NEWS
The National Organization for Women sponsored a conference entitled "Women Against Violence Against Women" on May 31 at Capital University in Columbus. According to one of the main speakers, Mary Jean Collins Robson, the purpose of the conference was "to prepare the agenda that we (NOW) are going to present to the American people on August 26th"., the anniversary date for women gaining the vote. The main speakers, Lynn Darcy, National Compliance Coordinator, Debbie Hart, the conference organizer, and Mary Jean Collins Robson, National SEARS Campaign Coordinator, each stressed that women have to stop responding to oppressive violence by turning against themselves and their sisters and channel it into collective action, which is the only cure for violence against women.
The workshop on Economic Violence disclosed the inability of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to handle sex discrimination cases effectively, and the discriminatory practices of the OCRC itself. Only one out of five OCRC Commissioners is a woman, and the OCRC has no female executives. The workshop panel urged the women present to write to their state legislators expressing their support for HB 262, which would allow women to prosecute their sex discrimination cases with their personal lawyer instead of through the OCRC, or the EEOC, if they so desire.
The workshop on Religious Violence explored the fundamental questions of whether equality within the Church is really possible and will erasing sexism destroy the Church? Suggested actions were nailing the 95 Theses on church doors, publicizing instances of sex discrimination by churches and withholding church contributions.
One of the most important afternoon speakers was Karen Galloway, the attorney
FROM NOW
for Joanne Little. She stressed that the only way to make North Carolina give Ms. Little justice was to make them ashamed to do otherwise. Organizing nationwide support and planning demonstrations the day before the trial, which is to go to court on July 14, are two ideas she suggested. Ms. Galloway referred to Ms. Little as representative of the "average inmate": poor, uneducated, black and female. Galloway stated that sexual abuse also occurs in Ohio prisons and urged us to initiate a study of Ohio female penal
institutions. Despite the work of movement lawyers at low salaries, to give Joanne Little a fair trial will cost approximately $250,000. Checks can be sent to and information on constructive action can be obtained from
Joanne Little Defense Fund P. O. Box 1003
Durham, North Carolina 27702
Back Beck
Beck Rex
It's been two months since the east side Sun Newspapers cut Marguerite Beck Rex's women's rights column to once a month instead of weekly.
Women who wrote expressing concern were assured in replies that the column would now appear once a month in all eleven Sun Newspapers. So far, unless there are secret edi. tions none of us get to see, the column appeared once in May and once in June, but only on the east side.
No matter what current newspaper economics are, women all over the country have to have news of issues vital to their welfare in the Sun Newspapers at least once a month. Given the nature of the paper, we surely make up more than 52 per cent of the readership.
East side readers have been disappointed to see that economics make clear what priorities are a women's rights column gets put on the back burner when management responds to the
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People Picket
"economic crunch". Despite assurances to the contrary, however, in the rest of the Sun Newspapers that column hasn't even gotten on the stove.
Let's urge ComCorp to get cooking. Write and tell the publisher you're willing to have your faith restored. The Cleveland Press is improving its women's coverage, ever so slightly. The Plain Dealer is supposed to be dropping its kinder, kuche, kirche attitude toward women's news. Write ComCorp and tell them to stay in the running by keeping its word and putting the women's rights columr in all its papers. At least on the east side, the Sun used to be in the lead. Address to:
Papal
ComCorp
12412 Cedar 44106
Palace
you!
try back
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MOTHER
The Apostolic Delegation (Vatican Embassy), Washington, D.C., was the scene this Mother's Day of a giant picket line of 4,000 women. The pickets were protesting the Roman
Catholic Church's practice of lobbying against laws that guarantee our right to choose abor. tion. As a tax exempt institution the Catholic Church is specifically barred from influencing legislation. "Separate the Church
and State" was one of the banners carried on the picket line, as a protest to the Pope's attempt to dictate to all U.S. women his decision on abortion. About 15 people from Cleveland took part in the action.
page 1/What She Wants/July, 1975