(ORNAMENT Cont'd.)

The best example of this I saw at a lun- cheon in San Jose. In a group of 15 wo- myn, the four womyn of color present staggered their bites so well, their Hostess soon gave up trying to make them respond to her non-sensical-leading to nowhere-questions.

Step 9--As in any job situation, it is necessary to undertake emergency meas- ures when the need arises. "Sarita, I hear you're working on the ONYX. Well I have always believed that you all should have had something like this long ago. Don't you think so Clara?" (another woman of color).

If you feel you cannot bear another one of these statements without inflic- ting violence, I recommend the following emergency procedures: a) excuse your- self immediately but gracefully to the restroom; b) once securely locked inside, sit on the bathtub; c) cover your face with your hands and say twice: "I am too sensitive for my own good." When your tolerance is fully restored, flush the toilet, run water in the sink for one minute; d) leave bath- room. Resume smiling.

Beyond this point, I must admit that I have no advice, for I've never gotten this far at a brunch of this sort To be totally honest, my heart has never been into being an ornament for any white womon's events. Due to some flaw in my character, I guess, I've never been able to get past Step 4 without doing or say- ing something to make my Hostess extrem- ely uneasy around me.

If you are a womon of color and sus- pect you are being hired to adorn a white womon's party, I recommend that you check it out. For me, it wasn't a job I could live comfortably with, but maybe for you it could be the start of a great career! -Sarita Johnson

longtime neighborhood resident and civil rights activist, and was a cofounder of the Oakland Welfare Rights Organization, the first in the country. Her Hills-based opponent, Marge Gibson, has been a leading supporter of no-strings attached Downtown development.

Cassie's program stresses jobs, af- fordable housing, and crime prevention. She calls for enforceable agreements to insure that 80% of jobs in new projects go to Oakland residents and for strong affirmative action requirements. She is urging the City to take a more active role in rehabilitating abandoned housing and supports an ordinance requiring just cause for eviction. She would change police priorities from "high tech," like heli- copters, to effective neighborhood based crime prevention strategies.

Cassie has made women's issues a cen- tral theme of her campaign. She would introduce a lesbian and gay rights ordin- ance, saying, "Gay and lesbian people need protection under the law, that seems to be as old as the hills; human dignity and human equality mean you have to be for this." She supports the initiation of a Comparable Worth study to identify and eliminate discriminatory pay scales in municipal employment. She stresses the importance of affordable child care and would require major employers to set up or financially assist child care cen- ters.

Cassie, who supported the switch from citywide to district elections, is running a grassroots campaign based on dozens of volunteers.

Cassie Lopez:

COUNCIL SEAT

RUNS FOR NORTH OAKLAND

"The election is about whether the interests of Oakland residents or the in- terests of developers will be represented on the City Council, and whether women's issues will be placed at the center of the City Council's agenda." That's Cassie Lopez describing her campaign for the Dis- trict 1 (North Oakland roughly north of the MacArthur Freeway) City Council seat in the April 19 election. Cassie is a

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Cassie can win with your help! cinct walkers to spread the message door- to-door are needed. So are volunteers to make phone calls, work on mailings, etc. Contributions of any size are most wel- come. Contact the campaign office at 4227 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, 94609, telephone number 547-3653.