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Contact the . MissionTo identify, research and discuss critical issues To mobilize, energize and inspire ourselves and others to action To work as individuals and in community for social justice -
Help support the work of our organization with a tax-deductible donation: Use this button to target your donation to the Melanie Shouse Memorial Advocacy Fund: or send a check marked "Advocacy Fund" to Women's Voices, 705 Elm Tree Ln, Kirkwood MO 63122  Who We AreWe are a group of ardent, progressive St. Louis area women who finally got fed up.We became so concerned about the direction of this country and where its priorities seem to be that we decided we must do something. From our frustration and determination, Women's Voices Raised for Social Justice was born. We are not fund-raisers. We are not envelope-stuffers. We are not a single-issue group. And we do not want to re-invent the wheel. Therefore, we have built an organization that enables us to study many different issues and take action for a variety of causes. We frequently support other progressive organizations in their efforts. But first, we study and learn about the issues. Our members are curious, creative, competent and caring. We believe in doing something meaningful in support of our values, and we have great fun and camaraderie in doing so. If you would like to add your voice to ours, we welcome you to join us. |
Next Meeting: Thursday, June 7, 2012A Powerful Voice for a Child in Foster CareRead more ... 6:30 for coffee, 7:00 program Ethical Society of St. Louis - 9001 Clayton Rd, 63117 (Directions) Reflections on the Women's March 4/28/2012 Women's Voices member Connie Cominsky helped arrange for a bus that took women from the St. Louis area to Jefferson City for the "Unite Against the War on Women March". Connie then wrote the following reflection on the events. She refers to the Women's Voices Marys - Mary Clemons and Mary O'Reilly. Other members on the bus, or seen at the event, included Ruth Ehresman and Deb Lavender (both of whom spoke to the participants from the Capitol steps at the rally), Bunnie Gronborg, Cynthia Holmes and Ellen Reed. My Thoughts on War on Women March 4/28/12
by Connie Calvert Cominsky Actually I don't know if I want to sit in a corner and sob or go out in the street and holla (holler.) It is always a treat to be around women that share the same political views, morals, ideas, hopes and dreams. It's wonderful to meet the women in person that you have only met through social media groups. It's heart-warming to march with strong women - our strength melds into a force with which to be reckoned. These things please me - but ... Perhaps I'm used to marches in Chicago and DC that draw thousands of people. Perhaps I'm one of those people who are just never satisfied. It's a given that I am impatient. Also a dreamer - big dreams - I never dream small. So yesterday maybe 500 women managed to participate - and of course, I (big dreamer) expected a thousand or more. Where were they? Where were you? I'd have to say that most of the women were my age or older. Grandmothers. We've already done this. We grew up on Roe vs. Wade, we protested the Vietnam war, we burned our bras. The St. Louis bus was full of women like the Marys from Women's Voices - I'm pretty confident that they won't want to slap me for saying that they are not spring chickens. They have been speaking out for YEARS for women - don't they get exhausted?? But like the Timex watches, we may have taken beatings but we keep on ticking. How about our own Deb Lavender- running for state office - she's a two-time loser - but we tell her the third time's a charm - women like Deb DON'T GIVE UP - WE DON'T QUIT. I'm not saying all the young women stayed home - the 'sluts who vote' came out as well as the 'don't tread on my vagina' girls. These young women are so very talented! and hilarious! Jodie, a young single, professional who declares herself "non-alpha" morphed in to a leader - she stepped to the plate and took over when this old chick broke her leg. And the mom and dad who came out to support their daughter serving our country in Afghanistan? How proud that young soldier must be of her parents. Oh, don't let me forget about the visibly pregnant young mom with a toddler in tow who represented and spoke on behalf of Planned Parenthood (Michelle Trupiano). And some say that organization is all about abortion - huh? So yes, young women were represented. But where were the thousands? Were you catching up on Housewives? Shopping at the mall? Pinning on Pinterest? Busy with your young family? Why isn't this important to you? What will it take to get your attention? So - I'm disappointed that we are fighting the same fight all over again. I'm disappointed that the media didn't take notice. But so proud of my sisters who stood by me yesterday. I think I'll just go outside and holla! Member Submits Testimony to U.S. Senate CommitteeMember Alice Serrano attended a week long advocacy event in Washington D.C. sponsored by the Rights Working Group and the ACLU. The group met with members of congress and urged them to take action to prohibit profiling based on race, religion, ethnicity and national origin and to pass the "End Racial Profiling Act''. Alice presented written testimony on behalf of Women's Voices to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary which held a hearing on ending racial profiling on April 17.Read more about the Rights Working Group. A Tribute to Amy Smoucha Amy has been a Missouri voice for those in need of affordable health care. She began by helping people apply for Medicaid and then to save and protect public health clinics in St. Louis. And for the past 5 years Amy has been the health care organizer for Missouri Jobs with Justice. In January, 2007 after we learned about the Massachusetts health care plan from Professor Sidney Watson, some of our members determined that we should advocate for health care reform. So who better to help a fledging organization bring to life its mission to work for social justice? Amy, who had become a member in 2006, attended our health care meetings, encouraged us to attend seminars to learn about reform and saw that we joined with another fledging group, Missouri Health Care For All. But Amy didn't stop there. Recognizing that she had a group of willing learners, we received advocacy training with Jobs With Justice experts. And with Amy's guidance, advocate we did! What is it about Amy that gave us the confidence and ability to take on work that none of us had ever done before or even thought about doing before? Some words come to mind: Teacher - Whether learned or intuitive Amy has the skill to provide the right amount of information and let it sink in before adding more. Every time she thought we "got it" she gave us more. Motivator - Amy encouraged the latent talent she saw in us. When we showed even a little positive sign that we might indeed be able to perform a task she asked us to go a step further. Cheerleader - Amy: Could you write a little speech for a health care rally? WV member: I can try. After putting down the bullhorn, Amy: You are a Rock Star! That was Amazing! Organizer - Amy knew when and where we should be and what we should do. She had us attend rallies, she had us write speeches, she encouraged us to write letters to newspapers and to legislators, she took us to Jefferson City to testify before legislative committees. And when Amy called or emailed with a request, we didn't hesitate - we knew she didn't make frivolous requests. We knew we had to say yes. Mentor - As you can tell from what I have said so far, Amy has been our mentor. And like a good one, she stood behind us and didn't take the credit for our successes. She truly enjoyed seeing us grow in our abilities and confidence in our mission. Amy is now moving on to become a National voice for health care reform. She will be moving to the Washington D.C. area as a Field Director for the prestigious Families USA. Amy, you are our Amazing Rock Star! We thank you for all you have done for us. And with this gift, we hope you will purchase an ipad so you can stay in constant touch with us! In your new role know that you have allies here who will speak out and demand health care justice. We have since received the following response from Amy: Hi Wonderful WVR Women,
Thank you so much for your generous and incredibly thoughtful gift and the affirming send off you gave me at the monthly meeting. I hope all know that you mean a lot to me, not just professionally but also personally. You are amazing and visionary activists, fighting to make your values real in the world, and you are making a tremendous difference in the social justice movements in our state. In addition to your contributions to our movement, you are wise, strong, funny and loving women-and you have been an important support and inspiration to me in my work and life. I've learned a lot from each of you, and working with you during joys and also rough times has been very valuable to me. We will stay in touch and continue to work together on health care and other critical justice issues…and please call me if there are ways I can continue to support the advocacy efforts of WVR---I want to be an active long-distance member! Much love and gratitude! Amy Health Care Panelists Tell Their Stories
The benefits that accrue to older Americans from the two-year-old Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act were outlined in detail on Monday, March 19, when Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, listened to a panel of St. Louis residents.
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Sign LanguageThumbs Up/Thumbs Down Awards
to members of the Missouri legislature, who slashed nearly $10 million in child care funding from the budget that will be submitted to the Governor. The cuts will affect numerous programs, including Head Start and other early childhood initiatives.
to the Missouri House of Representatives, whose members have squandered most of the session debating frivolous topics and have failed to deal with the major issues of concern in Missouri, such as job creation and funding for education, health and social services.
to those who have harassed, threatened and bullied volunteers who have been collecting signatures on petitions to cap the rate on payday lending and raise the cigarette tax in Missouri. In Springfield, thousands of signatures were stolen from the car of one of the leaders in the fight against predatory lenders.
to State Rep. Stacey Newman of Richmond Heights, who continues to work for women's reproductive health and freedom in the state legislature
to Cole County Circuit Court Judge Patricia Joyce, who tossed out a voter initiative petition that, if approved, would abolish Missouri's income tax in favor of "the everything tax"
to Cole County Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce, who struck down ballot language on a proposed constitutional amendment to allow voter photo ID in Missouri.
to state lawmakers who have filed two new photo ID resolutions.
to Missouri state legislators, who have spent time debating a "birther" bill.
to members of the state House of Representatives, who approved a "conscience bill that would enable any medical professional or anyone employed by a medical entity to refuse treatment based on their religious views or conscience.
to Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, which has initiated a program to provide legal advice to low-income entrepreneurs who are starting or expanding businesses and for non-for-profit organizations that serve low-income individuals.
to Harris-Stowe University, which hosted a program dealing with the current assault on voting rights.
to Missouri Speaker of the House Steven Tilley, who intends to honor Rush Limbaugh with a statue in the Hall of Famous Missourians in the State Capitol.
to talk show host Rush Limbaugh, whose diatribes against women and heated rhetoric against many issues are escalating uncivil discourse throughout the country.
to the seven companies who have pulled their advertisements from the Rush Limbaugh show.
to the 150 women who stood on a street corner in Clayton on Feb. 22 to protest the proposed "conscience" laws recently introduced at the state and federal levels (photos here)
to leaders in the Missouri House of Representatives, who refused to let seven female House members testify about proposed legislation even though the women stood in line at a mic for more than two hours
to Congressional panels that have prohibited women from testifying about access to contraceptives
to people all over Missouri who are collecting signatures to get an initiative on the November ballot that would cap the allowable rate of payday lending at 36 percent
to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Foundation, which reversed its decision to withhold funding from Planned Parenthood (see item below)
to The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, which has announced that it will stop supporting lifesaving breast cancer screening for low-income and underserved women at Planned Parenthood health centers.
to the Missouri House of Representatives, whose members passed a proposal to cap state spending that would damage Missouri's economy and its ability to create jobs and fund critical services.
to the three dozen Missouri House Democrats who joined state lawmakers from around the country in a brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
to editorial writers at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who have been diligent about exposing the excesses of the payday loan industry in Missouri.
to WV member Deanna Jent, director of the Mustard Seed Theater, who was named St. Louis "Director of the Year" by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch theater critic
to the U. S. Department of Justice, for blocking a law in South Carolina that would require voters to present photo identification in order to cast a ballot.
to officials in the Department of Health and Human Services, who have overruled a scientific decision by the Food and Drug Administration that would make Plan B, an emergency contraceptive, available to all females of child-bearing age without a prescription.
to St. Louis' Old North community, which has received the 2011 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement for its efforts to strengthen the economy and protect human health and the environment in the north St. Louis neighborhood
to the St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council, whose members continue to press local banks to expand their financial services and products for low-and-moderate income individuals and businesses.
to attorney and WV member Jo Anne Morrow, whose work with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri to secure Medicaid coverage for children who need braces for their teeth was profiled in the Nov. 28 edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
to Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, one of the senators backing the Marketplace Fairness Act, a bill that would create a system where local and state governments could have the option to force online retailers to collect taxes due on internet purchases.
to St. Louisian Angela Haas, founder of WITS Inc., a not
-for-profit organization that refurbishes used electronics equipment and employs many homeless people to do the work. Refurbished items are sold in an electronics thrift store or donated to local charities.
to St. Louis activist Jamala Rogers, one of six individuals to receive the national Alston Bannerman Fellowship in recognition of her years of leadership in the Organization for Black Struggle. Rogers was recognized for working and organizing for "human dignity, economic justice and political empowerment."
to the Beyond Housing organization, which has broken ground for a senior housing and retail development center in Pagedale. This is a continuation of the organization's commitment to help revitalize the community.
to Women's Voices members and other progressive, caring St. Louisans who joined the Occupy St. Louis rally and march on Oct. 14.
to the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council, whose analysis of local banks' lending history has resulted in agreements with three banks to provide increased financial services in low income neighborhoods.
to WV member Deanna Jent, whose original play, "Falling," has been optioned for an off-Broadway production in 2012.
to the 17 members of the Missouri Senate who voted to preserve the circuit breaker tax credit for low-income renters.
to Central Reform Congregation in St. Louis, which has received Missouri Interfaith IMPACT's first annual Amos 5:24 Justice Advocate Award.
to Rebecca McClanahan of Kirksville, who has been named executive director of Missouri Health Care For All
to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, for thoughtlessly running a major story on the front page headlined "Downtown Fights Image of Danger" the same weekend that 5,000 members of the American Society of Association Executives are in town and the city is trying to make a good impression.
to the St. Louis Beacon and reporter Robert Joiner, who interviewed several members of Women's Voices for an informative article about health insurance rate review and medical loss ratios, for inclusion in the August 2 online publication.
to St. Louis author and activist Jamala Rogers, whose columns in the St. Louis American newspaper have recently been compiled into a book, "The Best of The Way I See It".
to the Fifth Third Bank, which has launched a "Financial Empowerment E-Bus" to bring information about financial resources, credit reports and home ownership to communities throughout the St. Louis metro area.
to organizers of Pruitt-Igoe Now, who are planning to sponsor a competition for ideas for redevelopment of the old Pruitt-Igoe site in north St. Louis.
to Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, who has signed legislation authorizing several positive changes relating to rights for the disabled in the state.
to photographer J. B. Forbes, whose spread in the July 10 edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch captured the essence of the Urban Expressions photography program in the Hyde Park neighborhood.
to Amazon.com, which is defying a new law in California by refusing to collect sales taxes on internet purchases.
to the U. S. Court of Appeals for the 6th circuit, which declared the individual mandate provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act a valid exercise of congressional authority under the commerce clause.
to civic leaders who have formed the new St. Louis Regional Psychiatric Stabilization Center, which will re-open emergency room and short-term inpatient services to help meet the mental health needs of St. Louis area residents.
to Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, who has vetoed a bill that could have eventually required voters to provide a government-issued photo ID to cast a ballot in MIssouri.
to the Midwest BankCentre, which has come to an agreement with the U. S. Department of Justice that will result in the bank opening a full-service branch in Pagedale and investing $1.45 million in St. Louis neighborhoods that are predominantly African-American.
to the state of Vermont, where progressive legislators, recognizing that health care is a right and not a privilege, have launched the first single-payer health care system in America.
to Lisa Orden Zarin, long-time friend of Women's Voices, who was featured in a "Close Up" column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on May 8. Lisa is the founder of College Bound, a non-profit group that helps prepare high school students from low-income backgrounds with the academic enrichment, social supports and life skills needed for success in four-year colleges.
to Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, who vetoed a bill that would have altered the state's Human Rights Act and made it more difficult to prove workplace discrimination.
to Joel Ferber, who was honored with the Clarence Darrow award from the Public Interest Law Group at St. Louis University. The award recognizes individuals who help better society through their work in the field of public interest law.
to Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, who filed an amicus brief in the Florida case opposing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Koster's brief challenges the mandate in the federal health-care law that will require most Americans to purchase health insurance by 2014.
to Missouri State Senator Jim Lembke and other conservative state legislators who have blocked a vote to accept federal money to extend unemployment benefits. This effectively cuts financial assistance for more than 10,000 out-of-work Missourians.
to editorial boards at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Columbia Tribune and the Kansas City Star. All of them have weighed in against the payday lending bill that recently came out of a House committee that would allow an APR of more than 1500% on a payday loan in Missouri.
to members of the Vermont House of Representatives, who passed a bill calling for a single-payer health system. This puts the state on a path to become the first in the nation to adopt universal access to health care.
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