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June 30, 2017 | Deeds Digest No. 58
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Hello #ChangeMakers!
Today I write to you from B'nai B'rith (BBYO) Perlman Camp! Situated at the border of Pennsylvania and New York, this summer camp is filled with what you might expect to see at a typical American sleep away camp – lots of vibrant young faces excited about all that the beautiful surroundings have to offer them. A small lake, canoes and hammocks are nestled among the camp cabins, emblematic of a summer camp setting.
What’s different about this camp, however, is that its campers aren’t here just to enjoy nature and outdoor recreation. Instead, these 250 high school juniors and seniors have been selected from communities around the country and, indeed, around the world, because they’ve distinguished themselves as leaders. And they’re here at BBYO's Young Leadership Training Conference to grow their leadership skills so that they can use their talents to help shape the world for the better.
The theme of the camp? “Anything is possible.” And Deeds Not Words was thrilled to be invited to participate in helping to encourage that understanding in the hearts and minds of these amazing young people. Yesterday, we spent several delightful hours helping the campers to center themselves around issues of importance to them and to understand the incredibly important role that their voices can play in shaping the future on those very matters.
The issues that they selected to focus on are some of the most pressing that we currently face:
- Immigration Reform
- Affordable Health Care
- Mental Health Stigma and Resources
- Climate Change
And they demonstrated a remarkable capacity to articulate cogent and persuasive arguments that will help shape the direction we take on those important topics.
The natural setting here is beautiful and inspirational, no doubt. It’s the kind of environment that can nurture mind and soul and leave you feeling refreshed and restored. But as I make the 2-1/2 hour drive back to the Newark airport today to fly home, it won’t have been the setting alone that refueled my spirit. Instead, and much more so, it will be the feeling of hope that I leave here with because of the impression these amazing young people left on me, and the hope they have given me for the future of this country and of our world, knowing that one day we are going to be in their capable hands.
YOU give me that same hope, #ChangeMakers! Happy 4th of July weekend to all of you! I hope you’ll spend at least some of it refilling your own “tank,” surrounded by people that you love and enjoying a moment to take stock of how truly unique, precious and valuable you are.
Much love,
-wendy
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This week’s #ChangeMaker: Amy Hagstrom Miller
Sex, stigma and the Supreme Court are just a few facets of the complex fight for abortion rights across this country, especially in Texas. This week’s #ChangeMaker is no stranger to the assault on women's healthcare in the United States. Amy Hagstrom Miller is the CEO of Whole Woman’s Health and a fierce proponent of reproductive rights. When HB2, a bill requiring abortion clinics and doctors to jump through metaphorical hoops to provide safe care was passed, 1/3 of all abortion clinics in Texas were forced to close. This included Whole Woman's Health centers, which had been vital for the women who accessed them. In the wake of this bill, women took matters into their own hands — ending their own pregnancies and resorting to unsafe procedures.
Amy did not retreat. And on behalf of women throughout Texas, she took the case all the way to the Supreme Court where, one year ago, Whole Woman’s Health secured a landmark victory over the Texas Department of State Health Services. Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt's ruling overturned the unconstitutional regulations that had closed doors on thousands of women in Texas. This past April, Amy was able to reopen her flagship Austin Whole Woman’s Health center and once again inspire and catalyze change in the lives of women in Texas. In addition to this being the one year anniversary of her victory at the U.S. Supreme Court, this is also Amy's birthday week: So let's all tweet her some kind words!
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 and share their story. You might just see it in the next Deeds Digest.
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In addition to excellence in arts and craft, cookie sales and good citizen training, Girl Scouts across America will now receive badges for cybersecurity. By teaching young women how to stay safe online, avoid online scams and even code, this historic American organization is entering the future and we could not be more excited. The program will not only inspire girls to pursue careers in #STEM but will also prepare them to protect themselves from cyberbullying. In a world where 26% of young women ages 18-24 have been stalked online and 25% have been targets of online sexual harassment, we need cyber-savvy #STEMinists now more than ever! Hooray for Girl Scouts and their continued good work to shape the leaders of tomorrow!
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Lilly Taing illustrates the story of Brittany Mostiller's decision to have an abortion in My Voice, My Choice. A struggling mother of three, living on the South side of Chicago, Mostiller discovered something she didn't know she had because of the reproductive decision she was able to make: freedom. This cartoon is part of Comics for Choice, a fundraiser that benefits the National Network of Abortion Funds. We love My Voice, My Choice for its moving representation of a complex decision that so many women face. Stigma is no match for the power of personal stories and we applaud Brittany for sharing hers.
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At Deeds Not Words, we believe strongly in the power of personal story to shape change, so we were inspired when we read the series of tweets through which Alison Chandra shared the story of her son Ethan's enormous hospital bill, which she was able to afford through the coverage she received through the Affordable Care Act. Alison concluded her tweets by asking proponents of the ACHA to look at Ethan and tell him "Sorry, you're not worth keeping alive anymore. You're just too expensive." Alison reminds us to speak to lawmakers and remind them of the important human consequences of their actions. If you have a story to share about what the Affordable Care Act has meant to you, we hope you'll share it too! We have to let our senators know that the ACHA will leave thousands of people like Ethan uninsured and we won't just stand by and allow it to happen.
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Take a guess at what a higher-ed official at State University System of Florida said about the gender wage gap... If you guessed something sexist or misogynistic, you guessed right! "Women's genetics are to blame." As. If. He later apologized for his ignorant remark, but his true colors reveal a pervasive problem in our society. Let's continue to call out this sort of absurdity whenever we hear it!
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Reproductive healthcare? There's an app for that. States like Texas make access to contraceptives very difficult. Nurx is rising to the occasion by making it easier for women to access reproductive health services they need. Through their app, women can get birth control, HIV-prevention drugs AND emergency contraceptive pills with one simple click. Check out how technology is helping advance reproductive justice and how SMARTphones are truly living up to their name!
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Our girl Mary Lambert has been through it all. Sexually-abused as a child, diagnosed with bipolar disorder, struggling with body image and coming out to her friends and family, she was once on the verge of giving up on life. But she found peace and self-love through music.
"Music for me was like survival, [it] was a form of healing and almost like self-therapy...I'm so glad that I didn't die, I'm so glad that I'm alive—that I didn't give in." We are very glad, too! If you, reader, are currently wrestling with similar struggles, please know that we love you too. Contact us and we'll help you find the resources you need!
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Imagine a world where straight couples aren't the norm... This hilarious video underscores how ridiculous we sound when we say certain things to same-sex couples. It's time to end stereotypes about couples of any gender or sexual orientation, y'all!
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All American women are protected under the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act 2013 (VAWA), the cornerstone of our nation’s response to domestic and sexual violence. Did you know that VAWA's funding is up for re-authorization in 2018? Why does that matter and what can you do to help?
What does it do?
VAWA provides services to all survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking— its protections extend to Native women, immigrants, the LGBTIA community, sexual assault survivors, college students, youth, and public housing residents. While we talk a lot about many of these communities here in the Digest, we haven't often focused on the unique struggle Native people, and particularly Native women, face in our country... Here's just one example:
- More than 50% of native women experience sexual assault, and more than 90% of their perpetrators are non-native men.
Without VAWA protections, tribes are legally powerless to protect their own people.
Why should I be concerned?
The president's proposed 2018 budget includes an 18% reduction in Rape Prevention & Education (RPE) funding to the CDC. So even if we can maintain funding for response systems like law enforcement and domestic violence shelters, VAWA's prevention and education measures are at risk for reduction or elimination. Without RPE, communities are left to their own devices to fund the prevention of future violenc through awareness programs, victim risk reduction programs, self-defense training, and more.
What can you 'Do' to help improve women's safety through VAWA? Look no further than our "DO" section below.
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In FY 2018, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) will expire and needs to be reauthorized. LGBTQIA and tribal rights are at stake, as are the rights of all women. Access to domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers, and tribal sovereignty in sexual violence cases, are all at risk of being cut!
Contact the representatives in charge of sexual assault legislation to show your support for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act:
- Check here which congressional members are part of the Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus)
We're over half-way to 2018 and the stakes are high—the time to act is NOW!
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