VFA SALUTES VETERAN FEMINISTS IN THE HEARTLAND OF THE FEMINIST MOVEMENT
THE EVENT IS A FANTASTIC SUCCESS
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Newsweek writers, Jesse Ellison and Lynn Povich, define sexism in first panel with co-Chair Kathy Rand. |
Over
fifty years ago Midwest feminists, led by Katherine Clarenbach and Gene
Boyer, both of Wisconsin,
joined with Betty Friedan, also a Midwesterner ( from Peoria, IL)
and started the National Organization
for Women. Among the founders of NOW was Sister Joel Read, then Chair of Alverno's History Department.
So VFA’s Alverno College event in Milwaukee on September 15, 2012 was especially
meaningful. And thanks to VFA
board members and producers of the event, Mary Jean Collins, Mary-Ann
Lupa (both alumnae
of Alverno) and Kathy Rand, it was a great success. And it
is a model for future VFA /college events. Kathy Rand’s report
follows:
EMPOWERING WOMEN: A TALE OF TWO
GENERATIONS by Kathy
Rand
In May
of 2011 Mary Ann, Mary Jean and I met with Alverno president Mary
Meehan to discuss the
possibility of a VFA/Alverno event that would involve and interest Alverno
students and feminist activists of all ages. Alverno’s decision was to “host”
the event rather than be a co-presenter. Over the next 16 months they worked to make the event a
reality.
We created the event concept and the
title, “Empowering Women: A
Tale of Two Generations,” and
structured the day with four panels:
·
Are We There
Yet?
·
Learning from the
Past
·
Examining the
Present
· Shaping the Future
Alverno's Congresswoman, Gwen Moore
opened the "Empowering Women"
conference.
We then set out to identify speakers
and moderators for each of the panels.
To
round out the day, Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI) welcomed attendees in
the morning. The lunch was
designed to honor Alverno College and present Alverno president Mary
Meehan with the VFA Recognition Award.
The
evening cocktail reception and dinner were a salute to Midwest
feminists. We honored 86 Midwest feminists, some present, some alive but
not present, some deceased.
We had put a good deal of effort into trying to identify and
research Midwest feminists, especially those who had not previously been
honored by VFA.
We
worked with Alverno on all facilities and food arrangements. We also identified and coordinated
rooms with a special rate at the conference hotel, the Crowne Plaza
Milwaukee Airport.
Additionally we arranged for transportation between the hotel and
Alverno.
We were
eager to have good attendance at the event, especially given the caliber
of speakers we had, so we put forth a good deal of effort in
recruitment. Among our
efforts:
·
We worked with Jan Cleary to send
regular eblasts to the VFA Constant Contact list
·
We had an existing (if outdated)
list from the 2004 Midwest event; we worked to update it and sent regular
email notices to that list
·
We contacted all women’s
organizations in Midwest
·
We contacted all NOW chapters and
state organizations in the Midwest
·
We notified women’s studies
programs at Midwest colleges
·
We notified all colleges in the
Milwaukee area
·
We reached out to women’s history
programs and women’s studies programs through H-Net
·
We reached out to Alverno
students, faculty and staff
We designed a distinctive logo for the event. We created a special website for the event: www.vfa-midwest.org. We used the site to update event details and as the major vehicle for event registration. We also created a unique email address for contact: vfa.midwest@yahoo.com.
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Mary Jean Collins,
Mary-Ann Lupa and Kathy Rand, co-Chairs of "Empowering Women, a Tale
of Two Generations". |
We purchased a Wisconsin media list and sent a release about the event to more than 300 media outlets in Wisconsin. We also sent a media alert about the event right before the event, and made follow-up calls to Milwaukee media.
We also wrote and produced a 36-page program book that was distributed to all attendees as well as donors. Additionally, we arranged for the event to be videotaped and photographed.
One of our priorities was to ensure that the event not only covered all costs, but raised additional funds for VFA. While we hoped to raise money from the event registration fees, we also embarked on an aggressive fund-raising campaign. Our major approach was personal appeals asking for ads for the program book or donations in honor of Midwest feminists. Each of us reached out to family and friends asking them for ads or donations. We also created an ad honoring five deceased Midwest feminists - Gene Boyer, Kathryn Clarenbach, Catherine Conroy, Betty Friedan and Dorothy Haener – and we invited people to contribute to have their names on the ad. One of our donors made a significant contribution that enabled us to allow students to attend the event at no cost. We also raised funds at the event through sales of books, CDs, posters and photographs, where a portion of the proceeds went to VFA.
Results
· A total of 133 people registered for the event. That included 33 students, 17 Alverno faculty or staff and 14 VFA board members
·
After all expenses, we estimate
that the event will raise a minimum of $7,000 for
VFA
·
Our registration form included VFA
membership; the result was 17 new or renewed VFA
memberships
· Through the event, we Introduced VFA to some key people, including Marina Whitman, Lynn Povich, Jesse Ellison, Sr. Linda Szocik, some of the young feminists who participated and some who were unable to attend.
·
News about the event appeared in
the following:
o
African Views website/blog –
8/4
o
H-Net – 8/4
o
C.W. Notes – Peoria, IL –
8/12
o
Peoria NOW website –
8/12
o
Chicago NOW Action Alert –
8/14/12
o
GeNDer Studies Announcements
–8/16
o
Fond du Lac Reporter –
8/27
o
Fdlreporter.com –
8/27
o
FRIDA facebook page –
9/13
o
FRIDA twitter–
9/13
o
IOU Sports website -
9/12
o
“Kathleen Dunn Show” radio program, Wisconsin Public
Radio - 9/13
o
Laeh Bensman McHenry blog –
9/16
o
“Feminist Magazine” radio program,
KPFK 90.7 FM, Los Angeles -
9/18
o
Alverno Alpha –
9/22
· We received very positive feedback from event speakers, attendees and honorees. Some of their comments are at the end of this report.
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Young feminists answer questions on the challenges of the future, moderated by Wendy Strout. |
Key
Learnings
Speakers/program
- There is value in face-to-face conferences about women’s
issues for all generations.
- The people we approached to speak were generally quite
happy to participate as long as their expenses were paid; we did not pay
any speaker fees.
- Having second wave feminists and young feminists in the
room together was a highly successful
approach.
Fund-Raising
- Most of the funds we raised came from non-VFA
members.
- Our greatest success raising money was a personal appeal to
friends and family asking them to honor us or someone specific.
Our approach was a positive one.
- The concept of the ad honoring Boyer, Clarenbach,
Conroy, Friedan and Haener was also quite successful, especially with
VFA members.
Recruitment
- A good deal of personal follow-up with other organizations
is necessary to encourage their members to
attend.
- Timing is important. The timing of classes starting
at Alverno made it difficult to communicate with and recruit students.
- Our success in getting students interested in attending was
due to a major donation that allowed us to have students attend for no
cost
Young Feminists
- Young women are very interested in feminism and in the
second wave. We need to reach them and communicate with them in a
non-patronizing manner.
- Collaborating with a college is an excellent way for VFA to
link with younger feminists.
- If an event is held at or presented with a college, it is
important to have a faculty member as an
advocate.
- Featuring a panel of young feminists who represented their
own organizations was effective.
Challenges
- Old feminists and young women don't have any money!
- It was difficult to get people to attend. It's a
challenge to balance VFA’s need for money with feminists' ability to
pay. There is a need to
have a lower price for attendees and raise the money for VFA from other
sources.
- There was minimal interest from news media. It is difficult to get media
coverage for VFA. Confusion
over the word “veterans” makes this even
harder.
- While it is convenient to hold a VFA board meeting in
conjunction with a VFA event, board meetings should be scheduled at
times that do not conflict with the
event.
Opportunities
- Lynn Povich and her book, The Good Girls Revolt, present
VFA with a good opportunity for the next year. It frames the “two generations”
concept very well, and she is eager to work with
VFA.
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VFA Board Chair, Muriel
Fox begins her remarks about |
Agenda for the Day
9:00 – Welcome –
Mary-Ann Lupa, VFA Board
The Honorable Gwen Moore (D-WI)
9:15 – Are We There
Yet?
Lynn Povich, one of 46 women who sued Newsweek in 1970; author of The Good Girls
Revolt
Jesse Ellison, current writer at Newsweek
Kathy Rand (moderator), former NOW officer, VFA
Board
10:45 – Learning from
the Past
Muriel Fox, NOW founder, VFA Board Chair
Mary Jean Collins, Milwaukee NOW founder, VFA
Board
Kathleen Falk, candidate for Wisconsin
governor
Katherine Turk, women’s historian
Heather Booth (moderator), founder of Chicago Women’s Liberation
Union
12:30 – Luncheon
Honoring Alverno College
Sr. Kathleen O’Brien, Alverno Senior VP of Academic
Affairs
Rhonda Ware, director, Alverno Research Center for Women and
Girls
Dr. Mary Meehan, President, Alverno College
Sr. Linda Szocik, Chairperson of Region 9, Leadership Conference of
Women Religious
Sheila Tobias (moderator), co-president of
VFA
2:00 -
Examining the
Present
Bernell Hooker, CEO, Images of Us Sports
Anne Ladky, executive director, Women
Employed
Mary Anne Sedey, employment attorney, former NOW
officer
Sheila Tobias, author of Overcoming Math Anxiety, VFA
co-president
Lois Herr (moderator), author of Women, Power and
AT&T
3:45 – Shaping the
Future
Lindsey Horvath, president, Hollywood NOW
Betsy Hoody, FRIDA-The Young Feminist Fund
Elizabeth Coppola, former president, Alverno Student
Government
Kat Barr, UltraViolet
Wendy Strout (moderator), director, Emerge
Wisconsin
5:30 – Cocktail
reception
6:30 – Dinner
recognizing Midwest feminists
Judy Goldsmith (moderator), former NOW National president
Feedback from Event Speakers and Attendees
What a
lovely time. The Congresswoman really enjoyed herself. I saw her
getting her picture taken with Sister Joel Read? Any chance we could
get a copy of that picture (and any others you’d care to share)? Rep. Gwen Moore
staff
I just
want to thank you for inviting Jesse and me to the VFA conference.
We came back with such a high, so excited by all the feisty women
there and the work they have done--and continue to do--on the part
of women everywhere. What an exciting organization! I do hope if you
have a New York gathering that you will invite us again. We got lots
of story ideas to pitch, either at Newsweek or elsewhere, and we got
a new appreciation of Alverno College, which we had never heard of.
Thank you for moderating our panel so seamlessly and making all the
arrangements. I shall sign up as a member of VFA as soon as I have a
moment. We were sorry to miss the rest of the conference--and the
singing. I'm sure the evening was spectacular.
Thank
you, so much, for inviting us. Lynn and I both had a fantastic time
and, as she said on Sunday, we both came back on a total high,
feeling so inspired by all the people we met and great things that
we heard out there. We were honored to be a part of it all, and
really glad to have been invited.Please do
keep in touch and do let me know if there's ever anything else I can
do for VFA, or upcoming events and so forth that I may be able to
take part in.Thanks
again and please convey my appreciation to your fantastic team.
All best, Jesse
Ellison - speaker
Thanks for all your work organizing that great gathering of
women, and one good man! Kathleen Falk -
speaker Thank you so much for letting me be a part of
that extraordinary event last weekend. Words fail me in trying to
express how exciting and how
gratifying it was to be with dear old friends -- and the young women! They were incredible! Our activists
crossing the generations is truly inspiring, in both directions. And
yes, thank you, I *did* feel the love...wow! That was both humbling
and invigorating. The
conference was a total shot in the arm. And very inspiring for my
daughter as well. I raced out and joined/signed up for everything.
Kate is getting active in the WE young women's advisory group, etc.
What a
wonderful event. You did a spectacular job. Words
cannot properly express my gratitude for all you did to make this
weekend absolutely unforgettable. As a Catholic feminist originally
from the Midwest, it felt more like a true family reunion than
anything I've ever experienced. Thank you for a wonderful weekend
and for including us in the Conference Program and Board Meeting. I
cannot tell you how grateful I am to have the opportunity to work with the
VFA, and I am looking forward to all I'll be able to do to support your
great work. Thank you so much for including me and FRIDA in the
event! And thank you for organizing such a wonderful and
thought-provoking event. I really enjoyed the conference and particularly enjoyed
the opportunity to hear more firsthand about the strategies, energy,
and experiences of second wave movements. I have been talking about
it non-stop since I got back and am planning to write a blog about
the conference this weekend for the FRIDA website. I will be sure
to share it with you once it is up. Elizabeth Hoody – young feminist
speaker I wanted to e-mail
you to say what a great time I had! It was really inspiring, and wonderful
to meet so many of the women.
Thank you so much. I was
very happy and honored to participate. This was a great event
overall. Thank you so much for allowing me to participate. I had my
first book-signing event this past weekend. It was at Alverno
College in Milwaukee, the occasion being a gathering of the Veteran
Feminists of America (Midwest division). The participants were
mainly true veterans of the marches, lawsuits, and political actions
of the sixties, including several founders of NOW. They invited me
even though I did none of the above, in recognition of my "first
woman" status in several positions. Alverno, an all-female Catholic
College, has always been in the feminists trenches; some of its nuns
are among the "nuns on the bus" who are defying the Vatican on
social issues. The women in the photo are the younger generation who
are carrying the torch, including some Alverno students and alumnae.
An expensive way to sell a few books, but a fascinating
event. Thank
you for recommending Alverno College for the Veteran Feminists of America
Recognition Award. I was
pleased that I could accept the award on behalf of the College. Thank you, also, for all your work
organizing the conference and choosing Alverno as the host location. The students who attended learned
so much about feminism and their often distorted views blurred by the
passage of time. One of them
actually reported starting as hating the thought of feminism to embracing
her new role as a feminist.
Please know how grateful I am to
you. Just want
you to know that the Saturday event was wonderful! Congrats to the
Veteran Feminists of America for coordinating this. Saw some
students yesterday and they were still “blown away” by the
experience. First of
all I want to say CONGRATULATIONS on your fantastic conference this
weekend! You all must be so proud and so exhausted.It really
was a remarkable group of women (the three of you included!) and I
know our students were inspired by all of the sessions.I feel so
blessed that I had an opportunity to hear so many of the panelists –
all were so eye-opening and showed such tremendous
dedication.
Warmest regards,
Lynn
Povich - speaker
Judy
Goldsmith - speaker
There is no
doubt that the movement was a powerful vehicle for our activism.
Thanks to all!
Mary
Anne Sedey - speaker
Thanks
for including me as you did.
Heather Booth – speaker, VFA board
Lindsey
Horvath – young feminist speaker
I wanted
to say thank you for inviting me to the VFA event last saturday.
Although I felt the least qualified to be there, let alone present,
I was so inspired by all the women have done, for me, and
generations to come. With all the trials and tribulations that seem
to be popping up in my life in the past couple of weeks, it was so
reassuring to see that I'm not the only one who has faced obstacles
when working towards change or standing up for what’s right. It was
reassuring to see all the happy, lively, ladies who have undoubtedly
faced worse backlashes, and come out on the other side ok:) It gives
me reason to keep working towards equality and justice. Thank you again. Being at that event really meant
the world to me.
Elizabeth
Coppola – young feminist speaker
Kat
Barr – young feminist speaker
Please keep me posted on anything else that
comes up.
Wendy Strout –
young feminist speaker
I sent a $50 donation to VFA. Their
conference at Alverno was extremely well done. I am so glad I was able to
attend.
Barbara Joan Zeitz,
Attendee – sold books at event
Marina von Neumann Whitman – attendee,
honoree (facebook post)
What an amazing day
at Alverno! I am still telling people all about it.
This is, of course, a very belated note of
thanks to you and your colleagues for putting that extraordinary
program together. It must have been an enormously difficult task. I
wish to thank you, as well, for the honor bestowed upon me and my
mother -- she much more deserving than I; nonetheless, I am most
grateful that you would think of me and for allowing me a few
moments to speak.
David
Clarenbach - honoree
Mary Meehan –
Alverno President
Virginia
Wagner – Alverno faculty
Thanks so
much for everything.
Lisa Pieper, Alverno staff