LETTERS

An Open Letter to WSW Readers

By Linda Homuth

As one of the newest volunteers to WSW, I look back on the not so distant past and the reasons why I balked at the thought of offering my meager skills to the paper. Many, many times I found myself on the brink of submitting an article or letter, but I quickly chased this thought away before it had a chance to materialize. Why? WSW is a hard core political voice of the women's movement. What would they want with some silly, romantic and very non-political poetry? Another time I almost offered to write a humorous, Erma Bombeck style article for one summer edition, Erma Bombeck humor? Laid out next to such burning issues as rape, abortion and gay rights? I must have been crazy even to think such thoughts. Then, of course, why bother to write something, the labor of love, sweat and tears and then send it to a post office box. Everyone knows that post office boxes are opened once every eight months by some anonymous person who then wads its contents into an overstuffed tote-bag, never to be seen again. No, I surely wasn't going to waste my time for that.

Then something happened. In the last issue of WSW, a pitch was made for recruiting new writers and volunteers to work on the paper. The solicitation seemed very sincere and I found myself, hesitation allayed, attending my first editorial meeting. I was pleasantly surprised to find a group of genuinely concerned individuals, intent upon continuing the important work that was being done in women's media. Somehow, in the atmosphere of warmth and friendliness, hot coffee and cake, 'serious business was taking place. There was a paper to put out and the editorial group needed to delegate its members to write articles for the coming issue. I was amazed to learn that not one single letter to the editor had been sent in, even after the valiant cry for help in the December issue. I wondered how they were going to  ́fill up 12 pages without letters and with so few articles submitted. The answer became obvious very quickly. It would be necessary for each editorial staff member to write several articles each. I was appalled. I found it hard to believe that there weren't more than a handful of people willing to contribute their .ideas to the paper.

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What I learned from that first meeting was that WSW does not belong exclusively to the editorial group. It belongs to everyone. They not only need your contributions in the form of articles and creative writing, but they also want to know what you think and what you would like to read about. In the space of 15 minutes, an idea can be jotted down and mailed to the paper. You don't have to have the secretarial prowess of a White House aide to submit ૧ your letters or ideas. The paper needs new ideas and insights. I hate the thought of the quality of the paper deteriorating steadily due to burn-out by the small group of loyal contributors.

P.S.-If the post office box is still a source of anxiety for you, I will gladly offer my own mailbox at home for that personal touch, guaranteed to be opened daily by friendly, caring hands.

Dear What She Wants,

I want to thank Sue Wilson and Pat Hilliard for writing letters to WSW (Nov. and Dec., respectively) to comment on my article on Solidarity Day (Oct. WSW). I tried to convey the excitement of the day and the ways that I as a woman felt left out or discounted. Sue gave information on the background of the event; Pat emphasized the importance of unions to women and her belief that the women's movement is critical of the union movement. All three of our viewpoints are equally valid. Combined, WSW

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readers get a better sense of women's responses to the rally.

Both letters took exception to my statement that there was only one woman who spoke from the platform. I still remember only one women during the 11⁄2 to 2 hours I listened to speakers. It is also possible that I missed one, or they may have spoken before or after I was at that part of the rally. Either way, the overall impression of minimum representation of women on the speakers' platform is the same. The letters pointed out some of the reasons why, but that does not remove my sense of loss and anger about the fact of the lack of women.

I was looking at Solidarity Day from specifically a feminist point of view. I think it's valid to focus on whether and how women are represented in any arena such as unions. The resulting observations should not be seen as a condemnation of the entire union movement. In fact, women who are union organizers could receive some validation for the hard work they must do in overcoming sexism and the effects of sexism in their work.

It seems to me the phrase "blind to reality" which was applied to me can be applied to women with Pat's perspective. I don't understand how I can be seen as anti-union when I am voluntarily a union member; I supported unions by going to Solidarity Day; I wrote the article for WSW because I felt the event was significant enough for all women in Cleveland to know about; I am writing this letter to keep a dialog going with union activists. I also have done some educating among feminists of the importance of unions and of supporting unions by using the union label on printed material.

Sure, there's cynicism. When I get mail from my union addressed to "Dear Brother," I get cynical. But alongside that is a growing understanding of

On October 31, 1981, Girl Scout Troop 954 visited What She Wants to fulfill a requirement for their book publishing badge. After a brief description of the objectives of the paper, they watched a demonstration of various aspects of the newspaper production process. We enjoyed both teaching them

My World When I Grow Up

My name is Kim Marie Marshall, I am 91⁄2 years old and I am in the 4th grade at St. Jude Catholic School.

When I grow up, I would like to be many things; a wife because I'd like a family life, a mother because I want to love and take care of little children. But most of all I would like to try to become an artist because

Kim

Melanie

it's fun to draw and paint things. Painting is the best part I like in art because I can color and paint better than I can draw and sketch.

Pablo Picasso was very artistic. He was a famous

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what unions are about and the impact they have had and could have. Though I agree unions don't cause sexism, they still have an obligation to understand how sexism has affected their members, their structure, and their decision making-and how they can inadvertently perpetuate it. The effects of sexism (racism, etc.) will remain unchanged if unions (and any other group) don't actively work to reverse it within themselves and in society as a whole.

It is my belief, contrary to Pat's, that there are many ways to work for change. Women who want to work through unions should do that; women who want to work through management should do that; women who want to work through feminism should do that. Sometimes these and other areas will overlap and have common goals; sometimes they will be antagonistic to each other. Because there is tension, however, does not invalidate any of the approaches. It's a chance to resolve the tension by better understanding the other approaches and by building a theory that can encompass many viewpoints.

While I support the work of union organizing, I don't feel that "Unions are a working woman's only hope!" In some ways, the whole union movement seems reactionary rather than visionary to me. The existence of unions depends on the existence of management-if there were no management, there would be no unions. I'm looking for structures that grow directly out of people's needs and are not a response to the powers that be. The form I'm investigating now is cooperatives and collectives. They remove the dichotomies of management and union, boss and worker, employer and employee. They also have more potential for recognizing the uniqueness of each individual.

Regardless, I will continue to be a union member and to support union activities in ways that make sense to me. I also want to stay in touch with union organizers so I can better understand the issues involved in unions.

-Laura Lavelle

about a feminist newspaper and their questions, and sent two questions of our own home with them as a writing assignment: (the proverbial) What would you like to be when you grow up? and (the feminist) How do you think this would be different if you were a boy? Two responses are printed below.

male painter, sculptor, artist and ceramist that lived in the 20th century.

Unlike Picasso's day, both boys and girls are given more of an equal chance to compete and show their talents.

So, like many other so-called male careers Art now belongs to both boys and girls who have the talent or skill to draw and paint. Thanks to our changing world of women.

The Kind of Job I Would Like to Have When I Grow Up

When I grow up I would like to be a Pediatrician. A Pediatrician is a doctor who takes care of children. I've always wanted to be a doctor and help people who are sick. In order to become a doctor, I must go to college for four years and then to medical school for four to six years. I don't think my choice would be different if I was a boy because wanting to help people feel better and learning how to prevent diseases are qualities that could be found in anyone. There are many famous women doctors throughout history. For example, Dr. Jane Wright, an outstanding Black female doctor who made many important contributions in the field of cancer. She won a 4-year scholarship to New York Medical College and graduated with honors. Today she is associate dean of that college.

-Melanie Harris