Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Rd, 63117- Directions Coffee and conversation at 6:30 p.m. - Program at 7 p.m.
All Women's Voices programs are open to the public, free of charge.
Upcoming Programs
General programming will resume in September, 2013.
Past Programs
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Annual Meeting
Karen Kalish
Jamala Rogers
In a year marked by unprecedented growth, expanding partnerships and new challenges to the advancement of social justice, Women's Voices celebrated its eighth annual meeting by drawing inspiration from two remarkable women: Karen Kalish, founder of Cultural Leadership, Home Works!, and the Books and Badges programs; and Jamala Rogers, founder of the Organization for Black Struggle, the Justice for Reggie campaign, and a columnist for the St. Louis American.
Both women have been activists, advocates and change agents - troublemakers of the best kind - for nearly 40 years. Karen's path began as a "screaming, yelling consumer- advocate reporter," she says. While working, she started a program for African American and Jewish high school students to build cultural understanding. She's never looked back, and today her Home Works! program brings teachers, parents and volunteers together to strengthen reading proficiency. The program targets children likely to enter school knowing about 500 words, compared to the 5,000 words children from more privileged backgrounds know, "because research shows that if we don't reach them early, they never catch up," she says. The program follows students through primary and secondary school.
Both women have opened doors and minds through their unyielding dedication to supporting social justice. And both say there is so much more to be done. "When I started on this journey, I thought we'd have it all figured out in about 10 years," said Jamala. "It didn't happen -- and it still hasn't." Transforming a culture where injustice exists requires more of us working for social justice, she says. "Right now we seem to be buffering the suffering. Young people are my inspiration, but we all need to get louder."
Women's Voices got louder in 2012-2013, with activities and initiatives outlined in President Mary Clemons' report, available on this website.
Karen and Jamala congratulated Women's Voices members for their work, both locally and on state and national issues. As a token of appreciation for sharing their stories, Barbara Finch presented Karen and Jamala with a one-of-a-kind necklace designed by member Ruth Ann Cioci, asking both guests to "Wear It Proudly" as they continue their one-of-a-kind presence in our community.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Inside Track: Medicaid Expansion in Missouri
Panelists:
Alan Freeman, director of the Missouri Department of Social Services
Kit Wagar, Affordable Care Act specialist, Office of the Regional Director, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Steve Renne, vice president of children's health and medicaid advocacy, Missouri Hospital Association
Moderator:
Sidney Watson, professor of law, St. Louis University, Center for Health Law Studies
Kit Wagar, Steve Renne, Alan Freeman, Sidney Watson
What are the chances that an additional 260,000 low-income Missourians will get access to health care starting this July 1? That depends on what happens in Jefferson City by May 10 - the deadline for Missouri legislators to vote yea or nay on our state's option for expanding Medicaid coverage as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
A panel of experts outlined what Medicaid expansion means to Missourians in terms of access to health care, state finance and business development. Each guest speaker addressed some of the complexities of administering Medicaid under new ACA regulations, of facing extreme financial challenges if the state rejects the option, and of navigating our way through the ideology and partisan rhetoric that followed the 2012 elections.
By accepting full Medicaid expansion, all Missouri's Medicaid costs - for those 260,000 added to the program, plus those currently served by Medicaid - would be covered by the federal government through 2016. That translates to $1.8 billion in the first year alone, and close to $6 billion over the three-year period. After that, participating states will gradually pick up a 10 percent share of the cost.
Medicaid expansion has widespread public support (see Steve Renne's presentation- slide 8) from healthcare providers, advocacy groups from urban and rural areas, and - because Medicaid expansion will generate an additional 24,000 jobs in 2014 alone - from a broad contingency of business interests, including Chambers of Commerce from West Plains to Cape Girardeau to Lee's Summit to Hannibal. It also has widespread bipartisan support nationally, with only 35 percent of the population living in states where governors currently oppose the expansion.
"So if all these people are for the expansion, who's against it,?" asked a WV member during the Q & A period. "Many candidates made opposition to 'Obamacare' the focal point of their campaigns," said Kit Wagar. "But the ACA was upheld by the Supreme Court, and it's here to stay. It's difficult for those who opposed the law and President Obama to move forward on this."
If Missouri does not opt for Medicaid expansion, the tax dollars Missourians have paid will go to other states to cover their Medicaid costs. Missouri's low-income residents, businesses, medical providers and taxpayers will lose. That's a heavy price to pay for the sake of maintaining political ideology.
Want your voice to be heard? "I want everyone to do one thing when you get home," said Sidney Watson. "Call or write your State Representative and Senator and tell them to vote FOR full Medicaid expansion. It's the right thing for the people of Missouri."
The following organizations joined WV in sponsoring the April 11 program on Medicaid expansion: National Council of Jewish Women-St. Louis Section, Missouri Association for Social Welfare, Social Justice Program at Eliot Unitarian Chapel, Missouri Health Care for All, Metropolitan Congregations United, and Physicians for a National Health Program-St. Louis.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Is The Lamp Still Lit?
Speaker: Suzann LeLaurin, vice president for individuals and families, The International Institute of St. Louis
For descendants of the "huddled masses" who arrived in America generations ago, the rights of citizenship are a lucky byproduct of where we were born.
Our March 14 speakers shared an eye-opening perspective on the long, complex road today's immigrants endure before they are admitted to our country - and the struggles they experience once they arrive.
Suzanne LeLaurin of The International Institute of St. Louis provided a brief overview of how the government categorizes America's foreign-born residents:
Permanent legal residents who are on track for citizenship. Foreign-born spouses of American citizens fall into this category, and in most cases may enter the U.S. without a wait restriction. Other family members - parents, children, siblings -can wait years before they're granted entry, particularly if they come from countries that already have large immigrant populations in the U.S. - Mexico, the Philippines, China and India, for example. Parents and children of Mexican residents allowed to enter the U.S. this year have been on a waiting list since 1993. That's 20 years of waiting to come to America. And if a child reaches the age of 18, he or she must reapply for a place in line as an adult applicant.
Temporary visa holders - visitors, students and guest workers. Guest worker visas are granted for a variety of persons with expertise, including scientists, artists, athletes and professionals in business and medicine. There are no temporary visas granted for farm workers, laborers or domestic workers.
Undocumented residents - individuals who've entered the country illegally or overstayed their visa. Immigration reform focuses on this group, but there's a misconception about why it happens so often in the first place, LeLaurin says. "People think that these 'illegals' just don't want to go through the process and get in line to come in legally. What we need to understand is that, in practical terms, there is no line."
Refugees, who enter the country based on proof of well-founded fear of persecution. Just 58,000 refugees were admitted in 2012, drawn from refugee camps in Africa, South America, Egypt, Ethiopia, the Bahamas and Nigeria. Refugees from these countries are given preference to increase the immigrant diversity of the U.S. population.
The Long Road to St. Louis
Two refugees who have resettled in St. Louis shared their stories of terror, survival and perseverance.
Ranga Nepal's family was a member of an ethnic group driven out of their native Bhutan in the 1990s by the ruling monarchy. Like thousands of countrymen, Ranga ended up in Nepal, where he survived on a river bank for months, then made it to a refugee camp where he lived for 17 years. During this time, a mentor helped him receive a college education (he has a master's degree in economics), and he returned to teach at his camp before his 2008 journey to the U.S. He is an International Institute case worker for local refugees, especially those from Bhutan, who face enormous cultural challenges as they adjust to life in this country.
"Language is a big problem," he says. "Most refugees hardly read their own language. So their children learn English in school, and they have to rely on them. This takes away their traditional role as head of the family. They become isolated in their homes, and they feel meaningless in these new surroundings. There is a big suicide rate among the older generation." But not in St. Louis, LeLaurin notes. "Ranga has focused on getting St. Louis' Bhutanese residents out of their homes and acclimated within the community; much of this success is due to his work here."
Shatha Najaf is a survivor of the civil war in Iraq between Sunni and Shia Muslims. She and her three children suffered the terror of her husband's kidnapping, and when he was released, the family fled to Egypt. During three years there, her children were not allowed to attend school, an unacceptable situation for the Najaf family. They gained entry to the U.S. in 2009, and today, Najaf works at the International Institute as a case specialist, helping other refugees improve their English and learn to manage American life. "It's not easy," she says. "You don't know how to shop, to make a dental appointment, or what to expect in a job interview. People feel lost."
But Najaf thinks her family has finally found a safe place. "My kids will find a good life and future here," she says. Nepal echoes the same sentiment, repeating the fierce desire of generations who've come to America to provide a better life for their families. "For us, he says, U.S.A. stands for U Start Again."
Refugees receive a very limited resettlement grant from the federal government upon their arrival in the U.S. Those funds are likely to be part of upcoming budget cuts. The Tao Family Fund, a charitable arm of the International Institute, helps cover basic housing, food and transportation costs to help St. Louis refugees, especially small families and singles. Generous members of the audience donated more than $700 to the Tao fund at the conclusion of our meeting. To make a donation and get more information, visit http://www.iistl.org/donate1.html.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Making Our Voices Heard: Women's Rights Today
Speaker: Sandra Fluke, attorney and activist
One year ago, Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke received national attention following her appearance before Democratic members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. In the midst of the debate over health care reform, her testimony presented a strong case for requiring nonprofit, religious-affiliated organizations - like Georgetown, other universities and hospitals where religion is not a factor in employment - to cover birth control in their insurance plans.
What followed was a bottle-rocket of vile rhetoric from Missouri's own hall-of-famer Rush Limbaugh, who characterized Fluke as a college girl gone wild (a "slut" and a "prostitute" were his precise words) who wanted the government to pay her to have sex.
The year that followed "was not the 2012 I had planned," said Fluke during a reception with Women's Voices members at Washington University on Feb. 12. She'd planned to complete her law degree and focus on passing the bar in California - which she did last summer. "Can you imagine what Fox News would have said if I didn't pass,?" she laughed.
The Limbaugh publicity, and more importantly, the issue that women's reproductive rights are under attack, placed Fluke in a spotlight she feels obligated and honored to use for the issues she values. It's a role for which she is perfectly prepared. Her undergraduate degree from Cornell University is in Feminist, Gender & Sexuality Studies. In New York, she co-founded the New York Statewide Coalition for Fair Access to Family Court and has also worked to address the issues of domestic violence, human trafficking, LGBT rights and other human rights concerns.
Seeking to find the language and means to push back on things that were not fair led her to law school, she told WV members. And she pushes back with what's become her signature brand of respectful determination - an approach that's all too rare in today's politics. "To be successful, we have to broaden our ability to talk to people who don't already agree with us," she says.
What are the top issues that concern her generation? She says it's a five-item list: government debt, education and employment, immigration, LGBT rights and ending wars abroad - a list that's important now and for the generations to come.
Spending an hour with this articulate new voice for women's rights and social justice was an uplifting event. As her time with WV members closed, she praised our organization for its mission and for staying focused on a progressive agenda aimed at social justice.
Special thanks to the Danforth Center on Religion and Politics and other student groups at Washington University, who provided funding needed to bring Fluke to St. Louis.
Among those attending the reception were 10 new WV members. A warm welcome to Batya Abramson-Goldstein, Joyce Borgmeyer, Mary Bumpus, Susan Clark, Maggie Ellinger-Locke, Marge Jardon, Jean Loemker, Phyllis Markus, Dianne Modrell and Gay Norris.
January 10, 2013
Human Trafficking: Real and Right Here
Speaker: Laura Gardner, Life Skills Director, The Covering House
Our well-attended January program resulted in responses that were eye-opening, jaw-dropping and gut-wrenching. Most members and guests were unaware that human trafficking generates an estimated $9.5 billion in annual revenue in the United States; that there are up to 300,000 child prostitutes in this country; that the average age of these children is 13; and that the average victim may be forced to have sex up to 20 times per day.
According to Laura Gardner, human trafficking can be defined as exploitation of another person for commercial or sexual purposes or for forced labor. The Covering House focuses on the sexual trafficking of children in St. Louis, which the Department of Justice has identified as one of the top 20 human trafficking cities in the country.
"A great deal of sex trafficking of young girls occurs in St. Louis because we have a high number of runaways and children on the street," Gardner said. "A lot of kids drop out of school here, and we have a flourishing drug trade. We have well-known "strolls" in St. Louis, and East St. Louis, with its strip clubs, generates a lot of activity here."
The high number of interstate highways that intersect in St. Louis makes it easy for pimps to move girls easily from one location to another, she added.
"Pimps are very smart," Gardner said. "They know how to provide the things that young girls need, and the girls are groomed to be dependent on the pimps for everything." For pimps, the payoff can be huge. The average pimp has four to six girls working for him, and can make as much as $200,000 per child each year.
Gardner showed samples of ads from on-line sites and "alternative" newspapers that are used to recruit "johns," or men who purchase sex from young girls. Much of the illegal activity occurs in motels along interstate highways or near the airport, she said, but high-priced hotels in downtown St. Louis are not immune from the activity.
The Covering House provides individual counseling, group therapy and life skills coaching for girls who have been rescued from the sex trafficking trade. The organization hopes to be able to have a residential facility for the girls in the near future.
Members of Women's Voices had a rare opportunity to experience College Bound when they gathered at the organization's new building in midtown St. Louis to learn about the program from the organization's founder and talk with staff members and current students.
College Bound was founded by Lisa Orden-Zarin in 2006. It provides promising students from low-income backgrounds with academic enrichment, social support and life skills, which they need to succeed in college and careers. The first year the organization served 36 students; in 2011 there were 32 staff members serving 1,500 students in 39 area high schools and 70 colleges throughout the U.S.
The strength of the program, Orden-Zarin says, is based upon the fact that staffers develop a personal, supportive relationship with every student and outcomes are constantly and closely monitored.
"We feel that we are doing important and sacred work here," she said. All the students enrolled are the first in their families to be able to have any kind of academic higher education. Studies have shown that higher education is the best way to eliminate poverty in future generations.
The program concluded with remarks from some of the College Bound students, both those who are in high school working toward college, and those who were home from college for the Christmas holiday.
"We know that we wouldn't be where we are now without this program," said one of the students, home on holiday from his first year at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin.
November 8, 2012
Election Wrap-up: Fired Up Or Fed Up?
Panelists: David Robertson, professor of political science, University of Missouri-St. Louis
Jim Ross, political operative and candidate consultant
Jo Mannies, political reporter, St. Louis Beacon
Moderator: Denise Lieberman, attorney and Missouri Voter Protection Advocate for the Advancement Project
A near capacity crowd gathered to hear three prominent political experts parse state and national election results on Nov. 8. Lively moderator Denise Lieberman kicked off the program by announcing that the "right wing strategy to make voting harder backfired." Attempts to require photo IDs, limit early voting and other tactics have occurred in 43 states, including Missouri and swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. Measures were mainly blocked or tabled prior to Nov. 6 balloting, and the failed efforts likely strengthened voters' determination to make their voices heard, noted Lieberman. But attempts to roll back voting rights are far from over, she says. Advancement Project's Voter Protection Program continues to be at the frontlines of protecting every American's right to vote.
Here's a summary of how guest panelists recapped the election numbers, the messaging and the strategy that garnered wins for progressives in important areas, and lessons to be learned for conservatives as they regroup for the next election cycle:
President Obama cleared the first hurdle facing any candidate - and especially an incumbent running in the midst of a recession: He faced no challengers to his candidacy for a second term.
In contrast, Romney was attacked by fellow candidates as a wealthy, out of touch elitist throughout the Republican primary debates. It was a label Republicans failed to turn around. And it was a path to a win for Obama, with momentum from blue collar workers from Appalachia to heartland auto industry states providing a strong segment of his votes.
The Republican Party was blindsided on election night: As demonstrated by Karl Rove on Fox News, conservative-funded polls convinced Republican strategists that voters in key swing states like Ohio, Virginia and Colorado would bring them victory - and their polls were wrong.
Although much has been said about Obama's win among Hispanic voters, it's also important to note that he won 73% of the Asian American vote and 60% of young voters, a particularly significant statistic, since party affiliations formed early tend to last.
Missouri was a solid win for Republicans in the presidential race, but Democrats held onto state leadership offices, with Governor Jay Nixon defeating newcomer Dave Spence, a well-funded businessman who actually drew 300,000 fewer Missouri votes than Romney. Republicans hold 110 of the 160 state representative seats, and they hold a veto-proof majorities in the state House and Senate. Claire McCaskill's win over Todd Akin was an early call on election night, as she pulled a commanding lead in rural areas, typically a Republican stronghold.
The biggest losers of 2012? Tea Partiers and "wishful thinking" among Republican strategists. Despite efforts to distance themselves from Todd Akin's "legitimate rape" comment, he became representative of a party that's increasingly seen as "a party of elderly white people who rant at empty chairs," a reference to the Clint Eastwood appearance at the Republican convention.
October 11, 2012
The State of Incarceration: Problems and Progress in Missouri's Prisons
Speakers: George Lombardi, director of the Missouri Department of Corrections Gary Fuhr, Missouri state representative (R-97) Rory Ellinger, Missouri state representative (D-72)
Robert McCulloch, St. Louis County prosecuting attorney
An amazing thing happened in the Missouri legislature in 2012. Amid all the division, rancor and partisan politics, legislators were able to come together to pass new sentencing and parole guidelines that will keep many non-violent offenders out of prison by enhancing community supervision alternatives. Guest panelists presented an inside - and refreshing - look at how state legislators worked with correction system leadership to launch a plan, passed in the form of HB 1525, that's designed to give non-violent offenders a chance to turn their lives around and to reduce the state's prison expenses. (Currently, Missouri's prison budget is $1.2 billion a year, compared with our $1 billion budget for higher education.)
Based on research from a Pew Foundation study, the new program's initial focus is on the fastest growing segment of the prison population: non-violent offenders on parole who enter prison on a relatively minor technicality that leads to a revocation of their parole. Seventy-one percent of new inmates fit that description.
To stem this tide of new, non-violent prisoners, the bill opened the door for a new two-step program with a truly appetizing "carrot" - for every month a parolee meets all the conditions of parole ("clean" drug tests, or going to school, rehab or work, for example) a month is subtracted from their sentence or parole time. The "stick" on the other side of that carrot is a big one, called Swift and Certain Sanctions. If a condition of parole is not met, the offender goes to jail - quickly, with no court date, no hearing. It's what offenders who qualify for the program agree to when they're given the option to participate. As Prosecutor McCulloch noted, "Most offenders know they may go to jail eventually, but they don't want to go now. That's the deterrent that gives us - and the offender - hope that this program has a chance to work."
The new program is in its baby-steps phase, in place for just over 30 days, but panelists were positive about its potential and about the seeds sown for intelligently reducing the prison population and accompanying costs over time. "This collaborative effort across the aisle was a blueprint for the future," said George Lombardi, director of the state's correctional system.
And the future will depend more and more on community resources that support at-risk families and youth. "Kids with an incarcerated parent are seven times more likely to follow that parent into the correctional system," noted Lombardi.
During the question and answer session, audience members were introduced to Judge Jim Sullivan of Drug Court, an organization that provides treatment, resources and opportunities to drug-abusing or addicted participants, giving them tools to be drug-free, productive contributors to their families and the community. Drug Court is the first organization of its kind and is recognized throughout the nation for its leadership and success in helping people turn their lives around.
September 13, 2012
Trends in Urban Education; Understanding Charter and Traditional Public Schools
Speakers: Dr. Kelvin Adams, Superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools and Kelly Garrett, Executive Director of KIPP St. Louis
A near-capacity crowd filled the Ethical Society's Assembly hall to hear two of the most important educators in St. Louis talk about the schools they run and their determination to improve education for underserved students in St. Louis.
Dr. Kelvin Adams was candid about the past problems of the St. Louis City schools, which were unaccredited several years ago because of problems with governance, finances and student achievement. Under the direction of a state-appointed administrative board for the past three years, the district has made great strides. It now has a balanced budget and may soon apply for provisional accreditation.
Kelly Garrett directs the KIPP Inspire Academy, a charter school affiliated with Washington University. Opened in 2011, KIPP Inspire now has 350 students in grades 5-8. The goal of a KIPP education is to prepare students for college and for life, Garrett said.
Charter schools differ from traditional public schools in several respects, the speakers pointed out, although both of them are supported by taxpayer dollars. Charter schools have more flexibility, and can schedule students for longer school days, half-days on Saturdays, and summer school. They are not unionized and generally pay teachers slightly higher salaries than traditional public schools.
"But this freedom is balanced by our requirement for accountability," Garrett said. "If we don't do a good job, we're out of business."
Dr. Adams stressed that he does not consider charter schools to be competitors. "Students and families are better served when they have a variety of choices," he said. "We need all kinds of options for families, and this includes traditional public schools, magnet schools, charter schools and parochial schools."
For further details about the meeting, read St. Louis Beacon reporter Dale Singer's account of the evening here.
June 7, 2012
A Powerful Voice for a Child in Foster Care
Speakers: Jan Huneke, Chief Executive Officer, Voices for Children; Cheryl Latham, Program Director, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and Carol MacDonald, CASA Volunteer
Few issues tug at the heart as much as the plight of children locked in the child welfare system. "These children are not safe at home, and most have suffered multiple types of abuse and neglect," Jan Huneke, CEO of Voices for Children, told WV members at the June 7 meeting. Several months ago, Voices for Children and CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) merged to help coordinate advocacy services for the nearly 2,500 St. Louis City and County children receiving foster care. Currently, CASA has enough volunteers to serve about 30 percent of the children in the system. Ultimately, the goal is to help every child live in a safe, permanent home where he or she has the opportunity to thrive. Sometimes that's in an adoptive home, sometimes it's back with a parent or parents who've proven they can provide a safe, stable environment.
CASA volunteers contribute to this process by doing what no one else does: Their sole responsibility is to represent the children's best interests. Inside the courtroom, they speak for the children. Outside the courtroom, they are often the one constant presence in these children's lives, the adult who listens, who speaks up for them, who lets them know that they can have a good future and that people care about their troubles.
Children in the overburdened child welfare system often fall through the cracks. Too often, they "age out," without ever being part of a permanent, nurturing family. On average, a child in foster care will:
Remain the system for at least 3 years
Move at least 3 times, often more frequently
Attend 9 different schools by age 18
Foster children are at higher risk for homelessness, teen pregnancy, incarceration, unemployment, mental illness, and repeating the cycle of abuse with their own children.
The June 7 program included a brief video that effectively illustrated the unique way CASA volunteers help these children navigate the system they've been thrown into. WV board member Lise Bernstein was one of the CASA volunteers featured in the video. The young girls Lise worked with, sisters who've now been placed in a permanent adoptive home, are fully aware of the difference CASA and Lise made in their lives. "She brought back a big chunk of my heart," said one sister.
Children with a CASA advocate:
Spend significantly less time in foster care - the average case lasts 18 months
Are more likely to be adopted
Are as likely to be reunified with their family
Are much less likely to re-enter foster care
Receive more services; their parents do, too
In fact, 90% of children with CASA advocates find safe, permanent homes.
WV members and visitors peppered the panel with questions about the 25-hour CASA volunteer training program, the ongoing time commitment (an average of 10 to 12 hours a month) and ways CASAs interact with the children, their teachers, foster and birth families and the courts.
For more information, visit www.voices-stl.org, 314-552-2352; or call Cheryl Latham, CASA program director, 314-615-4506.
May 10, 2012 - Annual Meeting
Annual Meeting - Consuming News: Good, Bad, Ugly and Other
Speaker: Don Marsh, St. Louis Public Radio, "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, The Other"
Members of Women's Voices celebrated their 7th annual meeting on Thursday, May 10, with an event at the Missouri History Museum. Highlight of the evening was a talk by veteran journalist Don Marsh, who hosts the "St. Louis On The Air" program four days a week on St. Louis public radio.
Under the heading of "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly and The Other," Marsh offered a candid assessment of the state of journalism today. Under "the good," he cited the extent of information that is available to average citizens today, and the ease of accessing information. But he feels that "the bad" outweighs the good in many respects, and much of "the bad" is due to corporate out-of-town ownership of most media outlets. As an example of how some reporters lack an understanding of their local markets, he recalled a time when a TV reporter asked him "if Maryland Heights was named for Marilyn Monroe."
Marsh believes that "the ugly" is gaining a greater foothold in journalism today, and one example he cited is the new practice of outsourcing both reporting and copy editing. There is a newspaper in a small city in California, he said, that covers city council meetings by having a reporter in India monitor the streaming video of the meeting and then writing about it.
Under "the other," Marsh noted numerous problems such as inaccuracy in many web sites, cable news programs that only give one side of complicated issues, and viewers who select their news programs based upon their own liberal or conservative biases.
Prior to Marsh's talk, members approved the minutes of the 2011 annual meeting, the financial report and the budget. Mary Clemons gave a brief president's report and copies of the annual report were distributed (all annual reports may be accessed on this web site).
Officers elected for 2012-13 were: Mary Clemons, president; Jeanne Bubb, vice president; Karel Hippert, secretary, and Barbara Richter, treasurer. Elected to the board as directors were Lise Bernstein, Susan Hayman, Helen Houlle and Barbara Paulus.
Prior to the meeting, members enjoyed an after-hours tour of "Hunger and Resilience," the photo/audio exhibit on display at the History Museum.
April 12, 2012
The High Cost of Cheap Meat - Revamping Our Food System for the Future
Speaker: Kathleen Logan Smith, executive director, Missouri Coalition for the Environment
"We have to rethink our entire food system," warned Kathleen Logan Smith, executive director, Missouri Coalition for the Environment, at our April 12 meeting. The coalition works on issues of clean water, air, and energy; farm policy; and wetlands and flood plains. In a discussion of "the high cost of cheap meat," she showed how all these issues are related in food production practices that are bankrupting our soil, water, and health. In Missouri, the state legislature is greatly influenced by agricultural lobbyists and the Missouri Farm Bureau, with disastrous effects:
CAFOs raise animals (mostly pigs and chickens in Missouri) in such tight quarters that they must use feed containing antibiotics to prevent the spread of disease and add weight faster, contributing to the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
CAFOs generate huge amounts of animal waste that are contaminating waterways. Missouri does not have effective laws regulating agricultural pollution, nor does it require smaller CAFOs to obtain permits, which would prescribe setbacks from wells, limits on pollutants, and other precautions.
Corn growers are heavily subsidized by tax money. Herbicides and pesticides used in corn production deplete the soil. Along with fertilizers, they pollute waterways, lakes, and the Gulf of Mexico. The result is dead zones where fish cannot live because excessive algae growth depletes the oxygen in the water.
Farmers cut down trees to plant as much corn as possible, causing alarming loss of soil due to erosion. Missouri is one of the top five states in the country for soil loss.
Big Agriculture's pervasive use of Roundup results in the killing of soil microorganisms, disrupting soil ecosystems.
Smith noted that pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides are all made from fossil fuels. Our destructive food production system has evolved in only 50 years, and it can be reversed if we act quickly, she said. Here's what we can do:
Advocate for a Farm Bill that includes compliance with conservation standards and attaches conservation strings to a "revenue insurance" proposal that guarantees a farmer's income if the market goes down. [The current Farm Bill expires September 2012 and is currently being considered by the U.S. Congress.]
Change our food-buying habits. Buy organic, locally grown food from farmer's markets or small-scale farmers, and buy only free-range, pasture-raised meat.
Support enforcement of environmental protections and penalties for violators.
Amy Smoucha, long-time Women's Voices member and organizer with Jobs with Justice, was honored at our April 12 meeting as she prepares to leave St. Louis for a job with Families USA in Washington, DC.
Click here to read remarks in Amy's honor by President Mary Clemons, who presented Amy with a gift of appreciation from all of us.
March 8, 2012
Addressing Hunger at Home and in Haiti
At our March 8 meeting, speakers addressed the problem of malnourishment, especially of children, at home and abroad. In Haiti, where one in five children is malnourished, the organization Meds & Food for Kids (MFK) has saved more than 30,000 lives by providing Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to severely malnourished children. Marianne Frapwell, MFK development officer, described how MFK manufactures RUTF using locally grown peanuts and local workers. The food, known in Haiti as "peanut butter medicine," contains vitamins and minerals, as well as peanuts and other simple ingredients. It successfully treats children in 6 to 8 weeks, enabling them to survive, even though they may still be malnourished, Frapwell explained.
Currently MFK treats 8,000 children a year, and it will soon be able to treat 80,000 when its new RUTF factory is completed. MFK also develops products for other nutritionally vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, school children, and infants, Frapwell said. RUTF has potential for other developing countries, where, unlike in the United States, peanut allergies are not a problem, she said. For more information, see http://www.mfkhaiti.org.
Kari Hartel, a registered dietitian with Operation Food Search, told us that more than 135,000 children in the greater St. Louis area lack adequate nutritious food. When kids are hungry, she said, they have problems learning, cannot concentrate, and have behavior problems. In St. Louis public schools, 85 percent of the students rely on free or reduced-cost meals. To ensure they have food over the weekend, Operation Food Search (through its Operation Backpack program) distributes backpacks filled with easy-to-prepare foods on Friday. On Monday, students return the empty backpacks and the cycle continues, Hartel explained.
Operation Food Search also runs Cooking Matters classes, a food education program offered in 27 states. Adults and children attend the 6-week courses, which are held in schools, churches, etc. Volunteers help the Operation Food Search staff teach the 2-hour classes, which are geared to show how to have nutritious meals on a limited budget and give participants the opportunity to actively cook meals. Hartel suggested how people can help solve hunger: volunteer with Cooking Matters or a food pantry or bank; donate food; be active in a local food policy council; advocate. To learn more, visit the following websites:
Food Research and Action Center, www.frac.org Bread for the World, www.bread.org Operation Food Search, www.operationfoodsearch.org.
February 9, 2012
Strategies for Eliminating Poverty
Speaker: Michael Sherraden, PhD, Youngdahl Professor of Social Development and Director of the Center for Social Development at Washington University
Speaker Michael Sherraden, PhD, impressed the audience with his report of research that offers hope for alleviating poverty by helping low-income families build assets. In 40 states and other countries, his Center for Social Development is studying ways to help the poor save for a home, education, or starting a business. Sherraden, who is founding director of the Center for Social Development at Washington University's Brown School of Social Work, explained that U.S. benefit policies, because they limited how much money families can have to qualify for aid, have not helped the poor climb out of poverty.
Sherraden explained that, historically, more affluent people have been helped by policies and structures (e.g., retirement accounts, tax deductions for a mortgage) that help them manage their money. The programs that the center is studying provide structures that can especially help people in poverty. One promising program is individual development accounts (IDAs), savings programs that match the contributions the recipients make to their accounts.
Sherraden pointed to Singapore as a model of a country that has a successful asset-accumulation program for all its citizens. He warned that millions of American workers face a world in which it is increasingly difficult to compete. The number of skilled workers has grown in the past decade from a half billion to 2 to 3 billion, he said, and more of the total income across the world comes from capital, not labor.
In this environment, the question the U.S. must answer, he said, is: How can people have a stable life and provide education for their children so they can do the best possible? As part of the answer, the center has been testing children's accounts that would be used for education.
In a lively question-answer discussion, audience members expressed hope that the center's research will result in the creation of policies and programs that address the income disparities between various groups so that all people have the resources they need to succeed in a healthy society.
January 12, 2012
A Powerful Voice for a Child in Foster Care - This program was cancelled due to weather. It will be rescheduled later in the year.
December 8, 2011
A Visit To Shalom House
1040 S. Taylor Ave., Central West End
5:30 p.m.
On a cold December evening, 27 members of Women's Voices went to the central west end to bring dinner and gift bags to 25 women in the emergency shelter program at Shalom House. Shalom House is the only 24-hour full service emergency shelter for chronically homeless women with mental illness and chemical dependency in the city of St. Louis.
Women's Voices President Mary Clemons wrote the following recap of our visit:
After having a good night's sleep in a comfortable bed in a quiet, well heated house, I woke up thinking about the women of Shalom House. They too slept last night in a warm bed with a colorful comforter and are on the path to having places of their own.
Thank you to the team that organized the event last night. It was wonderful to have an opportunity to work together with fellow Women's Voices members and friends. We had a chance to get to know each other better and see how industrious we are and how caring. The extras provided by some of our members - the gift bags prepared by Piera and presented in a twinkling Christmas lighted basket, the bags of fruit prepared by Joyce Clark and the wonderful idea of wrapping a pair of earrings to be included in the bags prepared by our organizers helped make the evening truly special. I overheard the resident who received the raffle Chanel #5 bubble bath tell another resident she was going to put a bit of it on her washcloth that evening and go to bed smelling wonderful.
Our dinner was spectacular and enjoyed by the shelter women. It was especially nice to see all the home prepared special dishes - from spinach salad and Ruth Ann's delicious wild rice and walnut salad, homemade brownies and homemade chocolate covered mints! There could not have been a better pot luck.
Marcy Bursac, Development Director of Shalom House, could have come to the Ethical Society and presented a program on the work they are doing, but that would not have given us the complete picture of their work. In addition to learning some statistics - that the 25 shelter residents can only stay 90 days, that the 12 transitional residents stay as long as needed (even years) until they are safely in a place of their own, and of the amazing 97% who remain in their own places two years after they leave - we saw the facility, how the women have to cooperate in using bathing facilities, and live in close proximity to their neighbor. We saw how structured the program is and how the staff interacts with the residents.
And, finally, sitting around the conference table, asking questions, and then hearing the story of the program graduate would not have been nearly as effective in our rented meeting room. The graduate's story of her life before Shalom house, her appreciation for the help she received, and of her life now was powerful. Sitting together with her while she interacted with us was truly special. And the interruption by her phone call from her six year old grandson did not distract from the moment but showed us how far she has come in her journey.
I will treasure the visit we had and think of these women who are so appreciative of the gifts they receive - the gifts we gave, the gifts of caring counselors, the gifts of warm beds.
Our visit to Shalom House was very powerful for our members. Here are some responses from a few of them about the evening....
"Wow! What a powerful event last night at Shalom House! ... A lot of work and caring thoughts went into the evening. It was a privilege to meet and talk with so many of the women at the shelter and to hear Linda's testimonial of her personal journey."
"One of the women that I spoke with was so grateful for the medical and dental care that is provided to the residents. She said that she worked for Walmart for 13 years and could never afford to see a dentist. While at Shalom House, they have seen that all her dental problems have been taken care of. .... She said that Shalom House was wonderful and urged us to support them."
"I didn't really know what to expect when I arrived at Shalom House last night. In fact, I was running late and arrived right as the program was beginning. I tossed my coat in the coat area and joined a big circle of women (including our own WV members) who were introducing themselves. As I looked around I could see the care that went into the dinner we provided and I could also see wary smiles on many faces around the circle. I was lucky. The first woman that I sat down with was interesting, fun, and very willing to share with me about her dreams, ideas, and plans for her future. She looked to be about 20, but was actually 44, and had 3 grown children. She was hoping to go to college and become a social worker. And my "luck" continued all throughout dinner. EACH one of the women I spoke with had their special story to share. One woman loved all of her food related jobs she'd had over the years, another spoke of her love of doing research. At one point I looked across the table and saw women enjoying the gifts they received from us, smelling their lovely bath products, and preening over "new" earrings. The tour and talk portion of the evening was equally interesting and it was very evident to me that this was a program that truly operated with the principles of respect and care for all and that they are successful at changing lives. As the evening came to a close, I left with the feeling of having given far less than I had received."
"Each bag I fixed had a snowflake ornament attached. As we toured the sleeping area, a snowflake hung on a otherwise empty bulletin board. I got a little choked up when I saw it, but cannot help but think how "empty" that woman's life must be that a single snowflake and the evening meal that went with it certainly was a little light her day."
"Just think, 20 of the 25 residents are on psych drugs. If not in this wonderful housing system that provides structure to lives and psych meds on time as per MD orders, the women would be running up hospital tabs like crazy."
November 10, 2011
Help For The Homeless in St. Louis
Speaker: Rosemary Terranova, director of St. Louis County Family and Community Services; Lowry Finley, manager of Veterans and Homeless Programs, St. Louis County
Homelessness has a new face in recent years-families. At our monthly meeting on November 10, Rosemary Terranova, director of Family and Community Services in St. Louis County, put today's homeless problem in context. When homelessness became a huge problem in the 1980s, due to many factors, including drastic cuts to funding for public housing and mental health care under President Reagan, women and children swelled the ranks of those who were visibly homeless in St. Louis, she explained.
Lowry Finley-Jackson, manager of St. Louis County's Veterans and Homeless Programs, said the county's response system is built around a network of agencies that provide prevention services, emergency shelters, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing for people with disabilities, and support services. But the system is unable to meet the need. In 2010, for example, only 2,248 out of 5,600 requests for shelter were filled.
How can this problem be solved? Responding to this question from the audience, Terranova said it can only be solved by prevention that addresses the many factors that cause homelessness such as lack of education and early pregnancy. She also emphasized that federal stimulus money has provided vital funds to address prevention.
October 13, 2011
Health Insurance Exchanges Offer Lower Costs, Clear Choices
Speakers:
Dr. Sidney Watson, attorney and specialist in health care law and health care access for the poor
John M. Huff, Director, State of Missouri Department of Insurance
Amy Smoucha, Health Care Organizer, Jobs With Justice
Health insurance exchanges are a crucial component of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Obama in March 2010, yet few people understand what they are and how they can work. Three speakers demystified exchanges at our general meeting on October 13.
John Huff, director, Missouri Department of Insurance, explained that the law requires that states must establish exchanges through which individuals and businesses can purchase health insurance by Jan. 1, 2014. This is especially important for Missouri because a handful of insurance companies control the individual and small businesses markets, so competition among plans is very limited. If Missouri does not meet the 2014 deadline, a default federal exchange program will go into effect in the state. In the last legislative session, a bill to establish exchanges died in the Missouri Senate. The Senate is currently holding hearings, and Huff said it is still not certain that the legislature will pass a law in 2012. He said his department is laying groundwork for a process to establish eligibility. Information technology to integrate various state insurance programs such as Medicaid and high-risk must be set up.
Sidney Watson, professor of law, Center for Health Law Studies, St. Louis University, emphasized the need for health insurance reform through the Affordable Care Act. Health insurance companies have posted record profits in the first quarter of 2011, she said, with many devoting 40 percent to 50 percent of an individual's premium to profit and overhead.
In Massachusetts, which has exchanges, Watson said the benefits to the state are impressive: 98 percent of residents are insured and the state is paying less than before the reforms. Purchasers choose from among Bronze, Silver, and Gold plans, but all plans must cover certain minimum benefits, which makes it possible for consumers to easily "compare apples to apples" when choosing a plan. In Missouri, it is impossible to decipher how plans' coverage compares. Also Missouri is one of only eight states without rate review, whereas the Massachusetts insurance commission has the authority to approve rate increases. Not only is there no Missouri rate review process, but also the insurance commission cannot even collect data on rates. In many other states, insurance companies must file their rates and the commission can compare them. The inability to access rate information makes it difficult for Huff's department to compare Missouri insurance coverage with that in Massachusetts and other states.
Missouri lawmakers want fewer controls on insurance companies and have stalled voting on the health insurance exchanges to obstruct anything President Obama proposes, said Amy Smoucha, statewide healthcare organizer, Jobs with Justice. She said her organization's goal is to stop health care costs from reducing the standard of living of working people. Health care costs are barriers to building communities because if people are not healthy they can't take care of their families, she said. She urged the audience to sign up with Missouri Health Care for All to receive emails and be active. She warned that public consensus about needed reforms must be built in the face of political threats to the new law.
In the lively question-answer session, Beverly White asked about the high salaries for health care CEOs. Huff said that under the Affordable Care Act, 80 percent of premiums must be spent on medical care and only 20 percent for overhead and CEO profits. An audience member currently facing a premium of more than $17,000 asked about how the law will specifically make health insurance affordable. Watson said that in 2014 "you won't pay more than 9.5 percent of your income" for insurance. Smoucha added that there will still be copays and deductibles, but also more protections. She said we need aggressive health care regulation because insurance companies have proven they don't care about health care for all.
Photo Project Documents North St. Louis History, People, and Progress
Speakers: Kim K. Lenz, Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church; Dayna Kriz, Rebuild Foundation; Andrew Raimist, Architect/Photographer/Educator
After sponsoring an eye-opening bus tour of North St. Louis three years ago, Women's Voices sought a project to help the courageous residents, schools, and businesses that are working hard to rebuild their community. Fortuitously, Barbara Finch read an article about a new photo project at Most Holy Trinity Catholic School and Academy in Hyde Park. She contacted Kim Lenz, the school's development director, to see if Women's Voices could help. As a result, Women's Voices was able to help publicize the project, which was the subject of our fall kick-off meeting on September 8. Our three speakers were closely involved with the project.
The project was a collaboration between Most Holy Trinity and the Rebuild Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that focuses on cultural and economic redevelopment in under-resourced communities. Eighteen students ages 11 to 14 participated in the photo project. "It taught the students to appreciate the buildings and history of their neighborhood," Lenz, explained. "It opened the world to them."
Dayna Kriz, artist-in-residence and community development organizer with the Rebuild Foundation and its Urban Expressions outreach program, showed interesting slides of Hyde Park buildings that have been rehabbed through Rebuild Foundation, which brings in artists, photographers, city planners, and anyone interested in neighborhood development to work together on adaptive reuse of properties it has purchased.
The artist who guided the photo project, Andrew Raimist, taught the students the basics of using a digital camera: capturing images and then editing, printing, and publishing them. He walked the neighborhood with the students and urged them to photograph whatever interested them. "I told them, Photograph what you would like others to see, what you think is important about your neighborhood. They learned that photography is serious, more than just taking photos with your phone," he said.
The students' wonderful photos are currently being exhibited at Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, 2700 North 14th Street, St. Louis, 63106. A book of the photos is available for purchase (see below). All profits will go to the Rebuild Foundation.
The project was supported by the Incarnate Word, Lutheran, Trio, and St. Louis Mental Health foundations.
For More Information On:
Rebuild Foundation founder, Chicago artist and urban planner Theaster Gates: www.theastergates.com.
Andrew Raimist and the photo project, as well as how to purchase the photo book: www.andrewraimist.com.
Old North St. Louis Restoration Group: www.onsl.org
Most Holy Trinity Catholic School and Academy and also its volunteer opportunities: www.holytrinitystl.org
May 12, 2011
The Women's Voices Tee Party
Annual Meeting, Election of Officers, and Entertainment Extraordinaire
Dozens of members of Women's Voices and their guests gathered to celebrate six successful years of education and advocacy at the group's annual meeting on Thursday, May 12. The event, held at The Commons on the campus of Eden Seminary in Webster Groves, included a variety of appetizers, wine, and desserts.
During the business meeting, President Joanne Kelly-Good distributed the annual report and noted some of the accomplishments of the group during the past year. Treasurer Mary Clemons gave the financial report and members voted to approve the budget for the coming fiscal year.
Elected to serve as officers for the coming year were: Mary Clemons, president; Barbara Richter, vice president; Judy Arnold, secretary, and Linda Carey, treasurer. Elected to serve on the Board were Jeanne Bubb, Barbara Finch, Susan Hayman and Helen Houlle.
Entertainment after the meeting was provided by Ed Reggi and the Paper Slip Theater.
April 14, 2011
Start Someplace...End Someplace Else
Speaker: Arthur H. Lieber - Educator, Author, Reluctant Politician
A variety of progressive ideas to improve our state and federal political processes were put on the table at the Women's Voices meeting on Thursday, April 14. Speaker was Arthur H. Lieber, educator, author, and self-described "unlikely candidate." Lieber, who had no political experience, ran for Congress in Missouri's second congressional district in 2010 after no one filed to challenge the conservative incumbent. Lieber lost the election, but gained a great deal of insight into the political process during his run.
"Money in politics has gotten completely out of hand, and an excessive portion of that money goes into negative advertising, which appeals to our baser instincts, " he said. Lieber refused to solicit or accept contributions during his campaign, which was totally self-funded for less than $50,000. "Candidates can't run on zero, but there has to be a better way than our current method of constant, round-the-clock fundraising. Money should be used to elevate the conversation," he said.
In addition to elevating political discourse, Lieber, one of the founders of the Crossroads School in St. Louis, is passionate about progressive education. "We should be educating our children to be more in tune with social justice issues," he said. "There is too much emphasis on testing today. There is too much pressure on kids to conform and compete."
Lieber believes in the need for more civil discourse in all walks of life, the importance of "out-of-the-box" thinking and solutions, and the need for reporters to ask appropriate questions and follow up. He also called for a foreign policy based upon humanitarian values, an economic policy based upon the idea that debt should be an investment, and re-structuring and simplifying government at all levels.
Lieber's book, "An Unlikely Candidate: Reflections on My Run for Congress," reveals the inside story of his unconventional campaign, shares the lessons he learned about contemporary electoral politics, and suggests ways to fix our broken political system.
March 10, 2011
They Divided, No One Conquered. Did We All Lose?
Speakers:
E. Terrence Jones, PhD, professor of political science, UMSL
Kathleen Sullivan Brown, PhD, associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies at UMSL
Michael Jones, St. Louis County Government senior policy advisor
Jeff Rainford, chief of staff to St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay
Maria Chappelle-Nadal, Missouri State Senator, District 14
Nearly 100 people filled the Assembly Hall at the Ethical Society on Thursday, March 10, for a lively discussion about the future of St. Louis city and St. Louis county. Participants on the panel titled "They Divided, No One Conquered: Did We All Lose?" included Terry Jones, PhD, professor of political science at UMSL; Kathleen Sullivan Brown, PhD, UMSL professor and a member of the planning committee for St. Louis: A World-Class City; Jeff Rainford, chief of staff for St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay; Mike Jones, senior policy advisor to County Executive Charlie Dooley, and State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal, who represents North St. Louis County.
"The city separated from St. Louis County in 1876, and it didn't take too long for leaders to realize that they made a big mistake by making the boundary of the city too small," Terry Jones said. He outlined several attempts that took place between 1925 and 1984 to merge the two entities. All of them failed, for different reasons. "The city and county have been 'dating' for a long time, with various cooperative relationships like the zoo-museum district and the regional arts commission. But all previous attempts at 'marriage' have been unsuccessful," he said.
That may be because there was little grassroots involvement in previous efforts, Sullivan Brown said. Organizers of St. Louis: A World-Class City believe that the city should re-enter the county as the 92nd municipality. That would move St. Louis from its current ranking as the 52nd largest city in the country to the seventh.
"We are tired of being told that we are the most racist city or the most dangerous city in the country" Sullivan Brown said. "If the city became a part of the county, our entire geographical area of three million people would be included. Peoples' perception would be changed. It would enable us to take greater control of our identity. After all, we are all St. Louisans."
Members of St. Louis: A World-Class City are aiming for the city to re-enter the county by 2014, which will be the 250th anniversary of the city.
Rainford, acknowledging the recent census figures that showed that both the city and county lost population during the previous 10 years, described the area as "a region of fiefdoms." "Change has to happen," he said. "It's very wasteful to live this way. Younger people want to live more densely. The big question will be who is in charge. Any change will have to be a mutual benefit for both city and county taxpayers."
Mike Jones cited the reality of the global economy in his contention that we do not have a government structure to be able to compete in the 21st century. "The city re-entering the county is a threshold issue, and while it may be a good first step, it's not the answer," he said. "We have the wrong strategy for today's environment."
Sen. Chappelle-Nadal introduced Senate Joint Resolution 19 in late February. This calls for a proposed constitutional amendment which, if approved by Missouri voters, would make St. Louis city a part of St. Louis county. "I'm looking at this as a consumer and an economic development issue," she said. "This is a very controversial issue. But we have to be as efficient as possible in order to compete in today's world."
Reporters from KMOX radio, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the St. Louis Beacon covered this meeting. Read the Beacon's coverage here.
February 10, 2011
A Path to Poverty: The Shame of Predatory Lending in Missouri
Speakers:
Rob Swearingen, consumer affairs attorney, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
Robin Acree, executive director, Grassroots Organizing, Mexico, MO
Fenny Dorsey, organizer, Grassroots Organizing
Rory Ellinger, state representative
More than 60 members of Women's Voices and their guests turned out on a frigid February evening for an eye-opening program on payday loans.
"We don't have any usury laws in Missouri, and our consumer protection laws are completely inadequate," according to Rob Swearingen, an attorney with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri. "There were 2.4 million payday loans made in Missouri last year. The average loan amount was $307, and the average annual percentage rate was 445 percent."
The typical payday loan borrower is someone on Social Security or disability who runs into a financial problem. Desperate to pay off an immediate bill, the borrower gets a quick payday loan, but is then unable to pay off that debt. This begins an increasing spiral of expense, as borrowers renew their loans, adding more interest and fees, and then go to other payday loan shops to get new loans to pay off the old ones.
"Payday loans are inherently coercive, and as their debts increase people are frequently threatened with criminal prosecution," Swearingen said. "Collection abuses are rampant, and that's one reason why we really need reform."
Fenny Dorsey gave a moving account of her experiences with payday lenders and the fear and frustration she has experienced with them. "Education is the key to avoiding the kind of situation I found myself in," she said. "People who patronize these places don't know what they are getting into."
Robin Acree, executive director of Grassroots Organizing, spoke about the efforts of her group, both in public education for consumers and advocacy throughout the state in an effort to strengthen consumer protection laws. "The political will is not out there to protect us any more," she said. "And St. Louis should be ashamed, because payday loan shops are becoming increasingly common in low-income and minority areas of the city and county."
Acree urged members of the audience to educate themselves about the issues, expose what is going on, and, if legislators don't act to rein in lenders, work to get an initiative petition on the ballot.
State Rep. Rory Ellinger spoke about one bill that was filed in the Missouri House that would cap the APR charged by payday lenders at 36 percent. This is the second year the bill has been filed, Ellinger said. Last year it received a brief hearing, but only payday loan advocates were permitted to testify.
January 13, 2011
Take Up The Song; Forget The Epitaph
Speaker: Pam Sumners, Esq. - Executive Director of NARAL-Pro-Choice Missouri
The words "Take up the song; forget the epitaph" were written by poet and social activist Edna St. Vincent Millay for the dedication of a suffragist monument. As executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri, Pamela Sumners relies on these words, although the song is pretty mournful these days. Consider:
The new speaker of the House of Representatives opposes abortion in all cases and wants to make abortion coverage impossible to buy in the new health care system---even when a woman pays with her own funds
For the first time, pro-choice numbers have dipped below 40 seats in the Missouri House
Only four of 34 Missouri state senators are pro-choice
Only two states in the union have enacted more restrictions on abortion than Missouri
No matter what your personal feeling about abortion are, it is legal. Women's Voices has taken a position as a pro-choice organization and has endorsed and supported pro-choice activities since the organization was founded. Pamela Sumners firmly believes that only women and their doctors should make decisions about abortion, but we have a political process that will only give women their full share if we stand up, speak out, and make our politicians do it. We must "take up the song."
Pamela Sumners is a constitutional and civil rights attorney whose practice has included nine Supreme Court cases. She is also the author of an employment-discrimination textbook. She received her BA from Stephens College in Columbia, MO, with dual majors in political science and English literature/creative writing. She received her MA in political science from Syracuse University as a Maxwell fellow and Harry S. Truman Scholar, and her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she served on the editorial board of the Virginia Law Review.
A native of Alabama, Sumners was a staff attorney for the Morris Dees' Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery and a cooperating attorney for the ACLU of Alabama on its internationally noted religion cases. She litigated a school-prayer case that went to the Supreme Court three times, in which the governor claimed that the Bill of Rights did not apply to Alabama. Other cases involved the religious rights of the only four Jewish children in a rural Alabama school district, and cases challenging the right of a judge to hang a Ten Commandments plaque behind his bench.
Sumners served as staff counsel and director of the ACLU AIDS and Civil Liberties Project in Chicago before coming to NARAL Pro-choice Missouri in 2005. During her tenure NARAL's board and budget have tripled and the organization has focused on grooming young pro-choice men and women for leadership in pro-choice causes.
Read the full text of Ms. Sumner's address here.
December 9, 2010
Party with a Purpose - Pagedale Family Support Center
Two dozen members of Women's Voices and their guests enjoyed a "Party with a Purpose" at the Pagedale Family Support Center on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010.
Children enrolled in the after-school program at the Center entertained us with a lively rendition of "Harambe," and enjoyed ice cream and cookies before WV member Dee Ban entertained them with holiday songs accompanied by her autoharp.
Members completed 24 overflowing welcome baskets that will be given to new rental clients of Beyond Housing this winter. After enjoying wine and snacks provided by members of the WV Board, partygoers participated in a sing-along of holiday carols and songs of social justice.
Brittany Hogan, the social service coordinator for Beyond Housing, sent us the following note:
Thank you so much for the baskets! I went by Pagedale today and looked at them--they are wonderful! Our residents are going to love them and I am so grateful that you all put so much effort into making such lovely baskets. I also heard the after-school children LOVED the mini-Christmas party they had with you all yesterday!
It was an honor to be able to make this unique contribution to a wonderful St. Louis organization!
November 11, 2010
Rolling On The River: an Inside Look at Life in St. Louis for People with Disabilities
Life for people with disabilities has improved markedly during the past 20 years, since passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act. However, more still remains to be done to increase awareness of disability issues and improve access for individuals with disabilities.
This was the message of four accomplished women who represent Paraquad, the St. Louis organization that, since 1970, has helped empower people with disabilities to live with self-determination through choice and opportunity.
Kate Bruggemann, director of development for Paraquad, described the background of the organization and its philosophy of independent living. "We provide services for people with all types of disabilities, both physical and mental," she said. "We believe that disabled people should have equal opportunities and maintain control over their own lives."
Kim Barge, staff attorney for Paraquad, talked about her work to educate, advocate and ensure enforcement of the ADA and other disability laws. "The area of employment discrimination is where people with disabilities have suffered the most," Barge said. She also works with state and local officials on issues of public transportation and public accommodation.
Kirsten Dunham, Paraquad's associate director of public policy, described how Missouri's laws affect people with disabilities in many areas, including independent living, transportation, and voting. She highlighted how the 2005 cuts in the state Medicaid program affected the disability community and emphasized the need to protect the recently-enacted health care reform policies. "Insurers can still discriminate against people with disabilities, and they do," she said. "Our biggest challenge at the state level right now is to fight against further cuts in the Medicaid program and protect what we have."
Kerri Morgan, an engaging and inspiring young woman who has been in a wheelchair since she was one year old, described some of the challenges she faces and some of the obstacles she has overcome in her efforts to live independently. Morgan is an occupational therapist who is working on her PhD at Washington University. She is an accomplished wheelchair athlete who competed in the ParaOlympic games in China last year. She also is involved in researching cutting-edge assistive technology devices.
A lively question-and-answer session followed the program, proving once again that members of Women's Voices understand that issues faced by the disability community are issues of social justice.
October 14, 2010
Where The Money Comes From, Where The Money Goes
Speaker: Ruth Ehresman, MSW, director of Health and Budgetary Policy, Missouri Budget Project
There has been a significant decline in revenue in the state of Missouri during the past 10 years, according to Ruth Ehresman, director of health and budgetary policy for the Missouri Budget Project. The national recession and record high levels of unemployment have caused budget shortfalls in almost every state. The situation in Missouri is exacerbated by repeated tax cuts, the widespread use of tax credits, the reliance on one-time funds, such as stimulus money, and outmoded tax policy and administrative practices.
The response of the Missouri legislature has been to make deep and repeated cuts to the general revenue budget. Cuts have affected health and social services, transportation, education, and other crucial services that Missourians depend on.
"We can't have a thoughtful discussion about the budget without a thoughtful discussion about revenue and taxes that make up the budget," Ehresman said.
As dismal as the situation is, there is hope because there are things that can be done, she emphasized. Steps that could be taken to increase revenue for Missouri include:
Close the corporate tax loopholes that enable some corporations to avoid paying Missouri taxes
Collect taxes on internet and catalog sales
Increase the cigarette tax (at 17 cents per pack, Missouri's cigarette tax is the lowest in the nation
Stop giving businesses a discount for filing sales and withholding taxes on time
Modernize the state's personal income tax structure, which was last updated in 1931
"We need a groundswell of grassroots support to come up with common-sense solutions to these problems," Ehresman said. "A good tax structure should be progressive, equitable, flexible, diverse, and adequate to fund the things we know are important for our values and priorities."
September 9, 2010
Way Beyond Housing
Speaker: Chris Krehmeyer, President and CEO of Beyond Housing
Members of Women's Voices kicked off their sixth year of educational programming on Thursday, Sept. 9, 7 p.m. at the Ethical Society of St. Louis when Chris Krehmeyer joined us to describe how his organization is tackling some of the most pressing social justice problems in our society.
Beyond Housing, established in 1980, is one of the leading providers of housing and support services for low-income families and homeowners in the St. Louis area. The mission of the organization is to strengthen neighborhoods, one family at a time. It does this by providing affordable housing and homeownership services, providing support services to families, children and seniors, being a catalyst for community-wide rebuilding efforts, empowering residents to be leaders in their own neighborhood revitalization efforts, and promoting individual and community asset-building.
Krehmeyer and his associates understand that it's not enough to simply provide people with four walls and a roof over their heads (although that's important!) Beyond Housing is the only organization in the St. Louis region that offers access to affordable housing along with a comprehensive array of educational, employment, youth development and other support services.
"Wherever we work, our goal is to help transform people, families and communities, so that they achieve the skills, strategies, resources and commitment to succeed for the long-term," Krehmeyer says. Beyond Housing is currently working on a number of commercial properties in Pagedale and residential properties in Hillsdale.
Chris Krehmeyer is a compelling and knowledgeable speaker who has been honored for his work on the local, state and national level.
May 13, 2010 - Annual Meeting
Social Justice Issues From a Grassroots Perspective: How Sustainable Urban Gardens and Farming Affect Change
Speaker: Gwenne Hayes-Stewart, Executive Director of Gateway Greening
Gateway Greening is an organization promoting urban neighborhood vitality and stability, healthy living and quality of life through a variety of community programs. Ms. Hayes-Stewart's presentation focused on Gateway Greening's three core programs: community gardening (access to healthy affordable locally grown food), school/youth programs (access to nutrition literacy and healthy food) and City Seeds Urban Farm (access to economic justice through jobs training for the underserved).
Gateway Greening and Women's Voices share interest in several issues: adequate health insurance, quality public education, conservation and energy policies, and racism. Interestingly, the gardens have been found to have an effect on racism. This finding is based on a University of Illinois study of Gateway Greening community gardens and gardeners' interaction with those from different races and by extension, the interaction of their families.
For the last 13 years, Ms. Hayes-Stewart has served as the executive director of Gateway Greening, the non-profit community gardening organization in St. Louis. During her tenure, the organization developed from a small non-profit serving a few hundred people working in 30 community gardens into one serving over 2,800 people working in more than 170 community gardens, neighborhood greening projects, and citizen-managed open spaces. She is a Master Gardener who founded the Great Perennial Divide in 1998. Ms Hayes-Stewart has received national recognition for her work.
April 8, 2010
The Link Between Child Well-Being and Community and Economic Development in the St. Louis Region
Speaker: Richard Patton, Director of Vision for Children at Risk
At our April general meeting, Richard Patton, director of the Vision for Children at Risk (VCR), described the nonprofit organization's mission. VCR works to ensure that the essential life needs of all children in the St. Louis region are met by producing data and information about children's needs, including the comprehensive report Children of Metropolitan St. Louis, which is published every two years.
St. Louis Metropolitan Children's Agenda. VCR facilitates the St. Louis Metropolitan Children's Agenda, a collaboration of some 300 children's agencies that design and implement programs and services to meet at-risk children's needs. The Children's Agenda addresses six basic needs of children: family support, early childhood development, maternal and child health, quality education, youth development, and safe, strong communities. (See the website www.visionforchildren.org for specific strategies and agencies for each of these areas.)
Community Benefits. VCR focuses on demonstrating that investing in children promotes community and economic development. VCR, he said, presents data to business and government officials showing that providing for developmental needs of children results in higher academic achievement, which leads to increased earnings and, consequently, larger tax revenues. An educated workforce, more than tax breaks, is key to attracting businesses to the area, he said. Other benefits to the community are lower expenditures for health care, law enforcement, and social services.
Ways to Invest in Children. Patton recommends actions to make children a priority as part of strategic approach to solve problems permanently, rather than relying on the provision of services as the predominant reaction to the overwhelming problems of children living in poverty:
Increase public awareness.
Engage top civic leaders.
Emulate other cities' successful approaches.
Employ economic development strategies that focus on children/promoting human capital.
Establish child- and family-friendly workplaces.
More Information. For more information on Missouri children's needs, see the report Kids Count in Missouri 2009 Data Book: The State of Our State's Children, Citizens for Missouri's Children, publisher. Full data set available at www.oseda.missouri.edu/kidscount.
March 11, 2010
Making Amends: The Missouri Restorative Justice Initiative
Speaker: Nina Balsam, J.D., Administrator of the Missouri Restorative Justice Coalition
It is well-known that our current criminal justice system, which primarily metes out punishment, is failing badly. Prisons are badly overcrowded and recidivism rates are extremely high. A different approach to justice-that is, restorative justice-is badly needed, said attorney Nina Balsam, administrator of the Missouri Restorative Justice Coalition, at our March meeting. Restorative justice is a guiding set of principles that focuses on identifying harm done to victims, healing the harm, and holding the offender accountable. These principles are put into practice through a variety of practices, including victim/offender dialogue, family group conferencing, community accountability boards, circle sentencing, and victim impact panels. Balsam said restorative justice meets needs that are not met in the traditional system:
The community has the opportunity to repair the damage done by the criminal act. Community service is often part of the healing of the community.
Offenders experience accountability and, often for the first time, recognize the harm done to their victims.
Victims receive information about the crime, feel empowered, and receive restitution.
Balsam enumerated documented successful outcomes of restorative justice:
Victims are much more satisfied; offenders are less likely to reoffend; and community members feel safer and more satisfied with the criminal justice system.
Restorative justice is used all over the world; and in Missouri, which has the eighth highest imprisonment rate in the United States, in several courts and community justice centers. To learn more about what is being done in Missouri, check out the website of the Missouri Restorative Justice Coalition. The website also has information for those interested in membership in the coalition.
February 11, 2010
Improving Urban Education
Speaker: Henry S. Webber, Executive Vice-Chancellor for Administration and Senior Lecturer,
Washington University
Fewer than half of big-city students graduate from high school and only 9 percent graduate from college.These rates are an improvement over the past, so why is this important? And what's going on with charter schools, which seem to be riddled with problems? These questions were among the many discussed at the February general meeting. Henry Webber, executive vice chancellor for administration at Washington University, explained current problems and possible solutions in urban education. Webber, who helped establish the Urban Education Initiative at the University of Chicago, shared his broad experience with an audience that included many present and former teachers, as well as people concerned about schools' role in urban development.
Calling low graduation rates "a moral disaster," Webber said that in today's economy it is no longer possible for non-graduates to make a good living. The jobs that did not require high-level cognitive skills have largely disappeared.
In the early 1980s, America began to focus on the need to improve education, and waves of reform have included collecting data; increasing teachers' pay and reducing class sizes; changing organizational structure, the most dominant trend being mayoral control of school systems (as in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles); recruiting teachers in nontraditional ways (e.g., from other professions); and using technology to improve teaching techniques. School districts have made some progress, but "the problem has been more difficult than we thought it was," Webber said.
He described some promising approaches in education reform:
More early childhood education. The returns are enormous, but it is very expensive.
Harlem Children's Zone model. In this approach, children receive comprehensive, intensive services. The educational gains have been "astonishing," Webber said, and President Obama has established a program to fund similar models in other communities.
Knowledge Is Power (KIP) and KIP-type programs. These charter school networks, which emphasize college and provide long school days and years, have been successful in getting students to graduate from high school and enter college.
Webber explained that the St. Louis school district has been unsuccessful for several reasons, including an unstable school board and a large number of students who attend private schools. He is hopeful that the state takeover of the district will provide needed stability. In St. Louis, charter schools (attended by about 25 percent of students) are generally weak. Webber said charter school sponsors are not held accountable and no process of regular review exists.
Webber ended his presentation with a comment that elicited wide agreement: The short school day and year have no relation to our economy today, where most families have working parents. "This has powerful effects on earnings differences by race and class," he said. He added that American students are lagging behind students in other countries where children spend much more time in school.
January 14, 2010
Sustainable Urban Living - The North St. Louis Case Study
Speakers:
Peter W. Salsich, Jr., J.D. St. Louis University, McDonnell Professor of Justice in American Society, School of Law and Professor in the Department of Public Policy Studies in the College of Education and Public Service
Sean Thomas, Executive Director, Old North St. Louis Restoration Group
Sustainable living. Various definitions of sustainable living include factors such as housing, jobs, transportation, education, and environmental protection, Salsich said. Lack of collaboration among the races has inhibited progress in sustainable living in St. Louis. He also pointed to the complexity of the region--encompassing 2 states, 16 counties, and more than 200 local governments-as a deterrent to adequate planning for sustainable communities.
Old North St. Louis. Sean Thomas demonstrated how a model for sustainable living is being established in Old North St. Louis, a specific neighborhood, which was founded as a village near downtown St. Louis almost 200 years ago. The 29-year-old Old North St. Louis Restoration Group (ONSLRG) provides opportunities for the diverse population of the area to come together and discuss issues. A coordinating agency to provide such services is a key requirement for effectively restoring a community, Thomas said. He showed slides of rehabbed homes and new developments that provide affordable housing for people of various income levels in Old North. He invited everyone to visit the ONSLRG office, where a library and exhibit show what is going on there.
McKee and Old North. Speaking about developer Paul McKee's plans for a major development adjoining Old North, Dr. Salsich said he hopes the project succeeds, but expressed concern about the secrecy with which it began. In a question-answer session, the speakers deplored the lack of communication among various parties in the city. Thomas said residents of Old North do not know how soon McKee's plan will be implemented and how it will affect their homes and neighborhood. Salsich said, "It would be ideal of McKee and Old North could be partners."
Learn More: Caught in the Middle: America's Heartland in the Age of Globalism by Richard Longworth; Mapping Decline: St. Louis and the Fate of the American City by Colin Gordon; Green Living: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less Are the Keys to Sustainability by David Owen.
Old North St. Louis Restoration Group: http://www.onsl.org
December 10, 2009
Microfinancing in Africa: A Path to Self-Sufficiency
Speaker: Sister Toni Temporiti
At our December holiday meeting, we enjoyed great food and wine, but what made the evening so special was our speaker, Sister Toni Temporiti, CPPS, who kept us laughing (and sometimes crying) as she explained "how strong people in Africa bring themselves out of poverty with a small loan." Sister Temporiti founded Microfinancing Partners in Africa (MPA) in 2006 after realizing one day in a restaurant that the small amount she was paying for her lunch could actually lift a person in Africa out of poverty. How is this possible? A tiny, fixed-interest, no-collateral loan can make it possible for a woman to launch a business and become self-sufficient. This is the approach of MPA and its partner organization, Jamii Bora, or happy family, in Kenya. MPA raises funds to provide loans as small as 50 cents, and Jamii Bora provides health, life, and disaster insurance with every loan, as well as a variety of support services to help business owners succeed.
MPA also helps fund the Uganda Cow Project. Families are given a loan of $800 to purchase a pregnant cow after being taught how to care for it in a rigorous preparation process that includes learning sanitation practices and soil conservation methods, and planting trees and grasses to feed the cow. A cow gives 20 liters of milk a day of which the family uses two liters and sells 18. From the milk sale the family pays for expenses and puts money in the bank to pay back the loan. The cow's calf is passed on to the next family that has been trained. The bio-fuel from the cow's waste is used for cooking and lights in the house and for fertilizer for the banana trees, the main food in Uganda.
Sister Temporiti is based in St. Louis and returns to Africa every year. She showed us a delightful video featuring the people helped by MPA and Jamii Bora. She makes presentations to many groups in the United States and ensures that every dollar donated reaches the people by personally delivering donations to the organizations in Africa.
At the meeting, members and their guests opened their minds, hearts, and checkbooks and contributed more than $1,600 to the Uganda cow project. This will purchase two cows, which will provide consistent nutrition and a steady source of income to families living in extreme poverty. (View our donation certificate.) If you could not attend the meeting but you'd like to help buy a cow, contributions can be sent to: Microfinancing Partners in Africa, 4949 Columbia Ave., St. Louis, MO 63139-1013.
November 12, 2009
Bridges Across the Racial Divide: A Program That Really Works!
Speaker: Nikki Weinstein, Policy and Community Engagement Director
The St. Louis region is the most racially divided metropolitan area in the United States, said Nikki Weinstein, the speaker at the Women's Voices general monthly meeting on November 12. The area's progress to eliminate racial polarization has been limited, according to Weinstein, who said "there's a denial of need at the municipal level."
FOCUS St. Louis works to address this need in several ways. Weinstein, who is policy and community education director at FOCUS, said the organization addresses racial inequities in housing, jobs, education, and health through programs that develop leaders, influence public policy, and facilitate communication among citizens.
One program--Bridges Across Racial Polarization--brings together people of diverse races and cultures who want to form relationships. Bridges groups, which usually have about 16 people, meet regularly to discuss racial or cultural issues.
Several Bridges members attended our meeting and gave us a look at how their group, which has met monthly for six years, works. They said the group generally gets together for a potluck dinner and discusses the evening's subject after dinner. They also go to events and restaurants together.
Weinstein said each group determines its own meeting schedule and discussion topics. FOCUS provides support to groups by suggesting topics and resources, and by putting people together in compatible groups. Schools and church congregations are starting to form Bridges groups, Weinstein said. Anyone who wishes to participate in the Bridges program may contact FOCUS St. Louis at 314-622-1250 or www.focus-stl.org.
October 8, 2009
Disparities in Health Care and the Challenge of Covering Everyone
Speaker: Dr. Will Ross
Health care reform proposals provide the opportunity to address disparities in health care in the United States. This was the message of Will Ross, MD, associate dean for diversity, Washington University School of Medicine, and Amy Smoucha, community organizer, Jobs with Justice, at an informative, well-attended Women's Voices monthly meeting on October 8. They defined "disparities" as unequal health problems among various populations. For example, Dr. Ross said the infant mortality rate in Clayton is 5.4 per 1,000 live births, while in an area in North St. Louis it is 20 per 1,000.
Some reform proposals would reduce disparities through "medical homes"-- centers where people receive coordinated care and holistic treatment that emphasizes prevention, he said. The medical home concept embodies the elements required in a health system that reduces disparities: patient-centered care that is affordable, accessible, culturally sensitive, and contains costs by using treatments proven to be effective.
Because health disparities are caused by many factors (e.g., inadequate housing, poor nutrition), the medical home provides support services such as transportation, Ross explained. The Cleveland and Mayo clinics use the medical home model and have lower costs and improved outcomes, he said.
Amy Smoucha encouraged the audience to continue to contact all of their elected officials to voice support for health care reform--"even those we think support it, because they need reinforcement." In advocating health reform with officials or others, she advised us to stress that current proposals:
Continue employer-based coverage.
Strengthen Medicare and Medicaid.
Guarantee access to coverage and affordable choices through health insurance exchanges that allow small businesses and individuals not covered by Medicare, Medicaid, the Veterans Administration, or their employer to purchase coverage under fair, consistent rules.
It is not clear whether proposals will include a public insurance option in health exchanges, but, she pointed out, Medicare is a good example of such an option. The Medicare program covers everyone over age 65 and offers all beneficiaries the same benefits, cost controls, and access to providers. The public option would affect only 5 percent of the U.S. population, she noted.
Women's Voices kicked off its new season of regular meetings with former governor Bob Holden, who gave us a fascinating look at the role of the Midwest in today's economic and political environment. With his comprehensive knowledge of all the issues states are facing, he made many salient points, including:
For two decades, the Midwest has lost more jobs than any other part of the country. It's time to try something new to generate jobs. How? Connect our energy policy to manufacturing jobs--retrain workers to produce goods for the burgeoning green technologies.
Without cap-and-trade policies, we won't get societal change in energy use. We need to elect politicians who will make the tough decisions and promote progressive changes that will ensure the U.S.'s (and the Midwest's) leadership in the global economy. The U.S. is lagging behind other countries that are making huge investments in new energy technologies.
Education is the foundation for the our ability to compete in a global economy, yet the U.S. is far behind other countries in reading, math, science, and other subjects. Education reform that includes year-round school and good teacher salaries is needed.
The meeting was one of the largest we have ever had, and we were pleased to welcome many new guests. We especially appreciated Governor Holden's generosity with his time, as he fielded the enthusiastic audience's many questions.
Governor Holden invited us to attend the weekly Pizza & Politics events sponsored by the Holden Public Policy Forum at Webster University.
May 14, 2009
Annual Meeting - At Left Bank Books
Left Bank Books was closed to the public, but open for WV attendees to browse, buy books and enjoy each other's company and some light refreshments. Our annual meeting was held, including election of officers and budget approval. Then we enjoyed a short program on independent book stores, and how they're faring these days.
April 9, 2009
Children's Eternal Rainforest
Speaker: Rachel Crandell, Monteverde Conservation League
Rachel Crandell, (aka Rainforest Rachel) is a Rainforest Advocate. As president of the Monteverde Conservation League, U.S., Inc. Rachel works to support the Children's Eternal Rainforest. This project began in 1987 when Swedish school children started a worldwide effort by sending money to Monteverde, Costa Rica, to purchase rainforest and protect its priceless natural treasures forever. To date, children from 44 nations have helped The Children's Eternal Rainforest become the largest private reserve in Costa Rica - 54,000 + acres. Rachel's group is committed to protecting this biodiversity, and in preserving more rainforest.
In our April program, Rachel described efforts to save rain forests in Costa Rica and Panama. A beautiful slide show and fascinating discussion of the native peoples, as well as a spectacular display of native art, made us all want to take her eco-tour. For more information on Rachel Crandell, her eco-tours, or purchasing her books or native art, see the Monteverde Conservation League website at www.mclus.org. Or contact Rachel Crandell: 1128 Weidman Rd, Town & Country, MO 63017; 314-878-8427.
March 12, 2009
Midwestern Innocence Project
Speakers: Jay Swearingen, Tamara Morris, and Darryl Burton
The Midwestern Innocence Project is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to providing pro bono legal and investigative services to inmates with a substantial claim of innocence but who cannot afford an attorney to navigate for them the post-conviction landscape. The MIP represents a six-state region: Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa.
Darryl Burton was convicted in St. Louis in March 1985 for murdering a well-known drug dealer - a crime he didn't commit. Those of you who were unable to attend this program missed a shocking and moving look into Darryl's experience -- how he came to be imprisoned for 24 years for a murder he did not commit and how he was exonerated through his own amazing persistence.
We've all heard about such cases, but meeting a real person who has experienced the flawed American criminal justice system was incredible, as was the audience. Joining us were many people who had heard about our meeting through KWMU Radio's St. Louis on the Air or a KSDK TV interview with Jennifer Blome. One woman came because, in the Blome interview, she heard Burton name her brother as one of the men he knew in prison whom he believes are innocent. Another woman urged us to advocate for financial compensation for those who have been wrongly incarcerated. Missouri provides none. Jay Swearingen, executive director of the Midwestern Innocence Project, explained the work of the organization and revealed how easy it is for innocent people to be wrongly convicted. We should all be very angry that this can happen to any American. For more information on what we can do, visit their website at www.themip.org.
February 12, 2009
City Faces
Speaker: Bob Hansman - Artist-in-Residence and Associate Professor, School of Architecture, Washington University
Bob Hansman's moving and fascinating presentation woke us up to the challenges children in the inner city face every day, including getting enough to eat. Hansman has dedicated his life to helping children in public housing in St. Louis through his City Faces project. The project uses art to help young people learn about problem solving, cooperation, self-evaluation, and long-term planning, while discovering talents they did not know they had.
He gave an eye-witness account of the obstacles that work against disadvantaged youth attending college and achieving success in life: broken families, gangs, police brutality, and poverty. The emotional toll of Hansman's work was apparent as he showed photos he's taken of his students over many years and then juxtaposed them with newspaper articles and funeral notices that documented the loss of many promising children to the violence and crime in their environment. What motivates him to continue? "You think you're going to change these kids' lives and they change yours," he said.
Hansman adopted Jovan Hansman, now 27, when Jovan was a one of his students. Jovan now operates Faces in the Loop, on Delmar. This shop is the students' first venture into managing their own business. At the store, the students sell City Faces portraits and learn important business skills. Most important, they develop a supportive professional alternative to the negative forces that have claimed the lives and futures of many of their friends.
Their pastel works are for sale as originals or posters. You can also commission a customized portrait of yourself or someone special. You can watch a YouTube video about City Faces here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oup1AYMRnAs
Hansman's program is funded out of his own pocket and by a fundraiser hosted by his Washington University students. When asked how Women's Voices could help him, he indicated that financing the program is a continuing challenge. Women's Voices made a $150 donation to City Faces. If you would like to make a contribution, send a check payable to "Better Family Life" and enclose a note indicating that your contribution is for City Faces.
Better Family Life
Attention: Darryl Cummings
724 Union Blvd., Suite 301
St. Louis, MO 63108
For his work with City Faces, Bob has received a World of Difference Award from President Clinton's Committee on the Arts and Humanities in 1996, a Missouri Arts Award, and an award from Colin Powell's America's Promise campaign in 1999. He and Jovan were featured in a CBS Evening News with Katie Couric segment in 2007. You can watch the segment here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/10/assignment_america/main3157233.shtml
January 8, 2009
Health Care: The System We Have And The Change We Want
Speakers: Dr. Abbe Sudvarg and Dr. Sidney Watson
At the monthly Women's Voices meeting on January 8, Barbara Finch reminded Women's Voices members of the reason this organization exists: to speak for those who are unable to speak for themselves. Her statement (at the opening of this newsletter) was made in the context of a vibrant discussion on health care reform, which featured two excellent speakers: Abbe Sudvarg, MD, and Sidney Watson, JD. Abbe described the needs at Family Health Center in Holly Hills, where she is associate medical director and family physician. Half of the center's patients are uninsured, and as the economy worsens the number of uninsured is growing. Sidney, a professor at the St. Louis University School of Law Center for Health Law Studies, described current possibilities for reforming the nation's unfair and inefficient health system. We were also fortunate to have Amanda Stiebel join the meeting. She spoke about her new book Are We Feeling Better Yet? Women Speak about Health Care in America, a collection of essays by professional writers, which she coedited with Colleen McKee. The book is available at Penultimate Press in St. Louis and should soon be on the shelves of Left Bank Book Store. The book was one of four given to lucky winners of a drawing. The question-answer period was lively.
December 11, 2008
Peace and Awareness
Speaker: Kate Lovelady, Leader - Ethical Society of St. Louis
Women's Voices members and supporters are active, indeed, and are always interested in learning and engaging in social justice ventures. Our December program we focused on the need for inner peace in order to be more mindful individuals. Kate Lovelady, the leader of the Ethical Society of St. Louis, was our featured speaker. She introduced the concept of mindfulness and talked about how thoughtful reflections and focused awareness can strengthen us as individuals and as activists from the inside out.
November 13, 2008
Shopping for Justice
Once again we got a start on our holiday shopping at Plowsharing Crafts in University City - 6271 Delmar Blvd. in the U-City Loop. The store was open for WV members and guests from 6 - 9pm with light refreshments and the opportunity to support Plowingsharing Crafts in their mission of providing meaningful income to Third World Crafts People by marketing their products in St. Louis. Plowsharing Crafts works with the Ten Thousand Villages and other craft organizations that give jobs and fair pay to people that would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed.
October 9, 2008
Election 2008
Speaker: Repps Hudson
Repps Hudson, well-known St. Louis journalist who is currently teaching a class about elections at Washington University, engaged members of Women's Voices in a lively dialogue about the upcoming 2008 election at the general membership meeting in October.
This year's election is difficult to predict because of a number of unusual factors that may influence it, Hudson said. These factors include race, gender and age. In addition, the recent economic turmoil in the world financial markets has somewhat diverted attention away from other critical issues, including health care and the environment. Social issues so prized by conservatives, such as the emphasis on "guns and gays," abortion and stem cell research, may well take a back seat in this year's election, Hudson said.
He predicted an unusually large turnout, based upon the number of newly registered voters, and questioned whether polling is completely accurate this year because pollsters do not contact people with cell phones. The majority of younger voters are cell phone users and polls may be skewed because they have not been contacted.
Members posed a number of questions, many dealing with absentee voting, the reliability of voting machines, and the possibility of a vote-by-mail system such as the one in place in the state of Oregon.
September 11, 2008
Focus on East St. Louis
Speakers: Harper Barnes, Ann Collins, and Martha Patterson
East St. Louis, Illinois, is just a few miles from where most of us live. But how much
do we really know about our sister city across the River? Do we understand its rich
history, its compelling problems, and its promise for its citizens?
Former Post Dispatch editor/reporter Harper Barnes joined us to discuss his critically acclaimed book on the 1917 East St. Louis race riot Never Been A Time, an account of the most deadly of the racial battles that occurred in cities across the country in the World War I era.
Then McKendree University professors Ann Collins and Martha Patterson described an exciting project that pairs McKendree freshmen with East St. Louis Senior High School students. The project connects freshman-level honors students at McKendree with students in a junior-level social studies class at East St. Louis Senior High School in order to engage in discussion of the cultural history--literature, music, history, politics--of East St. Louis.
Professors Collins and Patterson are also setting up a website featuring topics that the classes discuss and oral history interviews conducted by the students.
June 12, 2008
Sarafina at The Black Rep
More than 70 members and friends of Women's Voices marked the end of our 2007-08 program year by attending the Black Rep's production of "Sarafina." This energetic and inspiring musical told the story of a group of students in Soweto, South Africa, who stood up to their government and eventually forced an end to aparthied.
Black Rep Director Ron Himes wrote in his program notes:
"We cannot stand by without speaking up.
We can make a difference.
We do, each one, count.
We must be sure to include the young when we make plans for the future."
To these words, the members of Women's Voices say, "Amen."
May 8, 2008
Immigration in the United States
Speakers: Tiffany Baldwin, attorney with Greensfelder, Hemker and Gale; and Jennifer Rafanan, statewide coordinator, Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates
In the run-up to the 2008 general elections, the topic of immigration has surfaced to the top of the agenda for several candidates. But it's impossible to understand the problems of illegal immigration without first understanding legal immigration, according to Tiffany Baldwin, a St. Louis immigration attorney. "To put it simply, we have a problem with illegal immigration because our legal system is broken," Baldwin said.
There are three categories of non-U.S. citizens who are here legally, Baldwin explained. They are (1) naturalized citizens, (2) permanent residents, who are closely related to U. S. citizens (sometimes called "green card" holders), and (3) non-immigrants, who are temporary visitors or those with visas.
"Getting into the U. S. legally is a long and complicated process," Baldwin said. "There are limited options, The visa process is complex and expensive. More restrictive policies have been put into place in the wake of 9-11. Many categories are capped. This has resulted in a huge backlog of people who are waiting to get in. And because only one of every three applicants for a visa can get in, the result has been that many businesses have to open up out of this country in order to find enough workers."
While the intent of much legislation dealing with immigration has been to protect U. S. workers, the actual outcome has been to force large corporations to leave the country and small businesses to go under, Baldwin said. Unskilled, agricultural and seasonal workers will continue to come because they cannot survive and feed their families in their own countries.
"We need a guest worker program to take care of these individuals," Baldwin said.
Jennifer Rafanan described the mission of the Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates as a coalition of organizations that stands up for the basic rights of all immigrants.
"In Missouri, only 3.4 percent of our population is foreign-born," Rafanan said. "Nearly half of those are naturalized citizens. They come from all over the world and they live all over the state."
Rafanan points to NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) as the driving force behind the current influx of illegal immigrants. "Workers come from Mexico and Central America simply because they can't make a living wage in their own countries any longer," she said. "People move to places where they can find work to feed their families."
Policy makers are out of touch with economic and social realities in other countries, Rafanan maintains. "There are only 5,000 work visas per year for unskilled workers to come to the U. S.," she said. "There is no way for employers to sponsor unskilled workers, and there is an out-of-control backlog of family members waiting to get in. These people can't get in line to enter the U. S., because there is no line for them to stand in."
Thirty-two pieces of legislation dealing with immigration have been filed in the Missouri legislature just this year, and much of it is fueling the anti-immigrant sentiment. Both Baldwin and Rafanan agree that the only solution to the problem must come from the federal government.
April 10, 2008
Talking With Our Enemies and Strategic Competitors
Speaker: Ambassador Marshall McCallie
Ambassador Marshall McCallie's subject, "Talking With Our Enemies", was a refreshing shift from the current foreign policy of the
United States. Ambassador McCallie's career has been in public service, first as an officer in the United States Air Force for four years and
then as a Foreign Service Officer in America's diplomatic corps for 28 years. McCallie began by saying that conducting effective foreign
relations will take all of our talent. A wise nation, he said, minimizes its enemies. "We must develop a bias toward peacekeeping", he
said. "We must frame issues properly". President George W. Bush's often-quoted declaration about the "axis of evil", in which he
included Iran, immediately undercut the possibility of negotiations with them.
He was clear that he does not view engaging our enemies in dialogue as 'rolling over'. While he supports military preparedness, he does
not support preemptive strikes. He also believes strongly in intelligence-gathering: there is no substitute for good intelligence, he said.
His years as a diplomat taught him that once negotiations with another entity are under way, confidence and credibility must be established.
"Don't lie," he said simply.
He reviewed the situation following the fall of the Berlin Wall, and credited the United States with having both the vision and the will to
negotiate with the Soviets, who were opposed to reunifying Germany.
He said that while the United States has few enemies today, we do have strategic competitors, which requires us to think strategically.
Before the U.S. attacked Iraq, his recommendation was to get the cooperation of the United Nations. Our approach has not made the world
safer, and we became embroiled in a civil war in Iraq. This should be a wake-up call, that we cannot transform a society culturally or
politically. It concerns him that, in Iraq, we've built the largest embassy in the world. It's wiser, he said, not to have set geographical
points, which may become a sore point where we've installed them.
He discussed the opportunities we have had to negotiate with Iran, and our concern over Iran's potential nuclear energy. We need the
International Atomic Energy Agency's help in these negotiations. He thinks the process will not be easy, but it is not impossible. In fact, he
sees Pakistan as a bigger threat.
Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian situation, most people agree that we must search for a solution. He talked about non-political aspects
such as cross-cultural exchanges. We did not recognize the cultural divisions in Iraq. "All the talk in the world is worthless without a
deep cultural knowledge". We must develop a "respectful dialogue with the rest of the world". We can afford to negotiate, and this will
promote a more stable world.
Questions from the audience included one about the current protests during the relay of the Olympic flame. His opinion is that we should go
forward with the Olympics but he also welcomes the protests. He said our government should not "pile on" to this process, but rather let
the protesters make the point.
In response to a question about withdrawing from Iraq, he thought the Bush administration saw a "false choice": stay and save Iraq or
get out and 'let hell occur.' In fact, a new administration must negotiate so the other countries in the area see that it's in their best
interests.
To a question about "conglomerate idiocy" in the Bush administration, he said they were torn between pragmatists, former Secretary of
State Colin Powell being an example, and neo-cons such as former U.N. Ambassador Bolton of the former and the latter. Powell was silenced by
Vice-President Cheney and others.
Are we moving toward one world government, he was asked. He said he thought not, because people value their own culture.
Does he see promise of better diplomatic relations with a new administration, he was asked. Sen. McCain's thoughts on a "League of
Democracies" concern him because he sees that as code for ignoring the United Nations. He thought Sen. Clinton was upfront about getting out of
Iraq in a responsible manner; Sen. Obama, he said, had not lived through the Cold War and consequently sees the world as less threatening
than the generation ahead of him.
To a question about whether the U.S. has lost prestige and moral authority in the world, he thought that if Sen. McCain were president, the
world would see this as maintaining the status quo. If the next president is a Democrat, the international community would greet that person
with openness, but he predicted the "honeymoon" would only last three months before a "new way of doing business in Washington" would
have to be demonstrated.
The final question about the departure (in 2001) from previous policies and the 'interference' on the part of the U.S. in other
countries brought the reminder that actions have consequences. "It will take citizens like us", McCallie said, "to push for open diplomacy".
The following is a bibliography of books to which Ambassador McCallie made reference in his talk:
James Hillman, A Terrible Love of War
Chris Hedges, War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning
Dennis Ross, Statecraft: How to Restore America's Standing in the World
Zbigniew Brzezinski, Second Chance
Ray Takeyh, Hidden Iran: Paradox and Power in the Islamic Republic
The Iraq Study Group Report, James A. Baker and Lee Hamilton, Co-Chairs
March 13, 2008
Film: Uncounted
On Thursday, March 13, Missourians for Honest Elections* showed a disturbing film, "UNCOUNTED: The New Math of American Elections", that turns many of our assumptions about democratic elections upside down. The film looks at the 2000, 2004 and 2006 elections and the many questions that came out of these events.
Voters in several places found long, long lines; some polls opening an hour late; people who had voted in the primary found their names missing from the rolls for the November election; some voting machines were not working properly … these and many other stories seem to bring our right to a fair and honest election into question.
One reported polling place in Ohio had only two voting machines for 1300 people, one of which was broken for the first two hours of the day. Also in Ohio, only one phone number was given for each precinct, making it nearly impossible for people to call for information.
Undercounted ballots (which occurs when a voter does not indicate a choice for a candidate or issue) usually make up 1 - 3% of elections returns, but some precincts in Pennsylvania reported as high as 70 - 80% undercounted ballots. In Louisiana, thousands were unable to vote due to software problems with the electronic voting machines.
The 2000 voting debacle of vote flipping in Florida was examined closely, including the connections between the Bush family, leading Republican Party members, and the people in charge of the election.
Many of the above problems that kept people from voting seemed to occur primarily in ethnic or low-income neighborhoods, which were projected to yield a strong Democratic vote.
In Utah, a county clerk was locked out of his office and ultimately fired after raising questions about the integrity of their voting machines. This in spite of the fact that the county clerk is elected, not appointed.
A significant part of the movie was devoted to electronic voting machines and their inherent flaws. One analogy seemed especially thought-provoking, which is that Diebold, which manufactures both electronic voting machines and ATMs, is able to produce machines which are virtually unhackable, and which produce a paper receipt (and cash), are unable to incorporate the same features in electronic voting machines. The primary assets of these machines seem to be convenience for election officials and speedy election results for the media.
The discrepancy between exit polls and ballot counts was another puzzling phenomenon. Historically, exit polling has been a dependable measure of voter balloting until 2004, when numerous states yielded very different results between exit polling and actual ballot counts. A further curiosity was the lack of media interest in this discrepancy.
Perhaps the most disturbing part of this film is the realization that these problems still exist and will affect the 2008 election.
Helen Mcintosh, a member of Women's Voices who also is active with Missourians for Honest Elections, introduced the film. With her were two other very active members of Missourians for Honest Elections, Ginger Harris and Pat Berg, who fielded questions following the film.
Copies of Uncounted were available at the end of the meeting.
*Missourians for Honest Elections is a non-partisan public watchdog group that has been working since 2005 to educate the public and government officials about the problems associated with electronic voting.
February 14, 2008
Targeting Muslim Rights: Private Provocation and Public Action
Speaker: Gulten Ilhan
"Are all Muslims bad?" Gulten Ilhan's daughter had asked her after coming home from kindergarten one day. Professor Ilhan then talked to us about the forms of prejudice that Muslims deal with in the United States since the September 11 terrorist attacks. The depth of misinformation and misunderstanding she described was staggering.
"It is extremely difficult to be Muslim in the U.S.", she said. To demonstrate her statement, she showed a recent Gallup Poll revealing that 39% of people thought U.S. citizens who are Muslim should be required to carry something identifying them as Muslim. One-third of those polled believed all Muslims were sympathetic to al-Qaeda. Another poll showed that 22% of people would not want a Muslim as a neighbor.
Ilhan, who moved to the U.S. from Turkey when she was 16, completed her education through a master's degree, but abandoned her Ph.D. work in order to become an activist for Muslims and Islam. She is now professor of Philosophy and co-director of Global Studies at Meramec Community College and spends her free time working to educate non-Muslims, hoping to put to rest the myths and prejudices that exist. Her many activist roles include committeewoman of the Democratic Central Committee of St. Louis County, and board member of the ACLU.
She showed photos of signs in front of several churches with varying messages to the effect that Jesus supports life but Mohammed preaches killing. One example showed the word ISLAM written with the S replaced by a swastika. She said a story in the Post-Dispatch about Muslims in St. Louis drew nearly 300 responses of which 260 were negative. One including the following comment: "The only good Arab is a dead Arab".
Several clips from television and talk show personalities, including Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter, displayed both ignorance and extreme prejudice toward Muslims. Coulter's comment following 9/11 was, "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity."
She closed her talk by asking, "How many of you fear a knock on your door? We do", she said. "We do."
Professor Ilhan answered several questions, including how many Muslims live in St. Louis, which she estimates to be 60,000 to 70,000. She said that approximately one-third of Muslims living in the United States are African-Americans. The final question to her was, "What can we do?" Her answer was simple: Speak up.
January 10, 2008
YouthBuild in the Hyde Park Community
Speaker: Martha Brunell
The Rev. Martha Brunell delivered a powerful message at the January Women's Voices meeting: "Are you mad?!" she asked us. She said that she understood Women's Voices was started because the founding women were angry following the 2004 elections. Martha, an ordained United Church of Christ pastor for 30 years, said she's been mad for a long, long time, and quoted musician Holly Near's lyrics from her song, "Fired Up".
Martha talked about her church, Friedens United Church of Christ, in the Hyde Park neighborhood. The church, now 150 years old, chose to stay in the north city in the 1950s when what she called a "calculated political plan" caused many people to move to the suburbs. After the 1980 election, she said, "money dried up overnight and the Hyde Park neighborhood fell through the safety net." "We have" she said, ""forgotten how to be aware of the common good."
In 2005 Friedens Church created the Friedens Neighborhood Foundation to ensure the future of their work in the neighborhood. Soon after this, HUD began developing YouthBuild programs in St. Louis, and Friedens was selected to administer one.
She talked about our response to society's needs. "Give us a catastrophe!" she said in describing our society's love affair with "acute drama" such as the Katrina disaster. She compared this with "chronic realities," the day-to-day poverty and misery all around us, which we seem able to tolerate.
She asked us four questions:
Are you mad?
What are you mad about?
How long are you willing to be mad?
Are you willing to be changed?
She reminded us that being mad takes a lot of energy, so it's necessary to focus our passion, which she calls our "edge." . She described their community garden, begun by a volunteer whose love of gardening led her to recruit young men in the neighborhood to help her.
She warned us not to simply respond to a social injustice we recognize, but rather to choose something we care deeply about, because that's where we will be able to make changes. She warned us repeatedly that this takes lots of time, and many, many failures.
She described YouthBuild as a program for 18 - 24-year-olds who work toward their GED while learning construction job skills such as plumbing and electrical work. Students are given financial reimbursement each day that they come, because regular attendance is also a job skill. This is funded for just one year, and the money may run out before the class is completed. Volunteers are desperately needed to help them find money in order to finish out this year.
She invited us to visit her "corner", as she refers to Friedens Church, and see for ourselves what they are about.
(Friedens United Church of Christ is located at 19th Street and Newhouse, bounded on three sides by North Florissant, North Grand and Hwy. 70. If you're interested in knowing more about the YouthBuild program or visiting Friedens, please contact Sarajane Campbell: SCAMP180@aol.com)
December 13, 2007
Caring for Kids
About 22 Women's Voices members had a great time cleaning, sorting, and accounting for a library of books, videos, and developmentally appropriate toys at the Child Day Care Association on the evening of December 13th. Substituting this activity in place of our December meeting, the women were greeted by the appreciative staff of the association, who had given careful thought about how to best utilize our volunteer services.
While some of us went through the shelves of books, looking for those missing pockets or incorrectly shelved, others took down bins or zipped bags of toys, all labeled by age and developmental skills. We wiped down each piece with antiseptic wipes and cleaned out the bins as well, noting those whose contents failed to match the description on the lids. Toys that were missing pieces were then set aside to be repaired or replaced.
Our librarian members converged on the cabinets of videos, matching them against inventory lists. Somehow, when the time came to stop and get ready to reboard the bus back to the Ethical Society, all of the books had been accounted for, the videos were in order, and 99.7 % of the puzzles and toys had been cleaned and sorted. Best of all, the spirits of all of us were even higher at the end of the evening!
It was great fun for a great cause . . . and we left behind a huge assortment of diapers to be distributed to the First Steps families who really need them. Call it a Win-Win Evening!
November 8, 2007
Jeff Smith - Missouri Senate, District 4
Public Education in Missouri
Senator Smith began by talking about his father, an NBA fan and a strong proponent of cultural diversity. One of his dad's methods of passing this onto his son was to drop him off at the Wohl Community Center on N. Kingshighway on Saturdays and pick him up four hours later, during which time Jeff Smith developed basketball skills as well as an understanding and compassion for the people he now represents in the city of St. Louis. During his four years at the University of North Carolina, Smith was instrumental in getting a Black cultural center on campus. He left school with the intention of teaching in St. Louis, but didn't have the necessary education courses, so, he said with irony, "They hired me as a teacher evaluator." This worked to his advantage, allowing him to spend time in all of the city schools instead of teaching in only one school. While he observed some talented, dedicated teachers, he also came across many who were simply counting days to retirement.
Ultimately, he and Dr. Susan Uchitelle started the Confluence Academies, a group of urban public charter schools in St. Louis. They literally went door to door in search of parents and children, and today have close to 2300 students. The students, primarily Black, and most eligible for the free or reduced lunch program (a standard measure of income level), are a remarkable success story, according to Smith: they are succeeding and their test scores have steadily improved. He clarified that charter schools are public schools operated with public school dollars, not vouchers. (He said during the Q and A session that he was opposed to vouchers.) Charter schools have several advantages, including the ability to determine hours (Confluence students attend two hours longer than most other schools) and to lengthen the school year from nine to eleven months, and they have minimal non-teaching staff.
This commitment to urban education has led Smith to develop several pieces of legislation, including the Missouri Teaching Fellows bill, designed to attract teachers to non-accredited school districts in both the city and county. Another legislative effort would fund early-education programs for pre-Kindergarten students. Yet another idea is to reward science and math majors for teaching in non-accredited schools. He said that one-third of the science teachers in St. Louis schools have taken no science courses in college. Another proposal is a Pay for Performance program, where administrators, colleagues, parents and students would review teacher performance. Teachers who meet the performance criteria would be paid accordingly, and it would be voluntary on the teacher's part. Nevertheless, the teachers' union strongly opposed it. Smith, who probably looks the age of many of his graduate students at Washington University, said, "I've gotten a lot more pragmatic in my old age," bringing one of many chuckles from the audience.
During the Question and Answer session, he was asked about the Mentor St. Louis program in which the questioner participates. He said he's all for one-on-one tutoring, which he does at the Matthews-Dickey Club, but he then described College Summit, a three-day program with high school students which guides them in writing their college-application essay. He called the experience "transformative" for him.
"Cautiously optimistic" was his analysis of the current (appointed) St. Louis School Board. He thought acting School Board president Rick Sullivan was "listening to groups of people."
Asked about his current project with city high school civics students, he said he's visiting every civics class to talk about the legislative process. He then asks the students to propose a bill. He will select the best bill and sponsor it in Jefferson City.
A question and comment from a former St. Louis teacher dealt with how charter school teachers are paid; the questioner thought salary was not as important to most teachers as being "part of the process." Smith firmly believes that teaching salaries are too low, saying, "We pay teachers less than garbage collectors; they should collectively make what engineers make." He also cautioned about "romanticizing" teaching.
To receive Sen. Smith's e-newsletter, contact his administrative assistant, Christine Brauner: Christine.Brauner@senate.mo.gov.
October 11, 2007
Terry Jones
State of the State
Terry Jones presented an entertaining, fact-filled evening as he discussed national and state politics at the second Women's Voices meeting of the year, on Thursday, October 11, at the Ethical Society. He brought several handouts, saying, "It's the professor in me." (Jones is professor of Political Science and Public Policy Administration at the University of Missouri - St. Louis.)
His familiarity with politics was evident as he discussed various candidate races, both current and past. Based on polls he regularly follows, he assessed the current positions of both Democratic and Republican presidential front-runners, saying he thought the probability was low that a viable third-party candidate would emerge.
The gubernatorial race in Missouri will be close, he predicted. Both healthcare and education will be top issues in 2008, and Governor Blunt has tried to reduce the political damage of his Medicaid cuts in 2005 by introducing MO HealthNet. Jones thought the Lieutenant Governor's race would be close, and that the contest for Attorney General would be especially. In Jones's words, "There is no better political position than attorney general because [that person] is on the side of the angels", representing the citizens of the state against such "foes" as government and big business.
The Q and A session brought a number of thoughtful questions, which he answered with a mixture of historical perspective and humor. Answering a query about whether Al Gore would run, Jones said, "I hope not!" explaining that by starting now, he would not be in a strong position politically, and would have difficulty putting together a quality campaign organization.
Jones was asked about Rudy Giuliani's liberal positions on several issues and how they would play with conservative Christian voters. Jones said the bloc is fractured and many conservative Christians may choose not to vote.
In response to a comment about the current sad state of the country, Jones said that for the past 13 years, the United States has been trying to define the role of government. He said that politicians have never been so divided, so uncivil, and so unwilling to make compromises.
Regarding governing by initiative and referendum, he said it was "bad public policy" because there's no middle ground. He also pointed out how important precise wording can be, using the current initiative on stem cell research as an example.
When asked where to find good, solid political information, he referred us to www.johncombest.com. John Combest is up early every morning, he said, combing the web for up-to-date information from other reliable websites, which he then shares with his readers.
September 13, 2007
William Freivogel
The Current State of the Media
More than 60 members gathered at the Ethical Society for the first meeting of our 2007-08 program year. Bill Freivogel, director of the School of Journalism at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, gave a candid and sobering assessment of the state of journalism in the United States today.
"We are going though the most exciting and radical change in the way information is exchanged since the Gutenberg Bible and the invention of moveable type more than 500 years ago, " Freivogel said. "And journalists don't want to end up like the monks."
There are real problems facing the media today, Freivogel explained. One of these is the economic challenge that has resulted because corporate owners now expect a 25-30 percent profit margin from their news outlets. This economic squeeze has led to the departure of many long-time, seasoned journalists, and the result of this has been a loss of institutional memory and continuity in the community.
"The big question today is what economic model will pay for good journalism?" Freivogel said. "And no one seems to have that answer yet."
Another challenge is the loss of credibility the media have suffered as a result of reporting scandals and the "hyper-partisanship" that exists on both sides of the political spectrum. And, during the past seven years, an external threat has developed that clouds much investigative reporting. Reporters who broke stories about the NSA warrantless wiretapping program and the CIA prisons in Eastern Europe have been threatened with prosecution under the espionage act. Freivogel cited the publication of the Pentagon Papers as a watershed event in journalism, because they showed exactly how presidents of the United States had lied to the people.
There are some bright spots in the world of news reporting today, Freivogel said. "People have an unquenchable desire for information today. And we have many ways of delivering this information. We just have to figure out a way to get good, solid reporting into the picture."
One bright spot on the St. Louis horizon is the planned launch of the St. Louis Platform, an on-line publication that is expected to debut early next year. The Platform, under the direction of Freivogel's wife, Margie, an accomplished journalist in her own right, will provide "news that matters."
"A lot of energy is moving to the internet," Freivogel said. "And it has its own set of challenges and opportunities."
For those who want to be well-informed today, Freivogel recommended reading the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and an on-line publication called "Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting," The latter is produced by Jon Sawyer, a former Post-Dispatch reporter in the Washington Bureau.
June 14, 2007 - Earthways Center
Celebrate Sustainability - 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
At this party for members and guests, we had ample opportunity to explore the EarthWays Center and its gardens, located around the corner from the Fox Theater in the Grand Arts Center district. The Center, a division of the Missouri Botanical Garden, is located in a beautiful century-old Victorian residence that has been renovated as a showcase of energy and resource efficiency.
May 10, 2007
First Annual Meeting
At the May 10 Annual Meeting of Women's Voices we celebrated two historic happenings. We had our first ever elections, with all paid members present voting, and we presented our first annual Special Awards to Outstanding Members.
Our leadership for 2007-2008 includes:
Barbara Finch, President. Our dynamic leader will continue for 2 years!
Tresa McCallie, Vice-President. She has been on our Advisory Board.
Joanne Kelly, Secretary. She is one of the four founders.
Mary Clemons, Treasurer. She continues an appointed position.
Board of Directors for two-year terms are:
Chery Green. She has been an Advisor and is our Webmaster.
Mary Ann Tipton. She is new to a leadership position with WV.
One-year Board of Directors members are:
Julie Healey. She has helped plan our Shopping for Justice event.
Barbara Richter. She has been active on the Health Care Focus Group.
Our Special Awards to Outstanding Members went to:
Jane Bogetto, Cynthia Kramer, and Bev White who all ran for the Missouri House of Representatives in 2006. Our Mistress of Ceremonies, Suzanne Meyer, commended them for their courage in running excellent campaigns in this divisive atamosphere.
Yaphett El-Amin, who ran for the Missouri Senate in 2006, and sacrificed her House seat to do so.
Cynthia Holmes, who wrote a pro bono, friend-of-the-court brief in defense of the ACLU's opposition to the Missouri Voter ID law. That piece of legislation was subsequently found unconstitutional.
Jean Lopez, graphic designer, who is responsible for our Women's Voices logo, which depicts our mission so well.
Chery Green, who designed and maintains our excellent website which is the envy of other not-for-profits. Chery also used her technological skills to assist candidates Jane Bogetto and Bev White.
Amy Smoucha was named the Women's Voices Humanitarian of the Year. Amy's determination to restore Medicaid cuts to the state budget, her work with our Health Care Focus Group, and her professional work with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri and Jobs with Justice make her an inspiration to our entire membership.
Women's Voices will soon launch our third year of existence with the example of these outstanding members and the leadership of our fine new officers. We welcome all members and subscribers aboard.
April 12, 2007
Poverty in America
Mark Rank, one of America’s foremost experts on issues of poverty,
inequality, and social justice, laid out several statistics that
elicited collective gasps from the large audience of Women’s Voicers
and guests who gathered to hear him at the Ethical Society, our new
home for monthly meetings.
One was that about 60% of all Americans will experience poverty for
at least a year sometime between the ages of 20 and 75. Another was
that two-thirds of all Americans will use one of the country’s means-
tested welfare programs, like Medicaid or Food Stamps, at some time
during their lives. And a third was that as the rate of poverty among
the elderly has declined dramatically in the last 40 years, from 35%
in the 60’s to just over 10% now, the rate among children has been
steadily climbing, so that kids are now more likely to be poor than
any other age group in America.
Rank, who holds the Herbert S. Hadley Professorship of Social Welfare
at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington
University, believes that the responsibility for America’s poverty
rate, which is the highest in the developed world, lies squarely with
the country’s structural failings, rather than with individual fault.
“We tend to point to an individual’s problems and hold him
responsible,” he says. “But the reality is that the system
doesn’t have enough capacity to support us all.”
Rank uses the analogy of a game of musical chairs, in which there are
10 players but only eight chairs. When the music stops, it’s
inevitable that two people will lose out, not because the players are
at fault, but because the structure is not big enough to accommodate
their basic needs.
To correct this inherently flawed system will require a change in
public attitude, Rank feels. Some of this will come from simple self-
interest, a recognition that we’re putting our money on the back end
of the problem. And some will come from return to values that have
been part of this nation since its inception, like shared
responsibility, concern for the least fortunate, and liberty, justice
and equality for all.
March 8, 2007
With liberty and justice for all?
Hollow words, according to the three speakers who shared their views on Missouri's death penalty at our March meeting. Susan McGraugh, Assistant Clinical Professor at St. Louis University School of Law, Rose Rita Huelsmann, SSND, Volunteer Services Coordinator for Criminal Justice Ministry at St. Vincent de Paul, and Diana Oleskevich, Justice Coordinator at Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, spoke passionately about their belief that the death penalty is an arbitrary, broken system that should be abolished.
The speakers cited numerous studies showing glaring disparities in the system.
"Throughout the country, a black man is much more likely to get the death penalty than a white for a similar crime," said McGraugh. On a local level, she reported the disparity between the prosecutorial "fervor" of St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCullough and his counterpart in the city, Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce. "McCullough uses his discretion in calling for the death penalty far more often than Joyce," she said. "And Joyce always gives someone who's been charged with the death penalty the opportunity of taking life without parole. McCullough never offers this. Punishment shouldn't depend on where you live."
Urban/rural disparities are huge, too. "Rural counties can't afford the costs of a capital case," said Oleskevich, "so the death penalty is rarely sought in these areas of the state.
And there are simply no people of wealth on death row, highlighting the difference that highly-skilled, experienced attorneys can make to a trial."
Even if the system could be administered with total fairness, an impossible goal they believe, all three women would still oppose its use. "Killing again just creates more victims," Huelsmann said, "and it doesn't bring closure. If we believe in the human ability to change, which we see certainly in ourselves throughout our lives, we have no right to deny others this possibility."
Abolishment is a long-term goal of all three. In the meantime, they urged Women's Voices to work toward passage of pending legislation placing a three-year moratorium on the death penalty in Missouri and establishing a commission to study it. For more information, visit www.moabolition.org.
February 8, 2007
A Liberal Religious Leader Speaks Out
When Dr. Michael Kinnamon, The Allen and Dottie Miller Professor of Mission, Peace and Ecumenical Studies at Eden Theological Seminary, began his remarks to the intrepid crowd that had gathered on a bitterly cold night to hear his message about liberal religious values, there was not an empty seat in the house.
He began his comments with a compliment for Women's Voices. "I very much like your approach," he said. "I like the fact that you're not just working for social justice for women, but that you are women working for social justice for all."
Then, in answer to questions raised by the program's title, "Where are the liberal religious leaders of today? What are they talking about?" Kinnamon laid out seven principles he feels all liberal religious people hold in common and can use as they work together toward a better world.
Intellectual, spiritual humility is a prime religious value. God is God, and we aren't!
Liberals bring the lessons of science and experience into their dialogues. God is still speaking.
Liberals believe that God is honored less by the purity of our religious beliefs than by our love for our neighbors.
All of creation is interdependent. Within this unity, however, is astonishing diversity. Liberals value this diversity, especially within the human family. "One of the biggest challenges, though," warns Kinnamon, "is the intersection of plurality and evil. We must love the enemies of social justice, while we continue to stand firm against their positions."
Liberals refuse to split the world into "them" and "us."
God has a preference for the poor, the weak, the sick. This tells us where the God of history is always at work - on the margins.
The healing of this world is God's purpose.
During the question and answer period following his remarks, Kinnamon was asked what he would say to George Bush were he given an opportunity to speak with him.
"I guess I'd focus on the issue of human interdependence," he said, "and the idea that our security is inseparable from the security of all other peoples on earth. When our leaders believe that they alone have purity of belief, it's a way of boundary keeping, of separating the world into "us" and "them." That's the wrong way to go about building world peace."
Kinnamon was also asked about the difficulty of loving our enemies. Isn't this just something that's impossible for flawed humans to do? Kinnamon doesn't think so, if "love" is interpreted not just as affection, but as action. "In this sense," he explained, "love is defined as an act of will. And that's something we can control."
January 11, 2007
Paths to Universal Health Insurance: Is Massachusetts a Map for Missouri?
A large crowd of Women's Voicers listened intently as Sidney Watson, Professor of Health Law at St. Louis University's School of Law, described how Massachusetts developed the nation's first state-based plan to provide adequate, affordable health care for all its residents.
After years of advocacy work by Affordable Care Today (ACT), a statewide coalition of community and religious organizations, labor unions, doctors, hospitals, community health centers, public health advocates and consumers, the plan was brought to fruition last year through the efforts of political leadership that was both bi-partisan and experienced.
The plan includes private insurance premium assistance for low-income residents and the creation of private insurance purchasing pools for small groups and individuals. It also contains an individual mandate that requires people to buy affordable health insurance if it's available. If they don't, they must pay a penalty equal to 50% of the premiums. The mandate, however, doesn't go into effect until such affordable insurance is available, creating an obvious incentive for the state to make sure that happens.
A big portion of the plan's costs will be covered by funds that will no longer be needed to reimburse hospitals for the care of uninsured patients. Last year in Massachusetts, the state's uncompensated care pool was one billion dollars.
Another critical piece is the state's expansion of its Medicaid program to leverage as many federal dollars as possible. For every dollar the state spends on the program, the federal government contributes another two. To Watson, maximizing this stream of federal dollars is a no-brainer. "For a governor to do it any other way," she says, "is just irresponsible."
This led to a discussion of whether Missouri might be able to follow Massachusetts's lead. Watson feels we can, although there are obvious hurdles, one of the highest being our state's legislative term limits that work against the development of an experienced pool of lawmakers.
But the state has over 600 million dollars in uncompensated care costs that could be redirected, millions of additional dollars in untapped federal Medicaid funds, and surprisingly similar ratios of insured to uninsured as those in Massachusetts prior to their reform.
Watson is convinced, however, that no meaningful reform will occur in Missouri without a strong, grassroots advocacy coalition. She sees much hope here, with much already in place and with continuing support from the Missouri Health Foundation and new involvement from Community Catalyst, a national health care advocacy group that has strengthened efforts in several other states.
This grassroots advocacy is what Women's Voices is all about. It's time for us to roll up our sleeves and get to work!
December 14, 2007
Russ Mitchell: Who Decides?
More than 80 members, friends and guests of Women's Voices learned about the workings of network television news when Russ Mitchell, CBS reporter and anchor, spoke at the December 14 meeting at the First Unitarian Church.
Mitchell, a native of Rock Hill who graduated from Webster Groves High School and the University of Missouri/Columbia, worked as a reporter for KTVI-TV and KMOV-TV in St. Louis before joining CBS news. His career has taken him from news hot spots around the world to CBS headquarters in New York, where he currently anchors the weekend news editions. He was recently promoted to news anchor on the early morning show.
Mitchell explained that plans for the evening newscasts on network television begin in the early morning, when senior executives gather to discuss what is happening around the world. Plans for stories are made, crews are dispatched, scripts are written and video is edited throughout the day. Ultimately, decisions about what stories will air are made by a variety of seasoned, experienced news professionals. Only the "big three" network newscasters (those who appear on the 5:30 p.m. segments) have veto power over the stories they will report as part of their contractual agreements with the network.
Mitchell spoke with great affection about some of his mentors in the business, including Dan Rather and Ed Bradley.
"Ultimately, viewers get the kind of television news that they want to see," he said. "Networks respond to viewers. If you don't want to see celebrity news or entertainment on your nightly news show, write a letter. Make a phone call. Change the channel. Use your remote. If enough people do this, things will change."
November 9, 2006
Shopping for Justice
A large, enthusiastic crowd of Women's Voicers gathered at Plowsharing Crafts in U City for "Shopping for Justice," an evening of conscientious shopping and lively discussion during which members and friends...
Helped select and purchase over 40 new children's books for the Wyman School library in the city. (The wide selection of beautiful choices was made available by the Webster Groves Book Store.)
Contributed to a basket of "loose change," which, by the end of the evening, contained $100 - enough to buy five flocks of ducks through the Heifer Project for families in third-world countries.
Learned about environmentally-friendly home products and a new St. Louis store, Home Eco, where they're available.
Sipped fair trade coffees and organic wines and munched on yummy snacks made from Women's Bean Project mixes.
Received a "hot-off-the-press" copy of our new booklet, Women's Voices Puts Justice into Giving, in which members and friends share suggestions for stress-free, environmentally-sound giving.
Purchased gifts from Plowsharing Crafts, including candles, baskets, toys, hand-knit sweaters, potholders, Christmas ornaments, soap, and jewelry. The cash register was busy all evening, and by 9:00, we'd bought bags and bags of merchandise, all of which will help provide a vital, fair income to the third-world artisans who had made these beautiful items.
Celebrated, at the end of the evening, when we learned that 20% of our purchases, a whopping $637, will be donated to the St. Louis Post Dispatch's 100 Neediest Cases. Wow! Here's the text of a letter of thanks we received:
"Many thanks to Women's Voices for participating in our fund-raising evenings. Your group was great!
At Plowsharing, we say that for every $3,500 sold, we are helpfing one artisan and his/her family for one year. Your sales for the evening were $3,187, which were incredible, and came very close to fulfilling the above equation. I think it would be fair to tell your group that the sales you did in one evening helped an entire family for a whole year. Fantastic!
Enclosed is a check for $637.40, which is 20 percent of that $3,187 amount, which I know you intend to help local needy familes with. It's a win-win."
Shalom,
Rich Howard-Willms, Plowsharing Manager
All in all, it was a great gathering, filled with spirited conversation, post-election glow, and thoughtful "Shopping for Justice."
October 12, 2006
Climate Change - And What WE Can Do About It
Jean Ponzi, environmentalist, gave a lively and informative program for more than 30 members at the October meeting. Ponzi is program manager for the Missouri Botanical Gardens EarthWays Center. In addition, she produces a weekly program titled "Earthworms" on radio station KDHX and writes a monthly column for "The Healthy Planet."
Drive smart...a well-tuned car with properly inflated tires burns less gasoline.
Urge government leaders to raise fuel economy standards to 40 miles per gallon.
Support clean, renewable energy.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
Winterize your home, and ask your utility company to do a free energy audit of your house.
Use less water by installing low-flow showerheads and faucets.
Buy energy-efficient applicances and electronics.
Plant trees.
Reduce, reuse, and recycle whenever possible.
Educate others about global warming and its dangers.
Ponzi discussed various methods of recycling available in the St. Louis area and decried the myth that our recycling simply goes to the landfill. "The same trucks may pick up garbage one day and recyclables the next, but the garbage goes to the landfill and the recycling goes to recycling centers," she said. With single-stream recycling, everything...paper, glass, cans and plastic...is co-mingled. It is then transported to sorting stations where magnets, electronic eyes, airstreams and human hands sort the items. They are processed, bundled, and sent to manufacturers, she explained.
Ponzi urged members to use compact fluorescent light bulbs whenever possible. These produce the same amount of light as normal bulbs, but use about a quarter of the electricity and last 10 times as long. She also encouraged members to save paper (and therefore trees) by eliminating junk mail. Names can be removed from mailing lists at newdream.org, the web site for the New American Dream. In addition, she urged members to become involved in local environmental groups, such as the Missouri Coalition for the Environment.
"When environmentally-sensitive questions arise, I tell people to just get the best information they can and then make the best decision they can," Ponzi says. "One of the
things I love best about the Green Fields I have chosen to labor in is that there are no 100% right or wrong answers - because peoples' values always factor in."
The Women's Voices Environmental Focus Group is active and is currently encouraging area mayors to participate in Sierra Club's "Cool Cities" program.
September 14, 2006
John Hickey, executive director of the Missouri Progressive Vote Coalition (Pro-Vote),
spoke before the largest meeting of Women's Voices we've had to date. Every seat in the large conference room at Alberici was filled as John gave us an insider's look into "Give Missourians A Raise," the campaign to raise the state's minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.50. This past February, his organization and three others took a hard look at the political reality in Missouri. Although the federal minimum wage ($5.15) has remained flat since 1996, 23 states have passed legislation raising it within their borders. Unfortunately, there seemed little chance, given the current climate in Jefferson City, that a raise for Missouri's workers would come from the lawmakers. Pro Vote and its partners decided they'd try to get enough signatures (94,000) to get the issue before voters as an initiative petition on the November ballot. Within less than three months, using mostly volunteers, they'd collected over 200,000!
Who will be impacted if the initiative passes? According to a recent study by the national Economic Policy Institute, more than 120,000 Missourians currently earn less than the proposed $6.50 an hour. If they get a raise, another 136,000 workers would also get modest raises, as pay scales are adjusted, bringing the total of impacted workers to 256,000. John gave us some surprising statistics about these impacted workers. More than 70% of them are over 20. Forty-six percent work full time; 82% work more than 20 hours a week. Although 51% of all Missouri workers are male, 62% of the impacted workers are female. And a quarter of them are parents.
With only 54 days to go before the November election, John urged all of us to become actively involved in the minimum wage campaign -- and in the campaigns to elect progressive candidates to the Missouri house and senate. Pro Vote uses hundreds of volunteers to do phoning and door-to-door canvassing, and he asked that we contact the organization if we can give some time between now and November 7. He also urged all of us to go to their web site and sign up for Pro Vote's E-alert list, an easy way to stay informed about progressive issues and take quick action as needed.
May 11, 2006
First Anniversary Celebration a Resounding Success ...
We had ninety-two very enthusiastic people at the party May 11. The food was good. The program and tour of the Alberici
Building were spectacular. Thank you, Grant Lanham! And the very best thing was the gushing enthusiasm from everyone about Women's
Voices and what we are doing. We have at least 13 new members as a result of the anniversary celebration. Thank you, thank you to
the hard-working party committee: Sarajane Campbell, Karel Hippert, Joanne Kelly, Nancy Reeves, and Maxine Stone.
April 20, 2006
How worried should we be, as Missourians, about intrusions into our public schools from the religious right? Very worried, according to Rudy Pulido and Cynthia Holmes, two board members of the St. Louis chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State who
spoke to our group in April. In recent years, the "closet fundies," as Holmes called them, have been working
diligently in Missouri to blur the distinction between church and state, and the public schools are one of their chosen targets.
There have been repeated attempts by the conservative-controlled legislature in Jefferson City to sanction school prayer and the
teaching of creationism. Pulido and Holmes suggested that we pay particular attention this year to HB 1266, the proposed "Missouri
Science Education Act," which would force teachers to introduce "intelligent design" as a legitimate alternative to the theory of
evolution. The wording of the act is deceptively vague – even dishonest – and is being supported by national organizations that
have learned how to use this language to get conservative legislation passed.
Another grave concern is the attempt to push through various voucher programs that would funnel money out of public schools into private
and parochial ones and, ultimately, even to home schoolers. Again, Pulido and Holmes warned, these proposals are cleverly worded to hide
the real damage they would do to our cherished system of public education.
What can we, the members of Women’s Voices, do to help keep our schools free from control by the religious right? First, we can become better informed about the issues. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the national organization
that has been working for almost 60 years to protect our First Amendment rights, has an excellent website (www.au.org) that’s a
good place to start. Then, we can support Americans United, both nationally and locally, as they work to promote religious liberty.
And finally, we can be vigilant about what’s happening in Jefferson City and make our views known.
March 9, 2006
Most of us know that St. Louis has one of the country’s finest symphonies and one of the best botanical gardens in the world. But until Lynne Cooper’s presentation on March 9, few of us had known that our town is also home to DOORWAYS, recognized as the best provider of affordable, secure housing for people with HIV/AIDS in the nation.
Founded in 1988 by community leaders and representatives from the area’s major religious organizations, Doorways assists approximately 500 adults and 90 children in the St. Louis region every month. In some cases, it does so by offering rent assistance so that people can continue to live in their own homes. In other cases, it provides subsidized apartments for clients, many of whom are women with children. And in the most severe cases, it provides beds for clients who require 24-hour nursing, medication, and nutrition care. Of all the people Doorways serves, 70% of them are able to transition out of the program when their health improves.
Doorways’ mission is based on the conviction that stable housing is the primary requisite for effective and compassionate treatment of this disease. If people have no way to refrigerate their medications, if they cannot keep themselves clean, if they cannot get the rest they need, they will not get better.
Cooper, who has been president of Doorways since its inception, reported that black women are the fastest growing HIV/AIDS population in this country. It is not hard to trace the cause. The United States imprisons a higher percentage of its population than any other country in the world. Black men are incarcerated at much higher rates than their white counterparts. Many of them get HIV/AIDS in prison. When they’re released, they infect their partners. Many of these partners are black women, many of them poor, many with children.
Fortunately for these women and their children, Doorways provides a safe, comfortable place to live while they try to pull their lives back together. They face almost insurmountable challenges, but finding warm beds for their kids and a refrigerator for milk and medications is not one of them.
February 9, 2006
On a cold, snowy evening, members and friends gathered to watch Paul Haggis’ 2005 movie "Crash." Set in contemporary Los Angeles, the film takes a "provocative, unflinching look at the complexities of racial conflict in America." Over the course of two days, its complicated cast of characters – two young black car thieves, a wealthy prosecuting attorney and his spoiled wife, first-generation Persian shopkeepers, an affluent light-skinned black couple, an anguished black detective, and a pair of white cops --- find their lives intersecting in a series of crashes, both real and metaphorical. Most of the interactions involve misunderstandings based on racial and ethnic stereotyping; many of them escalate into violence.
In our discussion afterwards, we talked about the complexities of human nature, as depicted in the film. Very few of the characters were "all good" or "all bad." The racist white cop, for instance, who humiliated a black couple during a routine interrogation, later risks his life to pull the woman from a burning car. Another theme was the miscommunication that is typical among people from different backgrounds. The film graphically demonstrates the difficulty of listening well when ingrained stereotypes get in the way.
But what can we do, members and friends of a mostly white women’s organization, to help reduce racial divisions? For starters, we agreed, we can continue to examine our own hidden prejudices and work to eliminate them. And we can continue to look for opportunities to be proactively involved in efforts to dismantle racism. To that end, we are planning to participate in the Annie Malone Parade in St. Louis this spring, both as volunteers and marchers. More immediately, some of us will attend an interfaith program on February 18, "Breaking the Cycles of Prejudice and Racism," co-sponsored by St. Alphonsus "Rock" Church and Congregation Shaare Emeth.
January 12, 2006
Stacey Newman, our January speaker, had spent two years working as the women's vote director for the Missouri Democratic Party before the last election. She said that after the election, there was a general sense of angst among many of the progressive folks she'd worked with for so long.
"What do we do now?" they asked.
The answer was obvious, at least to someone as committed and energetic as Newman: "Well, you know what you do," she said. "You get up in the morning, and you work on the next election."
And that's exactly what she's done. Newman is now executive director of a new organization, Missouri Women's Coalition, which is committed to getting out the women's vote in upcoming elections. The coalition already has 2,500 members statewide who are ready to make calls, write letters, and do whatever it takes to make sure that the women's voice (sound familiar?) is heard in Missouri politics.
The Coalition is an independent political action committee (PAC), which means that the money it raises is used not to support individual candidates' campaigns, but instead to fund the work done by coalition members to get out the women’s vote.
And why is it important to get out the women's vote? Research shows that the biggest segment of nonvoters in the last national election were unmarried women. There were 22 million of them! And polls show that these women tend to describe themselves as liberal and pro-choice. Looks like we know where the target should be in upcoming elections.
Newman also reported on recent activities of the Coalition Against the War on Women, which is working to defeat legislation proposed by the governor to limit a woman’s access to emergency contraception. Women’s Voices is one of 22 members of this coalition.
For more good information on women’s voting trends at the national level, go to Women's Voices. Women Vote.
December 8, 2005
Cynthia Kramer spoke passionately about her quest to advocate for a new stem call technology called somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT.) A small band of ardent, progressive members of Women's Voices braved snow and cold to hear Cynthia's inspiring and informative talk. Even though the technology does NOT use a fertilized egg in the procedure, because the nuclei of the recipient's egg and a donor's egg are exchanged, and the new cell contains 46 chromosomes, opponents counter that, by their definition, this equals "life" even though the new eggs never leave the Petri dish.
The term "embryonic" cell is used because it comes from an egg which has not yet been "programmed" for a certain function in the body, and thus can become anything. They are NOT fertilized eggs.
Last session, Missouri Senator Bartle introduced a bill which could issue a 15 year penalty on any researcher, doctor, or patient utilizing SCNT. The bill did not make it to the floor, but it could be reintroduced in the new session beginning in January.
In other business, The Education Focus Group is seeking those interested in volunteering time in a Wyman School classroom. They also ask that we each bring some kind of school supplies to each meeting which will then be utilized by the students and teachers at Wyman School.
Ruth Ann Cioci reported that she and Joanne Kelly attended a summit meeting of environmental groups around the state in Columbia. The assembled group decided on priorities to be pursued in the upcoming session of the legislature.
Joanne Kelly reported that The Missouri Budget Project is continuing to develop facts and an approach to work toward reinstituting some of the Medicaid cuts. They are also on top of an initiative called TABOR (Taxpayers Bill of Rights) which has decimated social services in Colorado. The approach gives the false impression that it will hold state spending in check. Amy Blouin says that it is actually "the Hancock bill on steroids."
November 10, 2005
Our speaker was Diane Sheehan. She is a founder of progessiveTalk.org -- a grassroots effort to bring progressive talk radio to St. Louis. Sheehan's compelling story of her search for balanced media coverage in the months following last year's presidential election was an eye-opener to those in the audience. She told of her despair at the one-sided accounts she found on all major media sources and then her growing appreciation for the in-depth, intelligent discussions she found on Air America radio, which features such hosts as her idol, Thom Hartman. Hear him at thomhartmann.com.
Although Air America's programs are now available on over 70 stations across the country, they can only be accessed in St. Louis over the internet. Sheehan and her colleagues are attempting to find a local station willing to air at least some of these progressive programs, to balance the 55 hours a week of right wing radio now available in our area. They have also recently launched a 30-minute program on KDHX, 88.1 FM, called Reality Now. Hosted by Ed Bishop, the show invites prominent journalists and commentators to share their perspectives on the state of today's media. The show airs on Wednesday nights at 7:00.
Visit progessiveTalk.org to learn more about this group's work and how you can help. Or contact Sheehan directly at cielbleu2@gmail.com if you have questions or want to join the group.
October 13, 2005
Speaker Ruth Ehresman, health policy analyst with the Missouri Budget Project, discussed the implications of the state's recent Medicaid cuts. More than 90,000 Missourians, many of them children, elderly, or disabled, lost their coverage as a result of these cuts.
September 20, 2005
Speaker Sylvester Brown, a metro columnist for the Post Dispatch, applauded our efforts to become involved, as a group of progressive women, in issues of social justice. He encouraged us to reach out to African American women who share our commitment to these issues and reminded us of how powerful we can be when we speak as a group. Two days after this meeting, Brown wrote this column about Women's Voices.
July 13, 2005
Speaker M'Evie Mead, statewide director of organizing for Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, gave us an update on recent threats to women's reproductive rights in Missouri; offered tips on effective lobbying that would apply to any issue; and led us through some role playing to hone these newly-learned skills.
