party. The event is open to anyone (members and non-members). A sign-up list was passed around to see if anyone was interested in hosting. People can also email the coordinating committee members if they are interested. Erica will coordinate planning for the parties. If anyone has any questions, please email Erica.

November 25th - December 10th - 16 days of Activism Against Gender Violence
DC WHRAT would like to plan a series of events for the 16 days of activism. It starts on November 25th and ends on December 10th, International Human Rights Day. One year DC WHRAT did a series of little events, such as a vigil or letter-writing. In meantime, an event organizing group will be formed. A sign-up list was passed around to see if anyone was interested in hosting. People can also email the coordinating committee members if they are interested. Janel is coordinating the planning

9/14 DCWHRAT Meeting and Teach-in on VAWA

2005-09-06T17:28:00.000-05:00

Please join us for our monthly meeting on Wednesday 14 September 2005 at 7pm. We will first discuss Action Team business and at 7:45pm we will start the teach-in. The meeting will be held at the Amnesty International office (600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, metro Eastern Market).

For the teach-in, we will be discussing the Violence Against Women Act, which is up for renewal this month. We are honored to have Allison Randall from the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) share her expertise on this historic law. Allison will talk about the reauthorization of the VAWA. She will talk in particular about the new housing provisions in VAWA.

Here is the agenda for the meeting:

-Update on the sexual and reproductive rights resolution

-October 12th and November 9th - Speaker suggestions of October and November meetings

-October 22nd and 23rd Amnesty International Regional Conference in Philadelphia

-October 24th and 25th - House parties for the Lifetime movie on Trafficking

-November 25th - December 10th - 16 days of Activism Against Gender Violence

-Planning a panel on sexual and reproductive rights for 2006 Annual General Meeting

Please remember: Wednesday 10 August 2005 at 7pm (DC WHRAT general business), 7:45pm VAWA Teach-in
Amnesty International Office (600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE) Eastern Market Metro

For more information please email Erica at ericachandra@hotmail.com. We hope to see you there!

August Meeting

2005-08-04T11:34:00.000-05:00

Please join us for this Wednesday (10 August 2005) at 7pm. We will be discussing Feminism and the Human Rights movement. Our very own Janel Kasper-Wolfe will facilitate the discussion. We will first discuss Action Team business and at 7:45pm we will start the teach-in. The meeting will be held at the Amnesty International office (600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, metro Eastern Market).

Here is the agenda for the meeting:

Recruiting for new CC members - 5 mins

End of Summer/Fall ideas for planning - 20 mins
-August gathering at NOW
-September teach-in on VAWA
-October 22nd-23rd - Regional Conference
-October 24th-ish- Host house parties in support of Amnesty's Lifetime show on trafficking
-November 25th- December 10th - 16 Days of Activism
Discussion on feminism as related to women's human rights - 45 mins

Next meeting - September 14th

One last thing, we will hosting a Meet and Greet happy hour on 24 August 2005 at the National Organization for Women (1100 H Street NW, Metro Center metro). It will be a good way to meet each other socially. We hope to see you there.

May Meeting

2005-05-06T08:26:00.000-05:00

Please join us for DC WHRAT's monthly meeting, May 18, 2005 at 7pm at Amnesty International (600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE). Please note the meeting will be held on the third Wednesday of the month, instead of the second. We have alot of things to talk about. The agenda is below:

Feminist Convergence (DC WHRAT's conference): Brainstorming and Initial Planning

Stop Violence Against Women (SVAW) Campaign: Future strategy and presence/activity/presentation at Regional Conference (Oct 21-23)

Potential Lobby day related to the re-authorization of VAWA, October 2005

Participating in local Pride events

Discussion: Reproductive Rights and Amnesty International, Drafting DCWHRAT's position

More importantly we will have a special presentation from one of our members. Heather Anderson, a DC WHRAT coordinating committee member and Program Officer with Planned Parenthood Global Partners, will provide an account of her recent trip to Mali, Africa. She will share her perspective on the state of reproductive health and rights in Mali, informed through her meetings with elected officials, local NGOs and time in the various communities. Heather will also share pictures from her visit.

We hope to see you all there!

Upcoming Event: A Discussion with Hawa Aden Mohamed

2005-04-14T13:59:00.000-05:00

Amnesty International DC Women’s Human Rights Action Team Presents

A Discussion with Hawa Aden Mohamed
Founder of Galkayo Education Centre for Peace and Development And
Recipient of Amnesty International’s Ginetta Sagan Award

Please join us for an informative discussion with Hawa Aden Mohamed about how FGM is a form of violence against women,
the work she is doing to combat it, and how we can help.

April 18, 2005 at 7:00pm

Mid-Atlantic Regional Office of Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, Fifth Floor

For more information, please contact Anne Ellsworth at anne_ellsworth2002@yahoo.ca or Erica Morgan at ericachandra@hotmail.com. No RSVP is necessary.

HAWA ADEN MOHAMED, SOMALIA
2005 RECIPIENT OF THE GINETTA SAGAN AWARD

Hawa Aden Mohamed was forced to flee from Mogadishu in 1991, when her country collapsed into civil war. Her flight led her to a new life in Canada, but within five years she chose to return to Somalia to continue the work for women and children that begun a decade before.

In the 1980s Ms Mohamed founded the first Woman’s Adult Education Development Center in Somalia, to help bring literacy and economic independence to Somali women. Ms Mohamed also established the Refugee Women’s Relief and Development Centre in response to the huge influx of refugees into Somalia.

On her return to Somalia in 1995, Ms Mohamed settled in Kismayo, a city of over 80% displaced and destitute population, where she established the Jubba Women’s Development Centre (JWDC), with a mandate to promote women’s health and social, political and economic development. However, she was forced to flee Jubba in 1999 when militia groups invaded the city and destroyed the center. Ms Mohamed relocated in Galkayo, where she continues her work, founding the Galkayo Education Center for Peace and Development (GECPD). The centre serves over 500 women and children in many towns and villages with medical care, vocational and income-generating trainings, support for more than 50 orphans, and the only public school for girls in the area.

Since its establishment GECPD has worked for the total elimination of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), which is widely practiced in Somalia, addressing the problem through public advocacy campaigns and educational efforts to reach key stakeholders, including religious and political leaders, teachers, parents, doctors, traditional birth attendants, and female circumcisers. As a result of GECPD’s efforts FGM is no longer a taboo topic but widely discussed and even mandated in the teaching curricula of public schools.
With respect to her courageous work against FGM, Ms Mohamed will receive the 2005 Ginetta Sagan Award by Amnesty International at the organization's annual general meeting in Austin, Texas on Friday, April 8. The award is given for outstanding contributions to the human rights of women and children.

FGM is a dangerous procedure, by which women have their entire external genitalia cut, scraped, or burned out. This often has dire physical, sexual, and mental consequences. The procedure is usually performed in unsanitary conditions, using objects like broken glass, tin can lids, blunt knives, scissors, or razors. Victims are not given anesthesia or antibiotics and rarely have access to medical treatment. FGM often results in infection, shock, hemorrhaging, abscesses, benign nerve tumors, cysts, excess scar tissue, progressively enlarging scars, and sterility of women. Because FGM is practiced as a group rite on many girls at once using the same cutting implement, it can easily cause the spread of HIV and other communicable diseases.

Amnesty International USA’s Ginetta Sagan Award

Ginetta Sagan was a founder of Amnesty International USA. A member of the Italian Resistance, she was imprisoned and tortured during World War II. The Ginetta Sagan Fund Award recognizes individual accomplishment, often in the face of personal danger. It is designed to bring increased international scrutiny to human rights violations and to enable the recipient to live and work freely.

Mission

2005-04-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

Amnesty International Women’s Human Rights Program
And the DC Women’s Human Rights Action Team

Formed in March 2003, Amnesty International USA’s Washington DC Women’s Human Rights Action Team (Action Team) is a group of community activists committed to organizing around local and global women’s human rights issues. Activists with all skills and levels of experience from the DC metro area are welcome at our monthly meetings and special events.
As an initiative of the Women’s Human Rights Program at Amnesty International USA, the Action Team builds upon the work of AIUSA in defending and promoting women’s human rights by organizing locally around issues affecting women in our community and worldwide.

Amnesty International defends the human rights of women by:

*Mobilizing activists to protect women human rights defenders against imprisonment, torture, unfair trials, “disappearances,” political killings and the death penalty;

*Defending women and girls against violence resulting from gender-based discrimination, including on the basis of sexual orientation;

*Holding governments accountable for preventing and punishing acts of gender-based violence perpetrated both by the state and by private actors;

*Working to obtain political asylum for women fleeing persecution either by governments or by private individuals in cases where their government fails to protect them; and

*Collaborating at the grassroots level with other human rights and national women’s NGOs.

The Action Team was created in order to further these objectives on a local level.
The team coordinates speaker events, film screenings, education campaigns, and trainings to raise awareness and educate around women’s human rights issues.

Meetings are held the second Wednesday of every month at 7pm at Amnesty International USA office.

Contact Information
600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE
Washington DC 20003
Metro: Eastern Market
DCWHRAT@yahoo.com
http://dcwhrat.blogspot.com

Celebrate International Women's Day!

2005-02-25T15:58:00.000-05:00

Violations at Home and Abroad: Women’s Human Rights and Violence Against Women

Please join Amnesty International USA Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, the DC Women’s Human Rights Action Team, and the National Capital Chapter of the US Committee for UNIFEM (UNIFEM/USA/NCC) as we observe International Women’s Day 2005 with a cocktail reception followed by the Premier Screening of two documentaries highlighting women’s human rights struggles at home and abroad, and a speaker panel to discuss these issues in more detail.

Where: City Museum of Washington, DC
(DC Independent Film Festival)
801 K Street, NW at Mount Vernon Square

Washington, DC

When: March 8, 2005 from 5:30 to 9:30pm

Reception: 5:30 - 6:15pm
Music, wine, and hors d-oeuvres

Films: 6:15 - 7:55pm
Broken, Battered, and Bruised (12 minutes)
Directed by Debra Hussong

The Peacekeepers and the Women (92 minutes)
Directed by Karin Jurschick

Panel: 8:15 - 9:30pm
Violation at Home and Abroad: Women’s Human Rights and Violence

Against Women
Speakers: Ashley Garrett, International Organization for Migration
Ann Jordan, Global Rights
Mohamed Mottar, Project Protection

Tickets: Reception Only: $10
Films & Panel Only: $9/$7 (students and seniors)
Combination Ticket: $15

For more information, please contact Caroline Slobodzian of UNIFEM/USA/NCC at cslobodzian@mail.com, or Jennie Simpson at jenmsimpson@gmail.com. Many thanks to the DC Independent Film Festival for partnering with us to commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day. For more information on the DC Independent Film Festival and a schedule of events, please visit www.dciff.org.

EVENT: Violence Against Women In Conflict: Darfur, Sudan

2005-02-18T10:23:00.000-05:00

Please join Amnesty International, the International Network of the Women's Information Network, our distinguished speakers, and members of thecommunity for a panel discussion on the impact of the armed conflict inDarfur on women and girls and what people can do to help.

Where: George Washington University Marvin Center, 3rd floor Ballroom (80021st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052)

When: February 23, 2005 from 7-9 pm

Speakers Include:
Adotei Akwei Director of Campaigns Unit, Amnesty International USA

Ann-Louise Colgan Director for Policy Analysis and Communications, AfricaAction

Marie Clarke Brill Director for Public Education and Mobilization, AfricaAction

Katherine Brantingham Administrative and Program Support Coordinator, USDASudan Group

For more information, please contact dcwhrat@yahoo.com

Hosted by: Amnesty International's DC-Women's Human Rights Action Team,George Washington University Amnesty International Chapter and TheInternational Network of the Women's Information Network

Upcoming Conference

2005-02-07T13:17:00.000-05:00

The 12th Annual American University Conference on Lavender Languages and Linguistics, Feburary 11-13, 2005

Since the first Lav Lgs conference in 1993, common themes in conference discussion have been two-fold: how lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgendered persons and queers use language in everyday life, and how language gets used against us by others.
Unlike the case at the larger professional meetings, Lav Lgs program is organized to facilitate face-to-face conversation and to allow discussion to continue throughout the three-day conference period. Indeed, participants work hard each year to maintain a non-attitude environment at all conference events, thereby enabling conversations between established scholars and those just beginning to explore lavender language interests, and between academics, public intellectuals and community activists. Conflicting points of view about language, gender and sexuality often arise during these discussions, but conference participants are not demeaned or devalued in order to secure such exchange.

Registration is $10 for employed persons, and $5 for students, those between jobs, and others with limited income. Preregistration is not required.
Conference registration and all conference activities take place on the 6th floor of the Butler Pavilion and in the Mary Graydon Center nearby. The Butler Pavilion and the MGC are fully accessible conference facilities.

For the program, abstracts and more info, visit the website: http://www.american.edu/cas/anthro/lavenderlanguages/registration.cfm

Amnesty International Second Annual DC Citywide Meeting

2005-02-01T15:24:00.000-05:00

Join Amnesty International Activists from DC for the Second Annual DC Citywide Meeting

Saturday, February 26th
George Washington University
Monroe Hall, 2nd Floor
2115 G Street, on G Street Between 21st and 22nd Streets
Closest Metro Stop: Foggy Bottom-GWU
10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

THIS EVENT IS FREE!The Citywide Meeting is a great opportunity to meet other AI activists and take part in workshops that will help your group be more effective! Theworkshops will focus on fundraising, leadership development, coalitionbuilding, and recruitment and retention. There will also be a special plenary session focusing on violence against women in Darfur, Sudan. Pre-registration is not necessary, but very appreciated. To register orfind out more information contact Eric Sears at esears@aiusa.org or202-544-0200 ext. 243.

January Meeting Notes

2005-01-26T10:33:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, January 12th

Thanks for all who came out to meeting- we had a great discussion and have some exciting upcoming events!

The first item on our agenda was the upcoming International Women’s Day celebration on March 8th. Right now, we are in the planning stages with the Mid-Atlantic Regional office but the layout has been put together, thanks to much hard work by Anne Ellsworth.
The Action Team will be pairing up with the DC Independent Film Festival to premier one short and one feature length film at the City Museum on March 8th from 7-9 pm. A reception, with speaker, will follow. We have decided to show Battered, Bruised and Broken as the short film (12 minute) and are still deciding on the feature length. A movie night will be held soon to preview film options; please watch the listserv for details or email Erica Morgan at ericachandra@hotmail.com. For more information on getting involved with the planning please email either Jennie Simpson at giasupertar@yahoo.com or Erica Morgan.

Our Sudan panel is moving right along! It will be held on Wednesday, February 23rd, from 7-9 pm at the George Washington University. We are in the process of finding speakers and Janel Kasper-Wolfe has put together a great summary and background piece to send out to potential speakers. Here it is:

In 2004 Amnesty International launched their ground breaking Stop Violence Against Women Campaign (SVAW Campaign). The campaign has made the link between violence against women and human rights by focusing on a range of issues, including violence against women in conflict. In support of the SVAW Campaign the DC-Women's Human Rights Action Team, George Washington University chapter of Amnesty International and the Women's Information
Network is sponsoring a panel discussing Violence Against Women in Armed Conflict: Darfur, Sudan.
According to Amnesty International USA, over 70,000 people are believed to have lost their lives since the conflict in Darfur, Sudan erupted in February 2003. Systematic human rights abuses have occurred by all parties involved in the conflict, but primarily by the Sudanese government and government-backed Janjawid militia. Over 1.5 million civilians have been
internally displaced by the conflict and 200,000 have sought refuge in neighboring Chad. Amnesty International USA has also reported that many of the human rights violations in Darfur have been gendered, specifically targeting women and girls for abductions, sexual slavery, rape, torture and forced displacement.

We are presenting a panel discussion that can address the general situation in Darfur, Sudan and address some of these specific questions:

* What is the background of the armed conflict in Darfur?
* How is the armed conflict gendered? How are women and girls
specifically targeted?
* Over 1.5 million people have been internally displaced and 200,00
are refugees in Chad, are the situations different for women than for
men?
* Are children in general specifically at risk, is there a difference
between
girl and boy children?
* What are international and local NGOs doing to address the gendered
aspects of this conflict? In particular to address violence against
women?
* Are women involved in the peace process?
* What can we do?

We are hoping to not only educate the audience about the links between armed conflict, human rights abuses, and violence against women but to motivate them to act by giving them specific ideas for action.

If you would like more information or to get involved, email Janel Kasper-Wolfe at Janel.kasper@verizon.net.

And finally, we discussed the possibility of holding a “feminist convergence” this fall. An organizing group has already been formed to take on the task of imagining and planning this event. Some of the questions to think about:

* With a focus on grassroots feminist activism, what do we imagine this to include?
* The format for the convergence- all day workshops, panels, etc…?
* If it is based on a call for proposals framework, how do we envision doing this? Where will we distribute to?
* Comments, suggestions, ideas??

If you would like to get involved, email Jennie Simpson at giasuperstar@yahoo.com.

Upcoming Events of Interest

2005-01-26T09:53:00.000-05:00

J-Flag Tour

The DC OUTfront Action Team, Amnesty International USA (AIUSA), The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals & Gays (J-FLAG), the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Human Rights Watch (HRW), and Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies (GLIFAA) invite you to join us for a public forum featuring 2 speakers from J-FLAG, where we will come together to discuss homophobic violence and ways to demand justice from Jamaican authorities.
In Jamaica, violent of crimes against the LGBT community, including rape, beatings, and even murder, are reported each year. Prominent recording artists incorporate graphic references to homophobic violence in their music. And government leaders refuse to address the issue.

One group is speaking out. The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals & Gays (J-FLAG) will be appearing in Washington, DC to tell their stories of pride, struggle and courage in the face of injustice. Come learn what's happening in Jamaica, and what you can do about it.

When: Thursday, February 3, 2005
Reception at 7:00 PM, Program at 7:30 PM
Where: Equality Center, The Human Rights Campaign
1640 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact the DC OUTfront Action Team at http://us.f514.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=info@dcoutfront.org or (202) 390-7888, or visit http://www.dcoutfront.org/.

Visions in Feminism Film Screening: Ladyfesto

Join Visions in Feminism for a Screening of
Ladyfesto: A documentary on Ladyfest Philly, March 20-23, 2003

Wednesday February 2, 2005, 9 PM $5 to benefit
Visions in Feminism’s 2005 Conference
All ages at the Black Cat 1811 14th Street, NW DC

http://www.visioninfeminism.org/
http://www.blackcatdc.com/
http://www.ladyfest.org/
http://www.ladyfestphilly.org/

An hour long documentary about and shot during Ladyfest Philly, a women's art festival, March 2003 Co-directed by Anne Crémieux and Kerry Pyne.

Email kalotto@hotmail.com for details

National Conference on Organized Resistance, February 3-6, 2005

The National Conference on Organized Resistance (NCOR) has been happening every winter on the campus of American University in Washington DC since 1998. It aims to provide a space for activists to meet each other, have in-depth discussions, analyze strategies, tactics, beliefs, learn a few new skills, and give everyone a lot to think about after an inspiring weekend. Activists of all ages or levels of experience are welcome, as are curious non-activists and anyone looking to resist systems of oppression and create something new! For more information, visit http://www.organizedresistance.org/.

Take Action: Protect Women Survivors of Violence and the Right To Health Care Services

2005-01-11T15:20:00.000-05:00

According to Amnesty International USA "Worldwide, at least one of every three women – nearly one billion women – will be beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime, whether at the hands of family members, government security forces, or armed rebels. Urge President Bush to help stop violence against women and girls, address the needs of survivors of violence, and lift US restrictions on health care services worldwide."

You can take action by going to the AIUSA Action Center and sending a letter or email to President Bush and asking him to life current restrictions on health education and services, often referred to as the "Global Gag Rule."

January Meeting

2005-01-10T15:14:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had fabulous holidays and a much needed break. This wednesday (January 12) is the DC Women's Human Rights Action Team's monthly meeting. We'll be brainstorming for the following events:

March 8 Celebration for International Women's Day (the team's 2 year anniversary!)
A panel on violence against women in the armed conflict in Darfur, Sudan
A conference/teach-in/day of workshops this fall. We're hoping to call for proposals from local community activits/organizers. It will be a day of workshops that can strengthen our skills as organizers and activists but also feed our souls!

The meeting is at 7:00 pm. We are back to meeting at the AIUSA office at 600 Pennsylvania Ave, SE 5th floor. The AIUSA office is right off of Eastern Market. Email dcwhrat@yahoo.com with comments, suggestions for the meeting agenda, or questions.

December Book/Discussion Group: Barbara Kingslover's Poisonwood Bible

2004-12-03T13:50:00.000-05:00

December 13 is the first meeting of DC-WHRAT's new Book/Discussion Group. We will be meeting at 7:00 pm at the Teaism in Penn Quarter (400 8th Street, NW). Teaism is right by Navy Memorial stop on the yellow line and walking distance from the China Town stop.

For December we'll be discussing Barbara Kingslover's "Poisonwood Bible."

From the Book Jacket:
"The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it--from garden seeds to Scripture--is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.

The novel is set against one of the most dramatic political chronicles of the twentieth century: the Congo's fight for independence from Belgium, the murder of its first elected prime minister, the CIA coup to install his replacement, and the insidious progress of a world economic order that robs the fledgling African nation of its autonomy. Against this backdrop, Orleanna Price reconstructs the story of her evangelist husband's part in the Western assault on Africa, a tale indelibly darkened by her own losses and unanswerable questions about her own culpability. Also narrating the story, by turns, are her four daughters--the self-centered, teenaged Rachel; shrewd adolescent twins Leah and Adah; and Ruth May, a prescient five-year-old. These sharply observant girls, who arrive in the Congo with racial preconceptions forged in 1950s Georgia, will be marked in surprisingly different ways by their father's intractable mission, and by Africa itself. Ultimately each must strike her own separate path to salvation. Their passionately intertwined stories become a compelling exploration of moral risk and personal responsibility.

Dancing between the dark comedy of human failings and the breathtaking possibilities of human hope, The Poisonwood Bible possesses all that has distinguished Barbara Kingsolver's previous work, and extends this beloved writer's vision to an entirely new level. Taking its place alongside the classic works of postcolonial literature, this ambitious novel establishes Kingsolver as one of the most thoughtful and daring of modern writers."