VFA DALLAS 2010
THE GENDER
AGENDA:
BEYOND BORDERS
Pursuing Women's Rights
at Home and
Abroad
March 19,
2010
Click Here to Go To the
Beyond Borders
website
On Friday, I was fortunate to be surrounded by
some of this country’s most inspirational women, who were gathered at The
Women’s Museum in Dallas for the Veteran Feminists of America event “The
Gender Agenda: Beyond Borders.” For the 250 of us in attendance, the event
provided a chance to reflect upon women’s past, women’s present and
women’s future. One hundred years ago we could not even vote; today, we
are half the workforce; in the future, there’s still much to achieve.
Elisabeth Archer, Ms
Magazine
Gloria
Steinem with
Bonnie Wheeler
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How do we get beyond borders that divide
women and men with common goals and interests? Sometimes borders (like the
politically freighted term feminism) become barriers to common growth and
change. Sometimes borders reflect economic, class, and geographic
disparities. When we allow any border (even a glass ceiling) to become a
boundary, we cage and limit ourselves.
Some borders – professional, political
and religious – are barriers to human progress. What work can we achieve
on behalf of women and girls to move beyond barriers to full empowerment?
How can we transform the barriers we observe into liminal places for us to
transition from old to new ways.
It's time to think beyond borders.
Here at Veteran Feminists of America, we seek to move beyond the borders
of conflict toward a boundless future. Work with your local and national
organizations dedicated to these goals. To join VFA go to at
http://www.vfa.us/
Many honorees were interviewed and
videotaped by SMU students at the March 2010 Dallas conference.
Unfortunately, time and resources did not permit recorded interviews with
all honorees, but we would be glad to mount any videos you can send us of
Second-Wave feminists discussing their commitment to women’s equality and
actions on behalf of women’s equality. We are very grateful to the SMU
students from the Spring 2010 course, “Back In The Day: American Activisms
1960–1980” who prepared questions for each interviewee as part of their
coursework. Click here to Go To:
Video Interviews
fem*in*is*m - n. the
notion that women and men are equal.
American women have made extraordinary
strides in the march to achieve equality. The results of this struggle are
evidenced by progressive legislation including the 19th Amendment granting
women voting rights in 1920 and the Fair Pay Act of 2009 removing
statutory limitation obstacles when filing an equal-pay lawsuit. Our focus
on March 19, 2010 was on Texas Second-Wave feminists who were honored by
the national VFA Board.
The struggle for equality is not over. The
Veteran Feminists of America, a national organization dedicated to
honoring Second-Wave activists’ achievements and linking like-minded
individuals, hosted our March 2010 forum for today's American women to
discuss women's challenges at home and in less-developed countries, where
there is sometimes far less recognition of women's right to equal
treatment under law.
We recognized at the same time that American
women still lack constitutionally guaranteed equal rights under the law at
a national level. Thus this conference applauded the achievements of the
past, but also sharply reminded us that we must work still for an ERA at
home, at least by 2020, the centennial anniversary of 1920, the year that
American women won the vote.
You who read this are the future.
Your ideas and actions will influence new national and international
women’s rights initiatives, a revived Equal Rights Amendment, and
recognition of the ongoing need to ensure all women everywhere enjoy basic
human rights.
Keep the idea of equality for all alive in your life
and work!
Click Here to Go To The Speakers
Click Here to Go To the Honorees
Click Here to Go To the IMAGES of
that incredible day in Dallas
CONTACT BONNIE WHEELER: bwheeler@mail.smu.edu
|
The Gender Agenda: Beyond
Borders
Pursuing Women's Rights at Home and
Abroad |
March 19, 2010 - VFA at the
Women's Museum in
Dallas:
See the Videos
Now!
American women have made
extraordinary strides in the march to achieve equality.
The results of this struggle are evidenced by
progressive legislation including the 19th Amendment
granting women voting rights in 1920 and the Fair Pay
Act of 2009 removing statutory limitation obstacles when
filing an equal-pay lawsuit. Our focus on March 19, 2010
was on Texas Second-Wave feminists who were honored by
the national VFA Board.
Many honorees were interviewed
and videotaped by SMU students at the March 2010 Dallas
conference. Unfortunately, time and resources did not
permit recorded interviews with all honorees, but we
would be glad to mount any videos you can send us of
Second-Wave feminists discussing their commitment to
women s equality and actions on behalf of women s
equality. We are very grateful to the SMU students from
the Spring 2010 course, Back In The Day: American
Activisms 1960 1980 who prepared questions for each
interviewee as part of their
coursework.
Click Here for the for the
VIDEOS
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The Ultimate
Sisterhood
March 23, 2010 by Elisabeth Archer
Reprint:
Ms Magazine Blog: http://msmagazine.com/blog
On Friday,
March 19th,I was fortunate to be surrounded by some of this
country’s most inspirational women, who were gathered at The
Women’s Museum in Dallas for the Veteran Feminists of America
event “The Gender Agenda: Beyond Borders.” For the 250 of us
in attendance, the event provided a chance to reflect upon
women’s past, women’s present and women’s future. One hundred
years ago we could not even vote; today, we are half the
workforce; in the future, there’s still much to
achieve.
“Moments like this allow us to stop and take
stock of where we are and where we have been. But they also
force us to recognize how far we have yet to go,” noted
honoree Dr. Rita Kirk. The smiles that spread through the
great halls of the museum suggested Dr. Kirk was not alone in
her enthusiasm and hopes for the future.
Ms. magazine
founder Gloria Steinem delivered the keynote speech. “Radical
does not mean you’re violent. It means you go to the root,”
she said. She was also featured in the documentary that was
screened, Sisters of ’77, about the first-ever National
Women’s Conference in 1977.
“You can’t create change
until you have the imagination of change,” said Gloria in the
documentary. It seemed to me that the women in attendance at
the event had believed in change and made life-altering
changes—these women had gone to the “root.” Many of the women
who were honored had sought careers in male-dominated fields.
Many had fought for equality.
“We are passing the torch
to our daughters and granddaughters,” said honoree Vivian
Castleberry, the first woman editorial board member at the
Dallas Times Herald. As members of this next generation, we
owe it to the strong and powerful women who have come before
us to take on the duties that come with the torch. And taking
heed of Gloria’s words, we will continue to strive to get at
the “root.”
Contact:
jcvfa@aol.com
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