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TUESDAY BLAST +1:
MAKE A DIFFERENCE THIS WEEK

Chicago Foundation for Women's Weekly eUpdate

The week of Sept. 12-17, 2007

View this update ONLINE

Kathy Najimy
22nd Annual Luncheon speaker

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Our yearlong anti-violence initiative

"What Will It Take?"is paid for in part by a grant from the State of Illinois.

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Read our report and then take action. It contains 100 action steps--something that everyone can do today. The report wraps up our yearlong statewide "What Will It Take?" initiative to make Illinois the safest state for all women and girls. Watch ABC 7 Chicago's coverage.

Thank you to everyone who came to our symposium and luncheon yesterday. We raised more than $1 million for grants, $210,000 of it on the day of the luncheon.

Read our wrap-up stories of the symposium and the luncheon, view a photo slideshow -- and make a donation in honor of our 22nd Annual Luncheon and Symposium.

Visit the main event page for more information and links.

KATHY NAJIMY. Yes, she is already a star of stage, screen and television but she is now a star to Chicago Foundation for Women luncheon guests and staff. Her gracious manner, beautiful humor and winning ways made the lunch a success. We were impressed with her amazing ability to rally and inspire. We loved how she peppered her remarks about serious feminist issues with personal stories that allowed us to laugh. Thank you Kathy. Read an interview with her at the Windy City Times.

WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST. Thank you to Chicago's own feminist bookstore for providing DVDs of Kathy Najimy's new double-DVD set of "The Kathy and Mo Show." They still have copies in stock of this hard-to-find collection - order yours today online or by phone at (773) 769-9299.

FREEING TAMMY: WOMEN, DRUGS AND INCARCERATION.
At 3:30 p.m. next Wednesday, Sept. 19, come to a panel discussion and book signing with researcher and author Jody Raphael, from The DePaul University College of Law Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law Center. Raphael, who is also a grantee partner of the Foundation, is unveiling the final book, “Freeing Tammy: Women, Drugs and Incarceration” in her trilogy on women, poverty and violence. The Foundation is a co-sponsor of the event which also features Anne Ream from The Voices and Faces Project, another grantee partner, who will moderate the panel. DePaul Center (Concourse, Lower Level) at 1 E. Jackson Blvd. in Chicago. No RSVP needed.

JOIN THE WOMEN'S TEAM. Check out our employment opportunities and apply for a job working with us. Find out more on our website.

WOMAN TORTURED FOR SIX DAYS SURVIVES
A 20-year-old African American woman was held captive and violently abused for six days in Logan, West Virginia. Her captors allegedly used racial slurs while repeatedly physically and sexually assaulting her. Local police have not decided yet whether to include hate crimes in the charges. If new federal legislation passes, future cases like this can include gender as a type of hate crime in addition to race. Support expanding hate crime law in our Action Center.

AURORA PLANNED PARENTHOOD IN THE NEWS, AGAIN
Slated to open Sept. 18, the new full-service Planned Parenthood clinic in Aurora is facing community backlash as well as support. A city council meeting on Sept. 11 addressed controversy around one of the clinic's services: abortion. Anti-choice speakers had complaints that have been heard before: Planned Parenthood hurts youth, and abortion shouldn't be available in this community. However, supporters outnumbered anti-choice activists at the meeting, according to the Aurora Beacon News. To help Planned Parenthood, sign their petition of support online.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES FLIES UNFRIENDLY SKIES
Southwest Airlines made headlines when a flight attendant refused to let a young woman board the plane wearing a mini-skirt and revealing T-shirt. She was public embarrassed but Kyla Ebbert did get seated after adjusting her clothing. Southwest defended their decision, and reportedly repeated this with another young woman this week. As CNN reported, Southwest advertised female flight attendants in hot pants when it began operations in the 1970s. So, we are not sure when Southwest decided to become the arbiters of morality in fashion. We searched Southwest's website to find a dress code for passengers but found none. This feels arbitrary and we wonder what the airline standards are for men's clothing. If you want to complain, contact Southwest here. (Thanks to Feministing for the links.)

Bills and policies that need your energy. Visit our Action Center - quickly make a difference this week.

FEDERAL ACTION

HATE CRIMES. Expand the definition of federal hate crimes to include gender sexual orientation, and disability status. Bush's threatened veto is kowtowing to the Christian religious right, who wrongly think this bill will limit free speech from the pulpit—even with a special amendment specifically excluding speech. In fact, the American Civil Liberties Union supports the legislation, though it has never backed a hate crimes law before. CLICK HERE TO CONTACT CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT NOW.

FOOD SUPPLEMENTAL PROGRAMS including Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (or WIC) and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) mostly for seniors 60 and older. CONTACT YOUR SENATORS NOW.

Kathy Najimy was interviewed in the Windy City Times on feminism, activism and why she was speaking at our 22nd Annual Luncheon and Symposium.

We released our "Call to Action, Part 1" report on Sept. 11 at our 22nd Annual Luncheon. The reports wraps up the yearlong anti-violence initiative "What Will It Take?" and names 100 action items to get everyone in Illinois involved.

Several media outlets covered the initiative and "Call to Action":

ABC 7 Chicago ran a special segment on the evening news Sept. 10. Watch the video or read the story. They also interviewed Mary Morten on their morning show Sept. 11.
Women's eNews also reviewed the initiative and emphasized one grantee: the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (www.caase.org)
WBBM 780 AM's Regine Schlesinger interviewed Susy Schultz, the director of advocacy and communications and the report's author
The Illinois Radio Network, whose news reports go out to more than 50 stations, covered the report's luncheon release
PBS show "NOW" linked to the report from a story on sexual assault of women in the military

Catch up at our Press Room or our Past Events page at cfw.org or our News page on whatwillittake.org.

SEPT. 19: Energizing Nonprofit Managers and Board Members to Be Effective Fundraisers, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

LATER THIS MONTH

SEPT. 25: Darfur: Violence Against Women as a Form of Genocide, 8-9:30 a.m., with Anti-Defamation League
OCT 4: Our Voices, Our Choices Coalition meeting, 2-4 p.m.
OCT. 9: The Black Youth Project: Gender Differences in Youths' Perspectives on Race, Sex, Health, Violence and Identity, 5-7 p.m., with Chicago Urban League
OCT. 18: Grantees: Executive Director Round Table: Successful Board Engagement in Fundraising, 12-1:30 p.m.

For more programs and events see our calendar page or the "What Will It Take?" statewide events page.

Speakers' bureau: Want a free speaker to come and tell you or your organization about “What Will It Take?” Contact Laura Fletcher at (312) 577-2824 or lfletcher@cfw.org. More about the speakers' bureau...

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