The Newsletter of the Deeds Not Words Community
May 5, 2017 | Deeds Digest No. 50

Hello #ChangeMakers!

I know this has been a sobering week for most of us. The AHCA has passed in the U.S. House, and it will have devastating impacts on the lives of millions of Americans if the Senate follows suit. Below, we’ve included an article that helps you better understand how the AHCA would impact women in particular. I want to encourage you to use these data points in your advocacy going forward and to keep faith in your ability to beat back this terrible law.  Our focused efforts should now be directed at members of the U.S. Senate. You can find out how to contact yours here. Also, check out this list of how members of the U.S. House voted – print it out, paste it up somewhere and stay committed to working to defeat members who voted in favor of its passage in the 2018 mid-term elections! And, if your representative voted against it, drop them a line to say THANK YOU!

Also deserving of our attention this month, is the issue of Teen Pregnancy.  While national teen pregnancy rates are on the decline, thanks to wider availability of effective long term contraception (access to which will be dramatically reduced under the AHCA), we can’t lose focus on the importance of this issue and the impact that teen pregnancy has on the lives of young women across this country.

Many of you may know that I was a teen mom. At 18, I discovered that I was unexpectedly pregnant, and my dreams of becoming the first college graduate in my family appeared to be shattered. I was one of the lucky few, however, that beat the odds. As a single mom, I made the climb from poverty to success thanks to affordable and accessible community college. Setting my foot on the path to higher education in that setting when I was 21 eventually led me all the way to Harvard Law School. Looking back, it was the hardest thing I have ever done and it’s not a struggle I would wish upon other young women hoping to realize their dreams for themselves. 

Preventing teen pregnancy is one of the surest ways I know to help young women realize their full potential. May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, and we’d love it if you would play some small part in advancing the goals of this important initiative. In our “Do” section this week, you’ll discover ways that you can play a part in helping advance the goal of reducing teen pregnancy rates, setting up greater possibilities for teen girls across this country. Helping to make a young woman’s dreams for herself come true? Not a bad way to spend a few minutes of effort and time, right?

Thanks for playing such an important part of creating the world you want to see, #ChangeMakers!  I’m betting on you, today and everyday.

Much love,

-wendy

 
This week’s #ChangeMaker: Gaby Rodriguez Corona

This week’s #ChangeMaker, Gaby Rodriguez Corona, is a Toppenish High School Straight-A graduate whose Senior project turned into a social experiment that would stun not only her classmates but the nation: Gaby decided she would fake her pregnancy. Toppenish, WA, Gaby’s hometown, sits  in Yakima County with one of the state’s highest teen pregnancy rates. “Pregnant teens receive a lot of criticism and a lot of people telling them it’s the end of the road, which leads to a loss of hope. If no one else believes in them, why should they believe in themselves?” As the youngest of eight children to a single parent, she witnessed six of them become teen parents – inspiring her to end the teen pregnancy stereotype, and eventually leading to her first book and Lifetime movie “The Pregnancy Project.” For her commitment and out-of-the-box tactics to break stigma, we salute Gaby Corona!


Know a hero making a difference in their community? Send us a picture of someone you’d like to see as #ChangeMaker of the week here, along with their story, and you might just see it in the next Deeds Digest.

On average, women today make 22 percent less per hour than men. They endure sexual harassment in their place of work, are passed over for promotions, and face structural impediments to advance in their careers. But there’s hope, and it’s what we strive to inspire use of every day: digital advocacy. “Social media has amplified the power of speaking out, while reducing opportunities for companies to retaliate in secret.” Read more on how to leverage your voice against workplace injustice!

Now that the AHCA has passed the US House of Representatives, we need to know more about the threats we’re facing to our health care and ultimately well-being so that we can most effectively fight its passage in the US Senate. Bustle’s article on how this harmful legislation will affect you and your birth control helps us stay informed of what we’re up against so we can be the best possible advocates for ourselves moving forward. Ladies, for better or for worse, we’re in this together and we still believe in our power to stop the ultimate passage of this law that would mean the loss of insurance for over 20 million Americans.

#ChangeMaker and New York Times reporter, Emily Steel took Bill O’Reilly down after publishing a powerful investigation – ultimately putting him out of a job. From sexual assault to all around inappropriate behavior, Emily’s main focus was not on just outing the man but exposing a greater societal issue we need to fix: "I'm not a vengeful person [I] did not do this story to be vindictive, or even to take him down. Our purpose was to tell these women's stories, to expose his history, and to show how the company had protected him."
This video of Texas Representative Ana Hernandez sharing her immigration story in response to the recently passed Anti-Immigration (“show me your papers”) Bill will give you #AllTheFeels – and hopefully inspire you to help push back against attempts to pass similar laws in your state. Here in Texas, we still have an opportunity to hold lawmakers accountable for their votes in favor of this law.  2018 mid-terms, here we come!

Who said it first? A Republican or The Handmaid's Tale?! See if you can spot the difference between these quotes as real life or dystopian fiction.



Who remembers this scene in Mean Girls? Let’s just say Coach Carr proooobably wasn’t the best person to be teaching teenagers the birds and the bees… And while it’s not an easy conversation for, well, just about anyone to be having with young people who they care about, it’s one that needs to be had.

Depending on where you live in the US, sexual education in school might look a lot like the cringe-worthy GIF above – or worse. So that means we need to take matters into our own hands.

Need a place to start? The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy lays out  “8 Tips you need to know for Talking to Teens” about that most awkward topic: sex. Not a parent? Share with one you know… this guide is VITAL.


 

National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month is here and there are plenty of ways you can get involved, thanks to StayTeen.org. Whether you have five minutes or want to make this cause your life’s calling: we’ve got you covered.

 

In 5 minutes you can:

  • Follow @TheNC and @StayTeen on social media for updates.

    • Bonus: check out #StayTeen on Twitter or Instagram to get the skinny on what the world has to say about this issue today, and use the hashtag in anything you share on the topic.

  • Share TheNC’s National Day Survey and the infographics included with your friends via your social networks, with a teacher or school board member in your area… you get the picture.

  • Share the Level Up game with a teen or pre-teen in your life who you think could use some fun – and learn some life lessons in the process.

    • Bonus: Encourage them to take the National Day Quiz too! It’s fun for them (no, really) and helps you gage how ready they are to navigate the pressures of being a teen.

 

In 10-15 minutes, you can:

  • Create a Facebook Event and invite your friends to join you in supporting the national month to prevent teen pregnancy!

  • Download the quiz guide so you’re ready to lead a constructive conversation about sex, love, relationships, and making good decisions no matter how the teen in your life scores!

 

In 30 minutes or more, you can:

  • Write a blog post or article for your local news outlet about the importance of preventing teen pregnancy – and assisting pregnant teens. Need some help getting started? Check out this sample.

  • Host a Twitter chat to get your community talking about teen pregnancy and the importance of reminding teens to enjoy their teen years. Use #StayTeen or #NTPPM to organize the chat.

  • Visit The National Campaign’s National & State Data web portal to find out more about teen pregnancy rates in your state -- and use them as a guide to call or write your representative about why this issue is important for them to focus on!
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