WEPP: WOMEN AND LOCAL FUNDING

By Gail Powers

Recently What She Wants was invited to a Women's Equity Planning Project (WEPP) workshop on July 25 at WomenSpace, presented by Evelyn Jones, Community Organizer (WomenSpace), Mareyjoyce Green, Chairperson, WEPP Steering Committee (Women's Comprehensive Program at Cleveland State University), Jane Campbell (Director, WomenSpace), and Beverly Quist, Project Coordinator (Federation for Community Planning). WEPP is a one-year project funded by the Cleveland and Gund Foundations to "identify, research, and analyze the special needs of women in this community". It is co-sponsored by the Federation for Com.. munity Planning (an umbrella for human service agencies) and WomenSpace (an umbrella for women's groups). The workshop was designed to give people who are not involved in the project the opportunity to hear about its progress and comment on its recommendations. People who attended included organizational members of WomenSpace and an ad hoc list of different women's groups.

The project began six months ago because "funders were getting a lot of requests from women's groups and didn't know what to do with them", In the language of the project's proposal, its first goal is "to identify, research, and analyze the most important issues currently facing women in Cuyahoga County in the areas of employment, education, and human services and to develop recommendations for bringing women into full equity status through county-wide action".

The Federation for Community Planning and WomenSpace chose a steering committee to start making these recommendations. The steering committee and its various task forces are comprised of area women currently involved in diverse groups and organizations such as Cleveland Women Working, Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, Cleveland Women's Counsel, WomenSpace, Federation for Community Planning, Indian Education Program, Preterm, Cleveland Program for Sexual Learning, Women 'Together, Catholic Resettlement Council, YWCA, WomanFocus at Cuyahoga Community College, Comprehensive Women's Program at Cleveland State University, Choices for Women at John Carroll University, Cuyahoga County Women's Political Caucus, Domestic Workers of America, Greater Cleveland Jobs Council, House of Hospitality, Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland, National Conference of Puerto Rican Women, Junior League, International Ladies Garment Workers Union, and the Women Offenders Project. According to Beverly Quist, the women involved in the steering committee and task forces are "working on the project as individuals, with no official organization endorsement". A fact she thought would be interesting to What She Wants readers is, "The project is trying to join the feminists-WomenSpace--and the establishment for social change-the Federation for Community Planning."

The bulk of information focused on recommendations forined to date (the six-month mark of the oneyear project). Areas of concern, broken down by task force and sub-group, follow:

Education Task Force, co-chaired by Pauline Smith (Indian Education Program) and Betsy Tabac (Cleveland Women's Counsel)

sexism in athletics

minority women in higher education

non-sexist counseling

over-representation of women in traditional fields sexism in textbooks

Title IX of 1972 Educational Amendment women in decision-making positions

Employment Task Force, chaired by Helen Williams (Cleveland Women Working)

monitoring enforcement of existing laws

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employment practices of area employers

access to non-traditional jobs affirmative action

blue collar women counseling

day care

enforcement of the law

equal pay for equal work

equal pay for work of comparable value job segregation

job survival skills labor unions nepotism rules

restructure of jobs and hours sexual harassment

structural unemployment (e.g., what keeps

women on public assistance) training

upward mobility

Human Service Task Force, co-chaired by Carolyn Buhl (Preterm) and Peg Fullmer coalition building

future of women's services to women sharing of expertise, concerns, problems

Health Sub-group, chaired by Judy Simpson (Cleveland Program for Sexual Learning)

alcoholism

feminist therapy

menopause

special needs of gay women sterilization abuse

reproductive health (e.g., access to sterilization, abortion, pre-natal care, birth control, nutrition wellness perspective (i.e., developing positive and healthful ways of viewing women's health)

Justice Sub-group, chaired by Willa Hemmons, J.D.,

Ph.D. (Department of Social Service, Cleveland

State University)

economic factors in divorce

child custody

the female offender housing

credit

juvenile justice systemi

women's access to legal rights, aid

implementation of the Domestic Violence Act

Women in Crisis Sub-group, co-chaired by Diane Sheraton (Catholic Resettlement Council, Beverly Webster (Women Together), and Carrie Zander (Cleveland Rape Crisis Center)

advocacy/crisis intervention services family rape

program funding

service delivery to women with language and cultural/literary barriers

suicide

need for temporary emergency shelter using block grant funds

Research requested by the task forces to assist them in making recommendations has been coordinated by the research division of the Federation for Community Planning. It includes data on 1) Demographic Profile of Women in Cuyahoga County, 2) Analysis of Women in Decision Making Positions in Higher Education, 3) Implementation of Title IX, and 4) Equal Pay for Work of Comparable Value.

According to the project's proposal, the goals for the remaining six months are: 1) to conduct a (continued on page 8)

Take Back the Night A SUCCESS!

WSW extends hearty congratulations to the Take Back the Night Committee, as well as the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center and CSU Women's Center, for a very successful rally, march and celebration August 3. The over 800 women who marched and the supportive men who walked alongside will long remember boldly taking back downtown Cleveland streets for women,

Josephine Irwin, who some 60 years ago marched as a suffragist through the streets of Cleveland, set the mood for the rally at Public Square. Her bellef that contemporary women will not let the movement die, as did the women who escaped into volunteerism in the four decades following the victory of the suffragists, was inspiring.

Mary Zone, Cleveland Councilperson, read City Council's Resolution of support for Take Back the Night. Other speakers included Zelma George, a spirited woinan who recently received the Black Clevelander award, Jeanne Van Atta and Kathy Cowles (Rape Crisis Center), Gerry Chesler (Welfare Rights), Beverly Webster (WomenTogether), Car. rie Zander and Arlene Zwyer, two women speaking out on rape, and Kathy Thomas (Goldflower Defense Committee). All had important words for the people gathered.

The following letter relates to Take Back the Night only as thoughtful criticism on the inclusion of Mary Rose Oakar, an anti-abortion Congressperson, as a speaker. WSW, although strongly supportive of the event for several months, silently protested Oakar's presence at the rally with leaflets and signs.

Friends,

In an early position paper issued by the women involved in Take Back the Night, the group established principles affirming the rights of women, support for grassroots work for change, and demands directed to legislators for "reforms which will make our [women's] lives more liveable right now."

The committee, using a broad interpretation of violence directed at women, produced a well thought out position paper which covered issues as diverse as economics, violence in the streets, sexual harassment on the job, public degradation of women and violence exercised through forced sterilization and suppression of the right to choose abortion.

. Education for Freedom of Choice in Ohio (EFCO)

initially endorsed this event and provided some assistance toward insuring its success. Generally we do this type of activity only for specific pro-choice events which will educate the public, legislators or community groups on the need to protect reproductive freedom.

Based on the position paper offered by Take Back the Night, the endorsement seemed quite appropriate, and we enthusiastically supported the event personally and as an organization.

It was only after we endorsed Take Back the Night that we learned that Congressional Representative Mary Rose Oakar was to speak on the forum at the rally preceding the march. This is unacceptable to EFCO for two reasons. First, as a non-profit tax exempt educational organization, we don't ususally en. dorse any event where our support might be interpreted as an endorsement of a political candidate. But more importantly, as an organization dedicated to educating people on the need to keep abortion safe, legal, and accessible to all women, we could not be associated with a platform that gives Representative Oakar an opportunity to portray herself as a feminist, as a legislator who is pro-woman, or as someone who knows anything about the needs of women. In every instance, Oakar has voted against family planning funding, against funding for poor women, for women in the military and women in the Peace Corps. Although her record includes votes for the ERA and the domestic violence legislation, being a feminist must include an aggressive stand in favor of reproductive freedom.

In light of these facts, EFCO, as a pro-choice group, regretfully had to withdraw its endorsement of Take Back the Night. We support the overall action of the planning committee but believe they missed an opportunity to take a courageous and meaningful stand in favor of choice by uninviting Oakar and saying why!

-Chris Link Executive Director, EFCO