On October 12, 2006, the YWCA of White Plains and Central Westchester hosted a symposium on Feminism and the Women’s Movement entitled: Empowering the Next Generation of Women and Girls. The event was co-sponsored by the Alliance for Just Solutions (AJS), Westchester Women’s Agenda and Planned Parenthood of Hudson Peconic.

Deborah Slaner Larkin, keynote speaker, started the day’s discussion with a presentation on the importance of Title IX. Ms. Larkin is a member of the National Women’s Law Center Board, The White House Project, where she actively participates in projects addressing health, child-care and Title IX issues. The Law Center’s mission is to protect and advance the progress of women and girls at work, in school, and in every aspect of their lives. Ms. Larkin is also the former executive director of the Women’s Sports Foundation. While at the helm of that organization she developed a broad-based advocacy network to increase female participation and equality in sports. She has been a board member on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and is Honorary Chair of the Westchester Fund for Women and Girls, whose mission is to raise an endowment to benefit Westchester women and girls.

Following the keynote presentation, Professor Priscilla Murolo, Director of the Graduate Program in Women’s History at Sarah Lawrence College, provided an historical background on the multi-ethnic voices of the women’s movement – all emerging at similar times across the nation.  She noted that African American women’s involvement in feminist issues stemmed from their work on racial justice and civil rights. Chicana women were organizing at the same time; their focus evolved from labor rights.

The panelists that followed addressed the perspective of women from different generations and nationalities on what it means to be a feminist. Legislator Lois Bronz talked about being involved in the political arena. Betsy Shaw Weiner mentioned working on the Equal Rights Amendment. Panelist Dr. Linda Ching Sledge noted that for Asian-Americans, the issue has been held close to the vest. It has been brought up at literary criticism conferences, but Asian-American men felt those concerns would be divisive, and the airing of private issues. 

Student panelists Erin Burrows from Sarah Lawrence College and Kaitlyn Sudol from SUNY Purchase discussed the misconceptions of being a feminist among younger generations. Although many of their peers did not want to be labeled “feminists” these young women were firmly committed to working on issues that support women and girls.

Another speaker did not consider herself a “feminist.” She wanted men to hold the door open for her; however she did note that after a few years of carrying the burden of being the primary spouse responsible for household and child care issues, she had to specifically request that her husband share these roles.

For the panel “Working Outside the Home: Issues and Decisions on Entering the Workforce,” the Honorable Janet DiFiore, Monica Bertran of Bloomberg TV, Kathy Halas of the Child Care Council of Westchester, and Bernadette Kenny of Human Resources for Adecco Group and Mary Stroock, CEO Girl Scouts of Westchester-Putnam discussed the balancing of starting a family and being a working mother.  They spoke about the adjustments they have had to make in their own family lives to accommodate parenting needs. For some of the women, being a working mother thirty years was to be out of the norm of their circle of friends. They all noted that a strong family support system was imperative in the progression of their professional life, where it is still difficult in many industries to take time off for family needs without feeling under pressure. 

In the final panel of the day, “Working towards a Multigenerational, Multiethnic Feminist Movement for Westchester,” representatives from the YWCA of White Plains, Planned Parenthood Hudson-Peconic, Westchester Women’s Agenda, and National Organization for Women (NOW) began addressing what the future holds for the Women’s movement and how they can help build connections between women of different generations and ethnicities. Lisa Winjum of Planned Parenthood discussed the importance of women’s knowledge of their reproductive rights to choose and how her organization stresses the importance of advocacy and education. Amy Kohn of the YWCA of White Plains reminded us that in order to motivate, we must remember that “personal is political” while Sioux Taylor of NOW stressed the importance of exercising one’s right to vote. 

Have we achieved parity in the workforce? Ms Bertran noted that there are still hurdles in the media industry for women; few hold producing or writing positions. Women often make career choices that fit into their lifestyle, putting care for their children first.

The Alliance for Just Solutions is a project of the YWCA and United Way of Westchester and Putnam that is dedicated to fostering networks and collaborations among organizations working on social justice issues in Westchester. The 2006 Feminism Symposium was the first public program of AJS.

America’s Broken System: The Immigration Debate and Local Implications

 On Friday, May 12, 2006, the Westchester Women’s Agenda sponsored a community forum on the immigration debate.  Keynote speaker, Chung Wha Hong, ED, New York Immigration Coalition, lead the forum with an outspoken message of “don’t penalize, legalize.” On the federal level, she advocates Comprehensive Immigration Reform, which highlights worker rights, family unity, civil rights and due process. The US Senate’s Comprehensive Framework on Immigration, in Ms. Hong’s opinion, both supports and slights rights afforded to immigrants.  However, many proponents of immigrant legalization believe that the real problem exists on local levels.

 The “We Are America” Alliance suggests that the local model focus on integration based on fairness and opportunity. It sets forth a five-point plan of: 1. citizenship; 2. electoral participation; 3. continued mobilization; 4. legislative accountability; and 5. public education campaign. Debate still swarms around bringing African Americans into the immigration debate. Most agree that programs should be developed to benefit both populations and that joint challenges be put forth regarding legislative loopholes.

 Mayor Bloomberg’s Executive Order 41, New York’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on immigration, was also a topic of discussion at the forum. The Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, NYC, Guillermo Linares, gave statistics to show the importance of immigrants to our society. There are 2.9 million foreign born people in NYC, accounting for 36% of NYC population.  Order 41, although challenged for loopholes, provides protection for a person’s immigration status, sexual orientation, status as a victim of domestic violence, status as a crime witness, receipt of public assistance, and information in income tax records. In essence, it protects all law abiding immigrants.  Mr. Linares acknowledges that education and trainings are essential for the success of Order 41.  To combat the fear most immigrants hold, he states, “to fight fear you must build trust,” a seemingly good place to start.