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Kinesis
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MAY 1998 Tamoxirennot a miracle drug ...pg 3 CMPA$2.25 Inside KINESIS #309-877 E. Hastings St., Vancouver, BC V6A 3Y1 Tel: (604)255-5499 Fax: (604)255-5511 E-mail: kinesis@web.net Kinesis welcomes volunteers to work on ali aspects of the paper. Our next Story Meetings are Tues May 5 and Tues June 2 at our new office, 309- 877 E. Hastings St. Production for the June issue is from May 19-26. All women welcome, even if you don't have experience. Kinesis is published ten times a year by the Vancouver Status of Women. Its objectives are to be a non- sectarian feminist voice for women and to work actively for social change, specifically combatting sexism, racism.classism, homophobia, ableism, and imperialism. Views expressed in Kinesis are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect VSW policy. All unsigned material is the responsibility of the Kinesis Editorial Board. EDITORIAL BOARD Fatima Jaffer, Lissa Geller, Kelly Haydon, Ellen Woodsworth, Colleen Sheridan, Agnes Huang PRODUCTION THIS ISSUE Ednoi Boun, Tanis Preiss Leanne Keltie, Kelly Haydon Ellen Woodsworth, Dorothy Elias Colleen Sheridan, Nancy Pang Fatima Jaffer, Laura Quilici, Robyn Hall, Joan Bridget Advertising: Sur Mehat Circulation: Audrey Johnson, Chrystal Fowler Distribution: Yee Jim Production Co-ordinator: marilyn lemon Typesetter: Sur Mehat FRONT COVER The Garlic Girls (From top left, clockwise:) Ednoi Boun, Colleen Sheridan, Kelly Haydon Photo by Michelle McGeogh PRESS DATE April 29, 1998 SUBSCRIPTIONS Individual: $20 per year (+$1.40 GST) or what you can afford Institutions/Groups: $45 per year (+$3.15 GST) VSW Membership (includes 1 year Kinesis subscription): $30 per year (+$1.40 GST) SUBMISSIONS Women and girls are welcome to make submissions. We reserve the right to edit and submission does not guarantee publication. If possible, submissions should be typed, double spaced and must be signed and include an address, telephone number and SASE. Kinesis does not accept poetry or fiction. Editorial guidelines are available upon request. DEADLINES All submissions must be received in the month preceding publication. Note: Jul/Aug and Dec/Jan are double issues. Features and reviews: 10th News: 15th Letters and Bulletin Board: 18th Display advertising (camera ready): 18th (design required): 16th Printing by Horizon Publications. Kinesis is indexed in the Canadian Women's Periodicals Index, the Alternative Press Index, and is a member of the Canadian Magazine Publishers Association. ISSN 0317-9095 Publications mail registration #6426 News The troubles with Tamoxifen 3 by Penni Mitchell Nancy Nicol wins at York 4 by Kelly Haydon Custody and access hearings target women 5 by Eileen Morrow and Pam MacEachern In memory of Connie Jacobs and Tyler 6 by Agnes Huang Features Arkansas: another case of male violence against women 9 by Colleen Sheridan The stats on violence against women 9 compiled by Margaret Denike Glorious garlic takes on the yeasties 10 by Kelly Haydon The resonating horrors of residential schools 11 by Harriet Nahanee So who says feminists aren't fun(ny) 14 cartoons by Jacky Fleming, Colleen Sheridan, and Kelly Haydon, and from hip Mama and the Open Training and Education Network Eat your weeds and other lawn stories 15 by Adele McCrank Centrespread America's most "wanted" and "unwanted" woman .. by Assata Shakur Tamoxifen is not a "miracle drug" Assata Shakur., Arts Good reads in bed or in the tub 17 compiled by Geller, Joan Bridget and Ednoi Boun The 16-steps of Charlotte Kasl 19 reviewed by Dawn Livingstone Regulars As Kinesis Goes to Press 2 Inside Kinesis 2 What's News 7 compiled by Leanne Keltie Movement Matters 8 compiled by Leanne Keltie, Hannah Hadikein and Michelle Dodds Letters 20 Bulletin Board 21 compiled by Kelly Haydon, Colleen Sheridan and Tanis Preiss Don't kill those weeds!. Kinesis was unable to publish our April 1998 issue. We apologize to our readers, advertisers and distributors and thank you for your support. Dragon Ladies and other stories.. As Kinesis was going to press, we were disheartened to learn that Angles, Vancouver's lesbian and gay community newspaper has published its last issue. The first lesbian and gay newspaper in the city Angles survived and thrived for more than 10 years. Like Kinesis, Angles relied on the incredible dedication of so many who volunteered their time and talents to bring out each issue. Over the past few years, the dwindling energies of its volunteers and increased competition for its advertising base, made it more and more difficult to sustain the newspaper. Kinesis thanks and congratulates all those who have been involved with Angles for their contributions to the world of progressive activist media. Hey, we do have some good news to report...the MAI is dead! (or at least it's in statis.)Yup, the OECD—the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development—has called for a six-month halt on the multilateral agreement on investments. Very few people like the MAI. In fact, there have been information forums and protest actions against the agreement in most of the OECD member nations, especially in France and Canada. Here's something else on the protest action front. A number of national women's groups have launched a new postcard campaign chastising the federal government for its dismal record in funding women's organizations in Canada. The "Women are worth more than a cup of coffee" postcards are available from the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, toll-free: 1-800-665-5124. One last thing before we go...you may notice (eventually) that our featured item on the menu this month is Glorious Garlic. Well, you know how they say diamonds are a girl's best friend. They're wrong. Garlic is. So we hope you enjoy plenty of cloves (or bulbs,) while you read this issue in the sunshine. ~V A. 1*4 C O \J S T A. T O F W^ O IVI JE IM Our appreciation to the following supporters who became members, renewed their memberships or donated to Vancouver Status of Women or who responded to our new Kinesis 2000 Campaign in March and April: Sherry Baker * Elaine Biagioni * Ray Boucher * Somer Brodribb * Betty-Ann Buss * Janie Cawley * Elsie Dean * Karen Dean * Deborah Dunne * Nancy Edwards * Heather Frazer * Mary Frey * Gina Gagne * Christopher Gainor * Carole Gerson * Nora Grove * Tracey Jackson * Nancy Janovicek * Ursula Kernig * Dorothy Kidd * Karen Kilbride * Tamara Knox * Trista Lawson * Cynthia Lee * Ursula Litzcke * Margot Louis * Alex Maas * Juli MacDonnell * Natalie Raven Mack * Barbara Jo May * Melinda Munro * Lou Nelson * Susan Penfold * Clara Penner * Carole Pettigrew * Catherine Racine * Dorothy Randall * Roberta Rich * Adrianne Ross * Jane Rule * Bev & William Sheridan * Ginny Stikeman * Penny Thompson * Maureen Trotter * Sharon Van Volkingburgh * Susan Wendell * Lorrie Williams * Habiba Zaman » Kim Zander * BC Tel * UBC Women's Studies Class A special thanks to our donors who give every month. Monthly donations assist VSW in establishing a reliable funding base to carry out our programs, services and Kinesis throughout the year. Thanks to: Lissa Geller * Jody Gordon * Erin Graham * Barbar Lebrasseur * Eha Onno * Valerie Raoul * Sheilah Thopmson VSW wishes to give a special thanks to the following supporters who helped this year's Recommending Women, one of the most successful events ever. Thanks to: Veda Abu-Bakare * Joan Anderson * Laura Anderson * Helen Babalos * Sherry Baker * Wendy Baker * Ray Boucher * Charlene Brisson * Patricia Browne * Nalda Callender * Lorraine Cameron * Leslie Campbell * Sarah Cepeliauskas * Jane Clapp * Heather Commodore * Andrea Cowrin * Barbara Curran * Louise deBruijne * Elizabeth Fortes * Chrystal Fowler * Heather Frazer * Gina Gagne * Noga Gayle * Ieke Geise * Erin Graham * Una Grayston * Miriam Gropper * Nora Grove * Louise Hager * Ellen Hammer * Margit Hannah * Joey Hartman * Kelly Haydon * Cat L'Hirondelle * Noma Homer * Agnes Huang * Connie Hubbs * Fatima Jaffer * Audrey Johnson * Jennifer Johnstone * Naomi Katz * Else Kennedy * Vivian Kerenyi * Ann Kujundzic * Andrea Mellalieu * Melinda Munro * Karen Kilbride * Fiona Lam * Louise LeClair * Ursula Litzcke * Alex Maas * Aylene McDonald * Shona Moore * Shani Mootoo * Myrtle Mowatt * Joanne Namsoo * Eha Onno * Ema Oropeza * Henriette Orth * Clea Parfitt * Jerilynn Prior * Joshephine Rekart * Claire Robillard * Joan Robillard * Christina Schut * Esther Shannon * Simi Sara * Colleen Sheridan * Maggie Sherlock * Linda Shuto * Joanne Silver * Mary Woo Sims * Silvia Simpson * Marion Smith * Jehn Starr * Kathy Stringer * Penny Thompson * Gale Tyler * Nadia Vidas * Maggie Watts-Hammond * Analee Weinberger * Yvonne Wetherall * Lorrie Williams * Ellen Woodsworth * Kate Young * BC Federation of Labour * Burnaby Teachers Association * Eli Lilly Canada * Women In Print They say that April showers bring May flowers...well, for Kinesis this was true. You may have noticed that Kinesis did not publish an April 1998 issue. First off, we apologize to all our readers, and thank you for your continued support. But now, we are happy to say that with May on the way, we were able to produce what we believe is an informative and fun- filled issue. We hope you agree. As mentioned in Inside Kinesis in our March issue, Kinesis (like many other feminist and alternative publications) is going through some difficult times, mainly around our financial and staffing situations. At the end of February, Kinesis and the Vancouver Status of Women, our publisher, made the decision to not publish our April 1998 issue. It was a very difficult decision to make, especially as Kinesis has never not made it to press in our 24-year herstory. Kinesis is coming out again with renewed excitement in large part because of the women in Vancouver and across Canada who are doing what they can to help us get subscriptions and submissions. We have also been encouraged by the words of so many women about the value of Kinesis and the criticalness of having a national feminist newspaper in Canada. The Editorial Board oiKinesis has also recently been rejuvenated with the addition of more and more women. This month, we'd like to welcome Ellen Woodsworth and Colleen Sheridan. Ellen is a longtime contributor to Kinesis, and a very active activist. She works as a seniors advocate in the Downtown Eastside and is a member of VSW's Coordinating Collective. Colleen has been a regular volunteer around Kinesis and VSW for more than a year now, and we've only just discovered her fabulous talents as a cartoonist/artist [see back page and page 4.] Welcome to both Ellen and Colleen. We'd also like to thank the women who joined Ed Board and VSW staff and Coordinating Collective members for two short- term planning meetings (so far; there are more to come). These women—Jennifer Johnstone, Esther Shannon, Nancy Pollak, Cat L'Hirondelle and Jackie Brown—all have a longtime connection with Kinesis, and their contributions are appreciated. One thing Kinesis has launched is a fundraising campaign to help us cover our deficit incurred over the past year [check ou t page 10 for details.] We are also working on our annual Kinesis Benefit, which will hopefully happen in October. And we are planning to have a visioning meeting sometime in June. Women interested in joining in any of our projects and processes, please call us at 255-5499. This issue, we'd like to acknowledge a number of women for contributing their words, stories and analyses to Kinesis for the first time. Welcome and thanks to: Eileen Morrow, Pam MacEachern, Colleen Sheridan, Tanis Preiss, Margaret Denike, Harriet Nahanee, Adele McCrank, Assata Shakur, Dawn Livingstone, Ednoi Boun, Hannah Hadikein and Michelle Dodds. Also this month, Laura Quilici and Tanis Preiss joined us in the production room. We were glad that they came in and brought us smiles and good cheer. If you're interested in writing or helping out during production, please call Agnes at 255-5499. Our next story meetings are May 5 and June 2 at 7pm. Or drop by during production of our June issue from May 19-26. Hope to see you. That's it for this month inside Kinesis. Have a great month and...enjoy the flow- Corrections Kinesis made a few errors and omissions in our March 1998 issue, which we apologize for. In our story on federal funding for women's organizations [page 3,] we featured the speech given by Audrey Johnson of the Vancouver Status of Women at the press conference organized by the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. We should als have noted the other speakers on the panel: Jon Leah Hopkins of NAC, Fay Blaney from NAC and the Aboriginal Women's Action Network, Marjorie Cohen, and economist and professor in the Women's Studies Department at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver Downtown Eastside and seniors community activist Ellen Woodsworth. In our informational piece on the Joint Senate/House Committee on Custody and Access [page 5,] we said that the Committee was reviewing provisions in the Divorce Act. In fact, it is looking into the issues of custody and access, and not specific provi sions of the legislation itself. For an update on the Committee hearings, see this issue, page 5. We also had some problems with the images in the March issue. Unfortunately, because of problems accessing our 256-bit colour video card—apparently, that is an important thing to have working—we were unable to use Photoshop. Thatmeant we didn'thave as much control over the quality of the photos we printed. So, we'd like to apologize to the photographers who took those images and the to the women in the photos. In particular, we apologize to Mabel Nipshank and the women in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside for the photo that ran with the short piece on the Valentine's March [page 5.] Still, on the issue of images...in our IWD centrespread, we forgot to credit Kelly Haydon for the beautiful painting she created for the IWD March in Vancouver. Sorry, Kelly. MAY 1998 News Women and breast cancer: Trials, tribulations and Tamoxifen by Penni Mitchell You'd think that if anyone would be excited about the prospect of Tamoxifen preventing breast cancer, it would be Nora Gambioli, executive director of the Canadian Breast Cancer Network (CBCN), a consumer advocacy organization whose board members are all breast cancer survivors. After all, many of the organization's directors have also taken Tamoxifen, and like other Canadian breast cancer advocates, the organization is keen on research aimed at cancer prevention. However, Gambioli says that in the aftermath of last month's news that researchers involved in a Washington-based study concluded that Tamoxifen can be used to prevent breast cancer among high risk women, the directors of the Network are "very cautious" about the conclusions being drawn by the study's researchers. "This is not a cure," Gambioli says of the preliminary results, issued by the US National Cancer Institute (NCI), the sponsors of the study. Initially the Washington study was supposed to span seven years, until the year 2000. However, it was called off two years early because the researchers felt they had achieved a "breakthrough" in cancer prevention. British medical researchers were quick to offer a second opinion. They called the decision to call off the study before its long- term effects could be determined "premature," and they seem to have a point. Tamoxifen's ability to block cancer cells from growing is in fact not new; the drug has been used for 20 years to reduce recurrence of breast cancer among certain postmenopausal women with breast cancer. Tamoxifen's success rate at preventing recurrence of breast cancer in post-meno- pausal women after surgery reaches a high of 40 percent; however, it is only half as effective for breast cancer patients under 50. The study has raised more than the hopes of women who are being encouraged to believe that Tamoxifen is a magic bullet that will reduce their chances of getting breast cancer. It also raises critical questions about cancer research and the meaning of preventative medicine. Chief among the questions is whether it is ethical to give symptomless women at risk for one type of cancer a drug that will double their risk of another type of cancer, and increase other health risks. The study involved 13,000 women determined to be "high risk" because of their post-menopausal status, family history of breast cancer, or their diagnosis of having pre-cancerous cells. About 10 percent of the subjects were Canadian. Half of the women were given Tamoxifen; half a placebo. A total of 1.8 percent (239 women) of the participants have been diagnosed with breast cancer since the study began in 1992. Among the 6,500 taking Tamoxifen, the breast cancer detail from "Suzanna and the Elders" by Artemisia Gentileschi, 1610. a "medical breakthrough." But Tamoxifen, like most drugs, has negative effects as well as positive one. In this case, Tamoxifen users in the study had more than twice the rate of uterine cancer-five percent (33 cases) compared to two percent (14 cases)—as the control group. The Tamoxifen link to uterine cancer is well known; in fact, it's the reason the Hamilton Regional Cancer Centre pulled out of the Washington study in 1992. As well, in 1994, the Washington study was temporarily halted following reports of four uterine cancer deaths in a different US Tamoxifen study. An earlier Swedish study also found uterine cancer rates six times higher among those who took Tamoxifen for two to five years—nearly two percent (23 out of 1,372) had uterine cancer compared to .04 percent (four out of 1,327) in the control group. In the Washington study, 17 women taking Tamoxifen were diagnosed with pulmonary embolisms (compared to six in the control group). Two of them died. The Breast Cancer Resources Canadian Breast Cancer Network 102 - 207 Bank St., Ottawa, On. K3P2N2 (613) 788-3311 <http://www.cbcn.ca>provides a range of information on breast cancer, as well as links to other internet resources and extensive list of about 500 advocacy and support groups. Canadian Cancer Society's Cancer Information Service toll-free and bilingual 1 -888-939-3333 For emotional support groups and information Breast Cancer Info Link, Alberta Resources Cancer Board 1331-29 St., NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4N2 Produces many information sheets including the "ABC's of Finding Information on Breast Cancer" and "How to Evaluate Media Reports about Research", [see page 6] available from CIS. tel. (403) 670-2113 toll-free 1-800-555-8698, fax (403) 670-2899 Internet resources Especially useful Oncolink: <http://cancer.med.upenn.edu/> Vancouver Women's Health Collective #219-1676 West 8th Ave, Vancouver, BC, V6J 1V2 tel. (604) 736-4234 Women's Health Clinic 2nd floor, 419 Graham Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 0M3 Alliance of Breast Cancer Survivors Toronto (416) 487-9899 Breast Cancer Action - • Kingston - Mary Stewart (613) 531 -7311 • Ottawa - Kim Ostrum (613) 736-5921 • Montreal - Sharon Butt (504) 483-1846 • Saskatchewan - Patty Newton (306) 586-9191 • Calgary - (403) 686-6395 • Nova Scotia - Virginia Cronin (902) 443-5681 rate was 1.3 percent (85); in the control group of 6,500 it was 2.3 percent (154). In all, there were 69 more breast cancers diagnosed among the group taking a placebo, about 45 percent more. If this were the end of the story, the findings may have lived up to its billing as oncologists involved in the study dismissed these diseases as just side effects, and their opinion that the benefits outweighed the risks seemed irrefutable. One oncologist, whose bedside manner was particularly touching, remarked that even aspirin can kill you. Unless the women involved in the study are tracked until their deaths, the beneficial effects of Tamoxifen in reducing overall breast cancer incidents compared to increasing uterine cancer incidents cannot be accurately assessed. The reaction of the Tamoxifen oncologists to the uterine cancer risk has been to state that uterine cancer is 'easier to treat' than breast cancer—that is, with hysterectomies. The five-year survival rate of women with uterine cancer compare to women with breast cancer is about the same: 72 percent and 68 percent, respectively. With mortality rates for breast cancer continuing to decline, it begs the question: on what medical basis do these guys justify prescribing one type of cancer over another? Even Zeneca Pharmaceuticals' own literature notes a small link to cancer of the liver, as well as "secondary tumours," birth defects and spontaneous abortions. Tamoxifen brought in about $500 million per year to Zeneca, the company which was also the corporate mastermind behind the creation of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the US. Other items in Zeneca's product line have also been questioned for their safety to individuals and the environment. The Women's Community Cancer Project in Massachusetts has linked Zeneca's herbicide Acetochlor to cancer, and reports that the company was charged with dumping DDTs and PCBs (two of the most carcinogenic substances known) into the Los Angeles and Long Beach harbours. In contrast to the medical research establishment and the media's obsession with finding the "miracle cure" for breast cancer, women's health advocates are pressing for solutions to the root causes of the disease. Last July at the World Conference on Breast Cancer in Kingston, Ontario, hundreds of breast cancer activists, researchers and authors demanded more publicly funded research on environmental causes of breast cancer and other forms of cancer in NorthAmerica. The CBCN itself is calling for a phase out of hormone-disrupting chemicals from the production and pollution created by pesticides, plastics and chlorine-based products in Canada. In spite of efforts to involve more cancer survivors in directing cancer research, Gambioli says she knows of no Canadian research currently underway on environmental causes of breast cancer. Side effects aside, the most notable limitation of Tamoxifen appears to be its long-term effectiveness. Reports on its use suggest that patients appear to become resistant to its protective properties within about five years. Presumably, the researchers in the Washington NCI study were aware of the drug's time-limited benefits when they discontinued their drug study after five years. Tamoxifen is already being seeTAMOXIFENpage6 News Women in academia: Witch hunt at York by Kelly Haydon Nancy Nicol won on a technicality, but nevertheless it was a victory. Last December, an arbitration board at York University ruled in Nicol's favour and reinstated her in the Faculty of Fine Arts. Nicol's battle with York started in December 1995 when Susan Mann, the president of the university, overturned Nicol's positive tenure recommendation and terminated her from the Faculty of Visual Arts. Although her tenure committee recommended Nicol for tenure with high competence and York's Senate Committee gave her an unanimous vote of support, Mann vetoed it. This was an unprecedented move by a university president at York. Mann's decision was based on 22 anonymous negative comments culled from student evaluations during Nicol's six years of teaching at York. Nicol's classes had up to 270 students. Apart from those comments, there was nothing else negative in her file. According to these few evaluations, Nicol was "too feminist," "too Marxist," "a manhater," et cetera. Six comments from a lecture of 117 students that said she was "biased" were used against her, while eight positive comments from the same class that said she was "inspiring" were ignored. Nicol is an award-winning video maker and interdisciplinary artist, a socialist and an activist with a long history of involvement in labour and social justice issues. Her video work, includes: Gay Pride and Prejudice, A Choice for Irish Women, The Struggle for Choice, and Working for Piece Work Wages. Her most recent video, directed in collaboration with Panday Sirring, is Migrante: stories and songs of Filipino migrant workers. Critical in Mann's decision was an evaluation letter from the Dean of Fine Arts Seth Feldman. Feldman spent two of a two- and-a-half page letter focusing on students' negative comments. He wrote that "[Nicol] has incited animosity and hatred...," and "she has to do more than preach to the converted..." In support of Nicol's case, York Women's Studies Professor Linda Briskin wrote: "It is no surprise that, in a heterogenous student population, [feminist] material would elicit some negative and even hostile reaction especially in the current climate of backlash to feminism...Feminist faculty need to know that the university administration will stand by our attempts to introduce this material, even in a hostile climate." Her fight had gone on for two long years, and according to Nicol, if it had not been for the support of students and her faculty colleagues who marched on the president's office with banners and signs, she might not have won. Ten days after the protest, the arbitrator brought forth his positive ruling. The arbitrator ruled in favour of the York University Faculty Association (YUFA), which represented Nicol, stating that comments culled from the student evaluations were anonymous and therefore a breach of the collective agreement. The arbitrator ruled that Mann's use of the negative evaluations from Nicol's file violated the clause that states, "Unless specifically requested by the employee, no anonymous material other than aggregated statistical information recorded in student evaluations shall be kept concerning any employee." Because the case was won on a legal technicality, it did not address the real issue of discrimination against lesbians and women. Two similar cases, involving presidential denial of positive tenure reviews, also went to arbitration boards around the same time as Nicol's case did. Both appeals were filed by women, and in both, part of their grievances alleged discrimination. Although York is reputed as being one of the most "progressive" universities in Canada, a pay equity evaluation found that 80 percent of female faculty were eligible for pay increase. This is so even though wage disparities under $2500 are deemed ineligible for compensation. There are no women on the Senate, and less than one- third of faculty are women, almost all of whom are at the assistant professor or sessional level—that is, untenured. The arbitration decision also did not address the wider issue of using student teaching evaluations for promotion decisions and the potential for abuse. Student Evaluation Forms (SEFs) were originally implemented for informational feedback to faculty so they might be more aware of students' needs. According to Robert Haskell, an education policy analyst, since the 1960s SEFs have been increasingly used in decisions of tenure and promotion. The number of institutions using student ratings has escalated from 29 percent to 86 percent. Given the increasing emphasis on SEFs, it can be a dangerous tool. According to a study of 78 arbitration decisions, Haskell writes, "it is hard to ignore the growing evidence of abuse, caus- Nancy Nicol ing harm to individual careers and undermining institutional goals." The use of SEF's can be particularly dangerous for women or minority group faculty members. There is some research that suggests in the case of minority group faculty, the usual power dynamic between faculty and student can be reversed. A professor's formal power over students does not prevent harassment in the form of anonymous sexual or anti-feminist comments on student evaluations. Nicol comments that, "SEFs can and do reflect political and cultural conflicts. If this is not understood, the weighing of this material can create a 'chilling' effect on academic freedom and undermine affirmative action". Both Susan Mann and Seth Feldman are no longer at York. Mann left without completing her term, and Feldman was motivated to leave as a result of a non-confidence vote. After Nicol was reinstated, her salary was returned to the level it was at when she was pushed out of York, and she was repaid for a year of missed salary. Anonymous comments have been purged from her file. However, despite receiving support the first time, the York Administration insists Nicol must go through the tenure review process again. YUFA, on the other hand, argues that Nicol's file should just be sent to the new president, Lorna Marsden, for review. Of her ordeal, Nicol says: "I have learned one thing from these four years: I am a passionate, point-of-view documentary artist, a committed teacher and an advocate of social justice. No one's work and teaching should ever be condemned because of commitment and advocacy for justice and equality." Kelly Haydon wants to be the president of any or all universities in Canada when she grows up. She loves the academia and particularly enjoys hanging out with the old boys. Graphic Nancy Peterson broadsheet no 122 September 1984 News Custody and access hearings in Canada: Women given rough ride [Ed note: The second day of Committee hearings in Vancouver (on April 28) was cancelled as Members of Parliament on the Committee had to quickly return to Ottawa for a vote on the issue of compensation for people who contracted Hepatitis C through tainted blood. It is anticipated that the hearings in Vancouver will be rescheduled for either mid- or late-May.] The all-party Joint Senate/House of Commons Committee on Custody and Access started its trek across Canada in March. The mandate of the Committee is to look into issues of custody and access in general, and not at specific provisions of the Divorce Act. Already, after only a few hearings in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal, it has become clear that the voices of right-wing men have a lot of sway with many members of the Committee. The Transition Houses (OAITH), and Pam men's and fathers' rights groups, in fact, have MacEachern, a family law lawyer with received much support for their claims. Mean- Nelligan/Power in Ottawa, talk about their ex- while, women's groups and feminists have been periences before the Joint Committee, constantly interrogated about the credibility of their stories and statistics. Below, Eileen Morrow, the lobby coordinator of the Ontario Association of Interval and Feminists told to answer to men's groups'claims by Eileen Morrow OAITH appeared at the hearings in Toronto on March 31. We presented along with two other groups, the Assaulted Women's Helpline (AWH), a 24-hour crisis line service in Toronto, and Families Against Deadbeats, a grassroots group of mostly women who came to speak to issues of child support. In my many years of presenting to government public policy hearings and committees, I have never experienced anything like the treatment we received from the Joint Committee. The room, a cavernous space in one of the most expensive hotels in the city, was filled with men's and fathers' 'rights' group members, who were also picketing outside the hotel. We made our five-minute presentations, then AWH and OAITH were treated to an interrogation, literally, by some of the Joint Committee members, especially Liberal MP Paul Szabo (the MP who proposed mandatory divorce school last year) and Liberal Senator Anne Cools. Soon after the question period began, the focus began to centre on Ruth Hislop, my co-presenter from OATTH, and me. We were asked to account for all the specious claims made by the men who had spoken to the Committee before us—we were on the second day of a three-day stop in Toronto. The witness list for our day was heavily weighted with men's and father's 'rights' representatives—including Kirby Inwood, a convicted wife beater who hit the media a few years back after bringing, with much hoopla, his new bride from Russia to "freedom" in Canada, then assaulting her and their new baby a few months later. While we made our presentation, the men seated behind us heckled, hooted and snickered. They laughed when Beth Bennett of AWH talked about woman-killing. During the question period, they clapped and jeered. No order was called. I was called for order, however, when I interrupted Szabo and talked over him. (He was claiming that in 80 percent of cases, women get custody. I was saying that's because men don't want custody and when they do, they get it 50 percent of the time.) We were asked about women who lie about abuse, especially child abuse, because they heard "experts" tell them women make up stories of abuse during custody and access disputes. We were asked to comment on violence against men. We were asked to agree that mediation is a good idea, even in cases of violence. At one point, Conservative Senator Mabel DeWare explained that we were being asked these questions because we were presenting a different point of view from the one they'd heard so far, and they wanted us to comment on claims of the presenters who supported the so-called men's and fathers' rights. Anne Cools demanded—yes, that's the word—to know our statistics on women in shelters who are seeking divorce, and specifically how many of them had been threatened with a gun or knife. When we didn't have the numbers on hand—since they would tell us nothing about the tactics of violent men who use custody and access to further abuse women and children—we were accused of coming "unprepared" to the hearings. (I was reminded of meetings held last year during the annual consultations with women's groups by the Department of Justice. Women met with officials of the Department to talk about the need to reform the Divorce Act and family law in general so that they reflect an equality analysis and provide protection for women and children. We were asking the Department to include a preamble in the Act regarding violence against women and its impact on children. We were asking the Department to direct family court judges to consider see MORROW page 7 Written briefs by groups or individuals can be submitted to the Committee up until June 30. Contact Richard Rumas, Clerk, Special Joint Committee on Child Custody and Access, Parliament of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6; tel: (613) 996- 1664; fax: (613) 947-9670; e-mail: sjca@parl.gc.ca. (The National Association of the Women and the Law has prepared guidelines on how to make submissions to government committees. For a copy, call NAWL at (613) 241- 7570.) For transcripts of the presentations at the hearings to date; the hearing schedule and list of presenters; and other information, access the Committee's website: www.parl.gc.ca. After you get there, choose the language option you prefer; then select "Parliamentary business" [for those who chose English,] then "Committee business," then "List of Committees: House of Commons," then "Child custody and access." Homophobia is not in a child's best interest by Pam MacEachern I appeared with John Fisher before the Committee on March 23 in Ottawa as part of its "Non-Traditional Family" segment on behalf of EGALE (Equality for Gays and Lesbians Everywhere). We were joined on the panel by lawyer Cynthia Peterson, Carleton University professor Katherine Arnup and lawyer Philip MacAdam to speak about lesbian and gay custody and access issues. Basically, our recommendations were that 1. sexual orientation should not be a negative factor in determining the "best interests of the child;" 2. a heterosexual parent should be encouraged to support the parenting of the lesbian or gay parent. That is, homophobic attitudes by the heterosexual parent should be seen as being contrary to the "best interests of the child;" 3. judicial education (and public education) is needed to combat homophobic attitudes; and 4. the federal government must remove barriers to equal parenting by lesbians and gays. That is, it must review its laws to ensure discrimination against lesbians and gay men is removed (for example, in income tax law). As you might have expected, we received a mixed response. Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett seemed to be quite supportive and showed a strong analysis and understanding of lesbian and gay issues, and family violence. However, then there was Reform MP Ken Epp, who believes that long-term traditional marriages should prima facie be seen as the best places for kids. He appears to be completely ignorant of the reality of family violence, as this was not a factor in his description of what made a good environment for children. He was shocked when told that all studies indicate there is no difference between the parenting provided by lesbians and gays and that provided by heterosexuals. The most disturbing points during our presentation came from Senator Anne Cools. Cools initially appeared to be friendly towards lesbians and gay men, or actually, just gay men. She has a very strong anti-women attitude. Here is how she worked (aside from constantly interrupting other speakers, including Committee see MACEACHERN page 7 News The First Women in Canada: Too many potential 'Connies' by Agnes Huang The tragedy of the shooting of Connie Jacobs and her son Ty goes beyond their deaths. It speaks more broadly to the critical situation facing many Aboriginal women. On March 22, Jacobs and her nine-year old son were shot dead by an RCMP officer on the Tsuu T'ina Reserve, near Calgary, Alberta. The killings occurred after a band social worker and police tried to seize six children from Jacob's home. Viola Thomas of the United Native Nations (UNN) says the killing of Connie and Ty Jacobs is an example of the "domestic terrorism" that exists in Aboriginal communities. "The way the mainstream legal system chooses to respond to violence [against women] is to apprehend their children, and not to confront the perpetrators of violence and their abusive behaviours," says Thomas, whose organization represents off-reserve Aboriginal people in British Columbia. These assaults on Aboriginal women and children are the result of post-traumatic stress from residential schools and poverty, she adds. They are also indicators that all levels of government—federal, provincial, municipal and Indian Act [band/tribal]— are unable to effectively meet the needs of Aboriginal women and children. Marilyn Buffalo, president of the Native Women's Association of Canada, says what is also tragic is how quickly such incidents drop out of most people's consciousness. "If this had happened in Downtown Vancouver, then there'd be public outcry and it would be on the front cover every day," says Buffalo. "But when it happens on an Indian reserve, in two days or a week, it's forgotten." The deaths hit Buffalo in a very personal way. Both she and Jacobs are from the Samson Cree Nation, and Buffalo knows Jacob's mother well. "Not a day goes by when I don't think about Connie and Ty." The RCMP says it is conducting an internal investigation of the incident to determine if criminal charges against the officer who shot Connie and Ty Jacobs are warranted. The Alberta government has also indicated that after the RCMP investigation is completed, it will begin a fatality inquiry to look into the circumstances of the deaths. Buffalo says it is important that governments don't treat Connie and Ty's deaths as an isolated incident. "Everyday, women call our office saying, 'I'm a potential Connie, what should I do? Should I move to the city where I may have more access to housing, or should I stay on reserve where I have family support?'." What needs to be addressed are the broader issues of systemic sexism and racism against Aboriginal women and their children, and the lack of support and opportunities for them. The UNN's Thomas says priority must be given to ensure there are enough gender specific programs for Aboriginal women and children, both on and off reserve. Marilyn Buffalo echoes that sentiment: "If you help an Aboriginal woman, the chances of her family, her husband, her partner and her children surviving are much, much higher. My mother was a single parent and she raised all of us—that's where I learned to be a leader." [At front, left to right] Mabel Nipshank, Marilyn McGillis and Reta Blind at a vigil for Connie andTy Jacobs in Vancouver, organized by the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre. from TAMOXIFEN page 3 replaced in many cases by more effective anticancer drugs. Unless new markets for the drug are found, its days might be numbered. Popular media is fuelling women's fears of getting breast cancer fear by citing merely being female as a risk factor for the disease. Similarly, since 80 percent of all breast cancers occur in women over 50, reaching menopause is now labelled a risk factor. Even the category of 'high-risk' appears to be a bit of a misnomer. It is not clear that women in the Washington study all had a strong family history of breast cancer (a mother or sister). Of all women diagnosed with breast cancer, less than 10 percent of them have a strong family history of the disease, so targeting women who researchers categorize as 'high risk' in fact leaves out 90 percent of women who get breast cancer. Based on what is known so far about Tamoxifen, its ability to block cancer cell growth may be temporary, simply delaying breast cancer while increasing risks for uterine cancer and pulmonary embolisms. Another question which would remain unanswered without follow-up study on the women in the Washington study is whether Tamoxifen benefits women later diagnosed with breast cancer who were given the drug as a preventative treatment. One woman who phoned me when the Tamoxifen study was being sold to Canadian women as 'new hope' in the fight against breast cancer was infuriated by the drug's link to conditions like blood clots in the lungs. "You can live without your tits," she said rather undiplomatically, "but you can't live without your lungs." Penni Mitchell is the coordinating editor of Herizons, a feminist magazine based in Winnipeg. Excerpts from "How to Evaluate Media Reports About Research" Is this the first study to show a new finding or relationship? It usually takes many studies and years of research before definite conclusions can be drawn. Did the researchers study people like you? Some studies may not apply to you. Look at the characteristics of the people studied to see if they match yours. Was the study big enough? Small studies rarely provide reliable results unless the observed change is extremely large. How strong is the relationship and what is its impact? Sometimes risk is expressed in a way that makes it seem larger than it is. It's important to know something about the size of the baseline risk to understand if the increase is significant. Who funded the study? If the funding agency has a vested interest in the results, the findings may be less credible. What about research suggesting that certain conditions cause cancer? Ask yourself if the condition caused cancer, if the cancer caused the condition, or if both were caused by something else? Prospective or forward-looking studies are more reliable than retrospective or observational studies. Does the research finding make biological sense? On the other hand, it helps to remain open to explanations that do not fit existing beliefs, because sometimes they need modification. Should you change your behaviour or habits because of research results? Try to place your own value on the health improvement you might gain from changing your behaviour and compare this with the personal and financial costs of making the behaviour change. ("How to Evaluate Media Reports About Research" is available from Canadian Cancer Society's Cancer Information Service toll-free and bilingual 1-888-939-3333) What's News compiled by Leanne Keltie Anti-abortionists' racket busted It was brought in to deal with the mob, but last month the United States' federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law (RICO) was used to go after the anti-choice movement. A US federal jury in Illinois found three anti-abortion activists—Joseph Scheidler, Timothy Murphy and Andre Sholberg—guilty of engaging in 21 acts of extortion to shut down abortion clinics across the country. Operation Rescue and the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League were also convicted for having played a part in the scheme. The lawsuit against the three men and two organizations was first filed by the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1986. In 1994, the US Supreme Court gave NOW permission to refile its case under the racketeering statue. They were joined in the suit by two abortion clinics. RICO was passed by the US Congress in 1970 as a weapon against organized crime. In this case, the judge ruled that the anti-abortionists' "organized crime" was the systematic harassment and threatening of abortion service providers and clients of abortion clinics. The class-action ruling ordered the convicted men and organizations to pay more than $250,000. (The damages awarded were just over $85,000, which is tripled under the racketeering law.) "This is the biggest courtroom defeat for the anti-abortion movement ever," declared Fay Clayton, lawyer for NOW. Joseph Scheidler, the executive director of the Pro-Life Action League, complained: "They want to bankrupt us; there's no question about that." The ruling could indeed wind up costing the anti-choice movement millions. It's a landmark decision that will likely spark more claims by as many as 1,000 other abortion clinics across the country. Clayton declared: "When they prey on a woman's fears to make her give up her rights, that's extortion." Letters target abortion service providers A well-known anti-abortionist in Vancouver has being warned by the Registered Nurses Association of BC (RNABC) not to refer to her RN status in her campaign to identify abortion service providers. The RNABC says Cecilia von Dehn's action violates the licensing body's code of ethics. In March, under the guise of the group PRICE (Patients Rights Informed Consent Ethics,) von Dehn sent out letters to health care providers across the province calling on them to give her information about doctors who are either performing abortions or giving referrals for them. Von Dehn has a long history of harassing individuals and groups who support women's reproductive rights and freedoms. She owns a house across the street from the Everywoman's Health Centre, a free-standing abortion clinic in Vancouver, in order to better spread her anti-choice propaganda. And last year, she tried to crash the organizing committee for the local International Women's Day event. Although von Dehn claims the list is being compiled only for a boycott; doctors and other abortion service providers fear the information could be used as a hit list and distributed on the Internet for any potential assassin to see. One Victoria doctor says she has seen a letter very similar to the one von Dehn is sending out from the extreme anti-choice group called Life Dynamics of Denton, Texas. "Given there have been attacks— shootings of doctors—we're quite concerned." says BCNU president Ivory Warner. "Nurses have a high level of credibility and trust. It's inappropriate for this nurse to use her status to give credibility to this campaign." Von Dehn, who has not worked as an RN for many years, only has to pay her $51 to maintain her status. The recent letter campaign by von Dehn mirrors a similar request for information on abortion service providers sent out in March by the Kelowna Right to Life Society. The BC Medical Association has called on Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh to do everything possible to prevent physicians from being harassed. Dosanjh has forwarded a copy of both anti-choice letters to his ministry's criminal justice branch. from MORROW page 5 violence against women in determining the best interests of children. Rather than using the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the gender equality analysis of the Justice Department to protect women and children from abuse under the Divorce Act, the department put this responsibility back onto us. They suggested that we take our view to the Senate/Commons hearings, reminding us that fathers' rights groups would be vocal there and it was important for us to counter their claims.) Finally during Cools' questioning, Erminie Cohen, a Conservative Senator from New Brunswick, who is apparently on the board of a shelter, was so upset she started to cry in frustration and accused members of the Committee of turning the hearings into a "war zone." That is a pretty accurate description of the problem. Mercifully, time ran out. Afterwards, women came up to us to say thank you, including survivors who explained that they couldn't speak in that public a forum. Outside the room, the guys were doing their usual stalking behaviour around us: lurking around, coming up behind us, and trying to eavesdrop on our conversations. All in all however, I think the Globe and Mail front-page article [of April 1] about our appearance at the hearings showed how disrespectful and frankly reprehensible the whole episode was. It was, however, one of the few times I've seen the mainstream media accurately report the behaviour of many of the fathers' 'rights' promoters towards women in these forums. AWH and OAITH will be writing a letter to the minister of justice and the Committee to protest the treatment we got there. Sadly, we didn't get to talk about the issues we came to present—the tragedy of violence against women and how family law is used as a weapon by abusers against women and children escaping violence. Hopefully, other women will take up the challenge of facing the Committee and speaking out about those issues. Recommending Women Thanks Vancouver Status of Women's annual fundraising gala, Recommending Women IX, was a huge success in large part due to the support of members of our local community. Special thanks to the following businesses who sponsored the event or donated prizes to our fundraising raffle: Armitage & Associates * BC Woman Magazine * Diane's Lingerie & Loungeware * Eaglequest Golf Centres * Full Bloom Flowers * The Fringe Festival * GAIA Adventures * Marine Printers * Betty Nickerson * Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment * Shoppers Drug Mart, Park Royal South * Soma Therapy Centre * VanCity Credit Union * The Vancouver Cannucks Hockey Club * The Vancouver Grizzlies Basketball Club * The Vancouver International Comedy Festival VSW would also like thank the artists who contributed to the silent art auction: Gaile Addison * Cecilia Broisier * Claire Kujundzic * Linda Lencovic * Diane Levings * Rae Mate * Shani Mootoo * Trina Moulin * Marina Papias * Nora Patrich * Karen Patterson * Rachael Sawatsky * Suzanne Summersgill * Tien We * BC Society of Spanish Speaking Women * The Van Dop Gallery And finally, thanks to all the women who volunteered their time to make RWIX such a rousing success. from MACEACHERN page 5 members, and talking or laughing loudly while others spoke): She reasons that most women get custody and most men don't. Therefore, lesbians, being women, must be getting custody a lot and it is really just gay men who are getting hurt, along with other men. This means it is discrimination against men, not gays, that is the root problem. She asked the men on the panel to tell her some real life stories to support her theory. She specifically requested stories in which the mother had made sexual abuse allegations against gay fathers. The men on the panel didn't fall for this and responded wonderfully Basically, Cools was trying to co-opt discrimination against gay men to further her personal agenda. She likes to collect personal stories and refers frequently to her piles and piles of "real life" data. To cap off the moment, at one point the discussion lead to domestic violence. Carolyn Bennett raised this issue, asking what the Committee could do to assist in dealing with the problem of domestic violence in lesbian and gay relationships. The panel responded that the Committee should be doing what it can to end all discrimination against lesbians and gay men so that we can at least get the necessary support and access to resources. Cools then jumped off with a question: Did we know the statistics of violence in lesbian relationships? Well she did. And, according to her, lesbian relationships are more violent than any other relationships. Hence, in Coolian logic, women are more violent than men. Eeek! We did say quite strongly that her "statistics" are bogus. All in all, the experience can only be described as "incredible" or "outrageous." Cools' ability to take discrimination against lesbians and gay men and try to turn it around into a perfect example of violent women who make false sexual abuse allegations was unreal. For a copy of EGALE's brief on lesbian and gay custody and access issues, contact EG ALE at: #306-177 Nepean St, Ottawa, Ontario, K2Q 0B4; tel: (613) 230-1043; fax: (613) 230-9395; e-mail: egale@egale.ca; or website: www.egale.ca/~egale. r A woman owned and operated business specializing in defensive driver training. Driver Improvement and Retraining Become a confident and safe driver with an experienced instructor ■ Movement Matters listings information Movement Matters is designed to be a network of news, updates and information of special interest to the women's movement. Submissions to Movement Matters should be no more than 500 words, typed, double spaced and may be edited for length. Deadline is the 18th of the month preceding publication. compiled by Leanne Keltie, Hannah Hadikein & Michelle Dodds World March of Women in 2000 Almost 300 women's groups in 56 countries have already gotten involved in preparations for the World March of Women in the Year 2000. What a better way to ring in the new millenium than with actions and protests around the world against poverty and violence against women. The idea for the world march came out of the Quebec women's Bread and Roses March Against Poverty in 1995. That action was followed up by the National Women's March Against Poverty, which culminated in Ottawa in June 1996. Coordination of the march in Canada is once again being led by the Federation des femmes du Quebec. Because the scale of this protest will be both national and global, a lot of preparation is needed over the next year-and-a-half. The first of two international preparatory meetings for the World March of Women will take place later this year on October 17-18 in Montreal. More than 200 delegates from countries around the world are expected so far. The goals of the initial meeting are to come to some agreement on the objectives and primary demands of the march. While this may seem to be a daunting task, the purpose of these two international meetings is the ensure that the demands and actions of the Year 2000 March truly represent a global collaboration of women's movements. For further information about the first preparatory meeting or getting involved with the campaign, contact the World March of Women, c/o the FFQ, 5225 Berri, #100, Montreal, Quebec, H2J2S4; tel: (514) 948-5995; fax: (514) 948- 3264; or email: marche2000@ffq.qc.ca. New fund for women Former Member of Parliament Margaret Mitchell has recently started an endowment fund for women in Vancouver East, the riding she represented for more than two decades. Mitchell started the fund last November with the money she received from a pay raise that she voted against in parliament in 1980. Being a woman of her word, Mitchell set the money aside during her years in parliament and has now chosen to give it back to the women in her former riding. Priority will be given to projects that help alleviate poverty, promote equality, and help women to gain confidence and power. In addition, significant focus will be placed on poor women, Aboriginal women, and immigrant and refugee women. Since only the interest earned on the fund will be distributed to the community, the fund will continue to benefit women in Vancouver East for many years to come. The VanCity Community Foundation, the organization Mitchell endowed the money with, has also agreed to match a portion of the income earned for five years—an addition to the fund which will definitely increase its impact in the community. For more information on the fund, call the VanCity Community Foundation at (604) 877-7647. ContinuingKathleen Shannon's vision In 1974, Kathleen Shannon took on a challenge which became a landmark in Canadian history. Shannon was the driving force behind the establishment of a forum for women's filmmaking: Studio D of the National Film Board of Canada. The feminist film studio, with Shannon at the helm, would continue to thrive for the next two decades. Until its demise in 1995, Studio D produced more than 100 films and garnered over 75 awards, including two Academy Awards and a Genie. To help her survive the numerous management meetings with only one other woman at the table (who was busy taking notes), Shannon took up knitting. Not missing a stitch, she continued raising issues relevant to women's lives and promoting the perspectives of women through the medium of film. She dedicated most of her life to bringing visibility to women's lives and their work both inside and outside the home. After leaving Studio D in 1992, Shannon chose the Kootenays in south central British Columbia to relocate and work at realizing her vision of establishing a retreat centre for women. She was successful in creating a "serene haven" in the form of a guesthouse called Hestia's, 28 kilometres from Nelson. It was at Hestia's—with its offering of women's books, music and film, vegetarian food, wonderful walks in the surrounding woods, rejuvenation at the nearby hotsprings, and restful solitude—that Shannon moved closer to creating a safe place for women on their personal, emotional and spiritual healing journeys. Kathleen Shannon passed away suddenly in January 1998 at the age of 63, before some of her dreams and hopes could become reality. Establishing a lasting legacy to this woman, is a vision held by many who knew her. Her friends and allies are calling on all interested women to make contributions of knowledge, skills or money, or to simply participate in a visioning process to assist in securing Hestia's as a women's retreat. They are specifically appealing to women with the expertise to help set up a fund in Kathleen Shannon's name, establish a society, or offer other ideas for carrying her vision forward. Contact Hannah Hadikein in Nelson, BC at (250) 352-3609 to offer support or for more information. Last year, the NFB released a film on Shannon's life called, Kathleen Shannon: on film, feminism and other dreams... Amazing Greys on video Women and aging (beautifully) is the focus of a new video, Amazing Greys: Celebration of the Crone. The video is centred on the Amazing Greys Celebration, an annual gathering of older women for a weekend retreat of workshops, readings, sharing lots of fun...and of course, the Croning Ceremony. The major impetus behind the birth of the Amazing Greys was the publishing of Betty Nickerson's book, Old and Smart, which discusses aging in a very positive manner. The first celebration was held in October 1993 in Parksville on Vancouver Island. That event brought together 180 women to celebrate their age, maturity and wisdom. At the last celebration in September 1996, also held in Parksville, almost 200 women attended. (Sadly, the 1997 event had to be cancelled.) Amazing Greys, the video, was produced by Cathy Lowens and Lee Mclntyre. One amazing thing about the video was that it was made by a crew entirely of women. The video features the conversations of Else Kennedy, Betty Nickerson, Tor Forestberg, Paulette Smith and Maggie Anderson. These women, all of whom have long been active with the Amazing Greys celebrations, address a whole range of issue such as death, mortality and sexuality. As well, the whole Croning Ceremony at the 1996 celebration is shown. Organizers of the Amazing Greys Celebration say it is not just a once a year event. They always encourage older women to set up groups in their own communities, and younger women to learn from the experiences of older women and become "Amazing Greys in Training" (AGITs). As a compliment to the video, the producers have also prepared a facilitator's guidebook for those interested in holding workshops around issues raised in Amazing Greys. To obtain a copy of Amazing Greys, write to Lowens and Mclntyre, #102-935 Fairfield Rd, Victoria, BC, V8V 3A3; or e-mail: lcath@ampsc.com. The video sells for $39.95 for home use. Insitutions wishing to use the video as a teaching tool or to broadcast it should inquire as to the purchase cost. NAC-BC gives Hedy Fry an "award" The BC-Region of the NationalAction Committee on the Status of Women (NAC) held its Spring conference in Vancouver April 24 to 26. The conference was unofficially launched with a flurry of activity outside the constituency office of Hedy Fry, minister responsible for the status of women (SWC). Surrounded by more than a dozen news reporters, NAC representatives presented an achievement award to the minister for her government's "distinguished efforts in the de-funding and erosion of equality-seeking women's organizations in Canada." The award was accepted by Artur Wilczynski, Fry's executive assistant, on behalf of the minister. Since 1989, the federal government has cut funding to women's organizations by more than $5 million. New funding criteria, introduced by SWC last year, has also meant the elimination of program funding that supported the organizational infrastructure of women's groups. These untenable changes have put many women's groups, including NAC, in dire financial circumstances and in even more vulnerable positions of having to rely on women's unpaid work and volunteer efforts. Taking the federal government to task for its irresponsibility towards women continued throughout the regional conference. Fay Blaney, a vice-president of NAC and a member of the Aboriginal Women's Action Network, spoke about the ongoing effects of Bill C-31 on generations of Aboriginal women, and how Aboriginal women are agitating for change across the country. This bill, she said, is a continuation of a government policy of Aboriginal elimination. Kay Sinclair of the Public Service Alliance of Canada reported on the federal government's refusal to adequately implement pay equity (equal pay for work of equal value) legislation for the past 13 years. Unionized women earn 75 to 80 percent of men's earnings, and non-unionized women only 67 percent. A coalition of labour and women's groups, she suggested, could fight more strongly for accurate evaluation of women's work. Marjorie Cohen of Simon Fraser University talked about the devastating consequences of the pending Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI). She urged women to consider how their own political circumstances will be affected by this agreement that allows international corporations to escape or override national and local governance. A number of resolutions concerning immigration will be brought to the NAC annual general meeting in June. The resolutions ask NAC and its member groups to pressure the Canadian government to reject the new immigration proposals, recognize women from Islamic countries as refugees, grant permanent status to refugees, and stop the deportation of refugees to countries where they will be unsafe. In other NAC-BC regional business, Michelle Dodds, a recent graduate from SFU's Women's Studies program, agreed to sit as the co-regional representative for the Lower Mainland. She will share this position with Hannah Hadikein, the co-regional rep for South Central BC. For more information about NAC-BC or to get involved, contact Hannah Hadikein and Michelle Dodds through NAC's Vancouver office. Tel/fax: (604) 736-3346; or e-mail: hgh@net.idea.com or h Media coverage of violence against women and girls: Invisibilizing the obvious by Colleen Sheridan On March 24,1998, the day after reportedly announcing that he planned to shoot his "ex-girlfriend" and "all the people who broke up with him," 13-year old Mitchell Johnson along with his 11-year old cousin, Andrew Golden tried to do exactly that. After pulling the fire alarm at their Jonesboro, Ark. elementary school, the two boys, loaded with three rifles and four handguns, laid wait in the wooded area nearby. When the students and teachers filed out, Johnson and Golden opened fire, hitting 14 females and one male. Four girls were killed, as was a pregnant teacher who attempted to shield a female student. Candace Porter, Johnson's reported ex-girlfriend, was among the girls injured in the shooting. The two boys, both described as experienced at firing guns, used semi-automatic rifles complete with scopes in the attack. This tragedy is undeniably another horrifying example of male violenceagainstwomen, and yet, to hear it reported in the mainstream media, it would appear "deniable." While feminists feel the motive behind the murders is obvious, we continually read that so-called "experts" are still "struggling to shed light on the killings," citing such potential culprits as "popular culture," the need for stronger gun-control legislation in the US, and a new breed of criminal: "the fledgling psychopath." One editorial even goes so far as to blame these and similar killings on baby boomers. In a special to the Vancouver Sun, the author claims that by rejecting "traditional concepts of taste and restraint", a generation of baby boomers has succeeded in making society more "vicious." Even if popular culture, access to guns, mental illness, and baby boomers were to blame for murders such as this, not once does the mainstream press ask why such factors seem to so disproportionately affect males. In fact, the gender and skin colour of murderers is conveniently glossed over, except in the rare event that the murderer is not a white male. If the killer is a person of colour, "culture" is to blame, as in the murders of Rajwar Ghakal and her family by her ex-husband Mark Chahal. If the murderer is a female, such as Karla Faye Tucker or as we just saw with the killing of Reena Virk, it clearly indicates that there is a sudden "epidemic" of female violence. Yet when white male after white male guns down female after female, the killer's gender and skin colour disappear, or at least cease to matter. More and more, as in the coverage of the killings in Arkansas, we are seeing increased efforts by those who control the media to render the pattern of male violence against women invisible. They must The numbers support feminist claims compiled by Margaret Denike Much of the anti-feminist, anti-woman attacks being aired at the current Joint Senate/ Commons Hearings of Custody and Access are focused on questioning how many women and children are affected by male violence [see page 5]. The attempt by so-called men's and fathers' rights groups and their supporters is to minimalize the reality and threat of male violence in women's lives. Below, Kinesis presents a summary, pulled together by Margaret Denike, of some of the studies and statistics which make it clear that the prevalence of male violence against women cannot be denied. Spousal assault In 1993,9,126 incidents of spousal assault were reported to police in British Columbia. In 7,380 or 81 percent of these incidents the offender was male, in 780 or eight percent the offender was female, and in 966 or 11 percent there were two offenders who assaulted each other. Of the spousal assault incidents that resulted in convicitons [3,234], 97 percent were against male offenders, less than two percent were against female offenders, and slightly over one percent were against at least one of the offenders in the "both offender" category. Of the 1,953 spousal assaults which resulted in a stay of proceedings in 1993 and 1994, the survey indicated that the majority (about 55 percent) were due to "uncooperative or reluctant witnesses." Source: Survey of Spousal Assaults Reported to Police in British Columbia (Ministry of Attorney General, Police Services Division, December 1996) 8-10. Of the 118 cases of violence and/or intimidation in intimate relations reported to the Vancouver City Police in the month of January 1996, 107 or 91 percent of the suspects were male; only 11 (or nine percent) were female. Children were present in 28 (or 24 percent) of the incidents. Of the 135 cases of violence and/or intimidation in intimate relations reported to the Vancouver City Police in the month of July 1996, 119 or 88 percent of the suspects were male; 16 or 12 percent were female. Children were present in 32 (or 24 percent) ot the incidents. Source: Vancouver Police Department, Violence and Intimidation Against Women in Relationships: January and July, 1996. Prepared by Catherine Richard. According to a 1993 Statistics Canada survey, 72 percent of female victims of violence have been assaulted or murder by a relative or acquaiantance; 24 percent by a stranger. In contrast, the majority of male victims (56 percent) are assaulted or murdered by strangers; only 36 percent by relatives or acquaintances. Source: Statistics Canada, General Social Survey, 1993. Reprinted in BC Ministry of Women's Equality Annual Report (April 1996). Female homicide Between 1991 and 1993, there were 1,943 solved homicides in Canada. Women comprised 32 percent of these victims and men 68 percent. The overwhelming majority of female murder victims are killed by their intimate partners, with 51 percent being the victim of their spouse, ex-spouse, or other intimate partner. Only nine percent of female murder victims were killed by strangers. Source: Holly Johnson, Dangerous Domains: Violence Against Women in Canada (Toronto; Nelson, 1996) 182. Cited by Ann Duffy, "The Feminist Challenge: Knowing and Ending the Violence, Feminist Issues," 142. Aboriginal women are at least six times more likely to be victims of female homicide than are non-Aboriginals. Source: Sean Fine, "Study of native women says 80 percent have suffered abuse." The Globe and Mail, 19 January1990: A13. Citedby Ann Duffy, "The Feminist Challenge," 145. do so in order to protect the patriarchal power structure of which they are a part. Although the Conrad Blacks of the world cannot control what women know in our hearts to be true, they can control what appears in the mainstream press and on television. Through omission and misinformation, such as we have seen in the Arkansas case, the public is being manipulated into believing that male violence is no longer the problem. Colleen Sheridan is the cartoonist in residence at Kinesis. See her work on page 14 and the back page. Aboriginal women face eight times the risk of family violence as non-Aboriginal women. A 1985 study of Micmac women in Nova Scotia found that 70 percent reported being abused by their husbands. Dumont-Smith and Labelle report that 75 to 90 percent of women in northern Aboriginal communities are battered. Source: Jane Gurr et al;., Breaking the Links between Poverty and Violence Against Women Ottawa: Ministry of Supply and Services Cnada, 1996. Cited in Ann Duffy, "The Feminist Challenge," 145. Criminal harassment/stalking A study considered to be "a first step in the Department of Justice's efforts to assess whether the anti-stalking legislation [Section 264 of the Criminal Code] is functioning as it was intended" examined a sample of 601 criminal harassment cases handled by the police between 1993 and 1994 in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax. Of those cases, 91 percent of accused were men, and 88 percent of victims were women. About 57 percent of cases involved partners or former partners, and another 28 percent involved friends, acquaintances or co-workers who had not been involved in a relationship. Twelve percent of cases involved total strangers, and only four cases (0.7 percent) involved stalking of a public figure. Source: Richard Gill and Joan Brockman, A review of Section 264 (Criminal Harassment) of the Criminal Code of Canada (Department of Justice, October 1996) ix; 26. Production of records (The presumption that women lie) In 1997, a study was conducted by Diane Oleskiw and Nicole Tellier on all reports of cases accessible at September 1996 in which the accused had sought the production of a Crown witness' records or counselling history, or both. The study shows that 120 out of the 140 cases, involved an accused charged with a sexual offense. Only 20 of 140 were not clearly sexual offenses and even then, 14 of those 20 exceptional cases involved crimes of violence. Even within those 20 exceptional cases, the majority ot records sought related to Crown witnesses who were either women or children (eight cases) or inmates (four cases). Source: Diane Oleskiw and Nicole Tellier, Submissions to the Standing Committee on Bill C-46 (National Association of Women and the Law, 1997) 5. False allegations of sexual abuse (The presumption that women lie) As summarized by Susan Penfold, there is a growing assumption that the court system has been witnessing an epidemic of false allegations made by "malicious" mothers in the course of custody disputes. However, studies do not support this assumption. Large-scale US studies show that sexual abuse allegations occur in only two percent of disputed custody/access cases. Although authors agree that false allegations occur more frequently in child custody and access disputes, one study found that only 16.5 percent (of the two percent) of allegations in such disputes are false or unfounded. Furthermore, mothers were no more likely than fathers to make false allegations. Source: Susan Penfold, "Questionable Beliefs About Child Sexual Abuse Allegations During Custody Disputes" (1997) 14(1) Canadian Journal of Family Law, 20. Cited in Sandra Goundry, "Final Report on Court- related Harassment" (forthcoming, 1998) 33. Margaret Denike teaches women's studies at Capilano College in North Vancouver and is a member of the Vancouver Association of Women and the Law. Feature Women and health: Garlic, it is a girl's best friend (...and other girl truths) by Kelly Haydon Whenever you get the itch, the one where it's tempting to scratch in public, instead of giving your money to puerile pharmaceutical companies reach for glorious garlic. Glorious is a girl's best friend in itching times. You can easily clear it up by inserting a clove of garlic into your love canal. It's easy and there's no gicky mess. Carefully peel a clove of organic garlic so as not to nick it, wrap it in a bit of cheesecloth, then dip it in olive or almond oil so as not to irritate the mucous membrane, and insert. You can even make a cute little tail with the cheesecloth for easy removal. Change the clove two or three times a day for the first two days, and then once in the morning and once at night for the next five to six days. You can treat external itching while glorious is doing her job inside with a mixture of one teaspoon of baking soda in one cup of water. Apply to your vulva as needed. If you've got a yeast infection, it's likely your partner does too. Sharing is so special. If your partner's a woman, buy your love a garlic bud so she can do the same as you. Yeast infections are often asymptomatic in men. They can get rid of yeast by rubbing yoghurt and/or garlic on their penis for seven to 10 days. Note that this garlic treatment can be used for trichomonas and gardnarella. There are other ways to get rid of a yeast infection without donating money to companies that cause us a lot of grief. However, these methods are a bit messier than garlic. Plain natural yoghurt works well. Make sure to use unpasteurized yoghurt containing live lactobacilli. Insert it carefully with a teaspoon or a "baby syringe" (available at drugstores) and wear a pad as the yoghurt will flow out. Acidophillus capsules work well and are not as oozy. Insert two or three capsules into the vagina. They can be taken orally at the same time. Follow either of these treatments for five to 10 days, preferably at night. At night it's not as drippy, at least not until you get up in the morning. As above, remember to share with your partner. It is also a good idea to avoid acid generating foods such as tomatoes and citrus fruit. You won't be able to eat passion fruit, but as you are temporarily out of commission, it doesn't matter. Also avoid sugar and white flour. Eat foods rich in Vitamin B (dark leafy vegetables) and eat tons of yoghurt and raw garlic daily. The info for this bit on glorious garlic was taken from the most amazing booklet called Hot Pants: Do It Yourself Gynecology written by Isabelle Gauthier and Lisa Vrnebaum. Hot Pants is the English adaptation of C'est toujours chaud dans les culottes desfilles (second edition). The booklet is an introduction to basic herbal therapy. The opening lines of Hot Pants are: "Patriarchy sucks. It's robbed us of our autonomy and much of our history. We believe it's integral for women to be aware and in control of our own bodies. The recipes we present here have been known and practised for centuries, passed down from mother to daughter, and have survived the censorship of the witch hunts." Other tibdits from the booklet include: herbal remedies for PMS, painful periods and other menstrual and fertility problems; "Love in theAge of AIDS"; "STDs and other Aliens"; "Aphrodisiacs"; and "How to Prepare and Use Herbs". And, there are plenty of suggestions for further reading. To get a copy o/Hot Pants or C'est toujours chaud, check with your local women's health collective, women's centre or women's bookstore, order one by writing to CP871, Succ. C, Montreal QC, Canada, H2L 4L6. KINESIS FUND RAISING CAMPAIGN GOAL $40,000 2,000 feminists giving $20 or 1,000 feminists giving $40 or 500 feminists giving $80 or 500 feminists giving $40 and selling 500 subscriptions to Kinesis. Use your imagination to help us reach our goal of $40,000 Feature Residential schools in Canada: The deliberate theft of children and land by Harriet Nahanee Thousands of Aboriginal children were forced into residential schools across Canada from the 1880s through to the 1980s. On February 2nd in a court in Nanaimo, British Columbia, 30 Aboriginal people opened an historic trial against the United Church cf Canada and the federal government for abuses they endured at the Alberni Residential School in Port Alberni, BC. The case is the first civil suit launched claiming that the United Church and the federal government were both "vicariously liable" for the abuse wrought by the staff and administrators at the school. On April 17, the question of liability was brought to the BC Supreme Court in Prince Rupert, where many of the plaintiffs are from. The Supreme Court reserved its judgment on whether the United Church, the federal government, both or neither, were "vicariously liable" in the abhorrent treatment of Aboriginal children at the school. It is expected the court will render its decision by the end of May. If the court rules in favour of the plaintiffs, the civil suit to determine damages will begin in August. A week after the civil suit was filed, a forum on residential schools was held in Vancouver. The forum was organized by the Simon Fraser University Public Interest Research Group. Several hundred people attended; an unexpected number so that a second room had to be set up with a video monitor. The forum featured three people who are part of the civil suit: Harriet Nahanee of the Pacheeda Nation, and Dennis Tallio and Harry Wilson, both of the Kwagiutl Nation. Many others from the audience also spoke of the impact residential schools and institutionalized racism and violence had on their lives. Below, Kinesis presents the speech given by Harriet Nahanee. She spent four years in the Alberni Residential School between 1945 and 1949. Before giving her address, Nahanee offered a Welcome Song in her language, Ditidaht. I want to tell you about our culture before I tell you how it was destroyed. The well-being of a Nation depends on its leadership. For countless thousands of years, our ancestors governed themselves with a hereditary chief system. In this family, all children were raised with sacred duty training, the word is [Ed. note: Nahanee says the word in Pacheeda, which cannot be translated into a written romanizedform.] It means you speak the truth. All children were raised with the sacred duty training. Our hereditary chiefs earned the respect of people by making sure everyone was treated equally. No one was above another; everyone was equal. Chabud, the hereditary chiefs, were the people with the most responsibility. A hereditary chief had the hardest job. That person was raised from birth to be a leader. All children were taught this duty, but the one with the kind heart was chosen [as hereditary chief.] Our hereditary chiefs were lifetime planners, always keeping in mind that what we did had an effect on the coming gen erations. Clean air, plenty of fish and game—it was a sacred duty to leave everything we enjoy for the seven generations down the road. Our heredity chiefs maintained a harmonious relationship with the environment and led an orderly and dignified life. Our hereditary chiefs held our constitution in song form and dance form, religion in ritual form. All children were raised with respect. The children were raised by their grandparents, so it ended up that a child knew more than his or her parents. They were taught to respect the earth, to respect each other, to respect the animals. They were taught to respect, and with respect there's no need for laws. There were laws but they were in a different form. One of the laws was that you couldn't sing someone else's song, because it was their constitution. I was taken to Ahousat Residential School at age five. The RCMP gunboat-it had a gun mounted at the front—picked us up. I was hiding underneath Henut's porch. I guess everybody was trying to hide there, so the RCMP knew exactly where we were. We were dragged onto the boat kicking and screaming. The reason I remember this so well is that my sister Nora was screaming all the way. She cried for hours on that boat. The things that happened to us were so damaging. When we were in the school, everyone was so hungry that my sister Nora and Stella boosted me over the fence to get turnips, carrots and potatoes from the root cellar Well, they knew darn well I was the one who would be punished and I wouldn't get turnips or carrots, but they would. You see what [the residential school officials] did to us was divide us. I hated my sister for years because I got the worst licking I ever had in my life for stealing turnips and carrots. Three hundred children arrived at the residential school on the same day. Some children were lonely and they went into a corner. We went into the playroom in the big basement. We started singing songs. We were told we were not allowed to do that but we did it anyway because we were lonely. The kids from Nitinat Village, we all went and sang songs. Somebody went and told on us. The person who told on us got an apple or an orange, and we got a licking. So you see right from day one as children they were dividing us. The worst thing that ever happened to us was the sex abuse. The sex abuse is something no one ever talks about. I didn't bring it into my mind until my daughter committed suicide in 1984, and then I started to look at myself and see why I was addicted to alcohol, why I wasn't a good parent I went to a psychiatrist; I thought that would help. I told him, "I'm paranoid. I think the church and the government deliberately did this to us." A year later, I said to him, "I've been coming here for a year and you haven't cured me." He said, "Well, that's because you're right. It was deliberate in order to take the land, the resources." It's all about the land; it's about our country. We hold an Allodial Title to this land, right to this day. Why do you think they're treatying? Because we still hold the Title. It was all about keeping us dysfunctional, keeping us dependent on welfare. Well, some of us have shook our head and said, "Hey we still hold Title to this land." I witnessed a death when I was 11- years old. I didn't consider it a murder because when you're 11, it's just another painful memory But for 54 years, I've been paranoid about all sorts of things, especially Maisie's death because it was used to keep us quiet. I can't remember everything but it was December 24 and all the kids had left. They told me I would be staying there because I wouldn't bow my head. I never bowed my head; I never crossed my hands; I never knelt. I sat in the back row [of church.] There were a lot of us kids who refused the religion because we knew we had a religion; we grew up with it. On December 24,1 was in the playroom when I heard some shouting. I went to the bottom of the stairs, then went up. There were two glass doors at the top of the landing [of another set of stairs.] It was [the school principal] Reverend A.C. Caldwell and this Welsh woman who was the supervisor—I can't remember her name. They were in the little cubbyhole at the top of the stairs. They were arguing about this little girl who was running up and down the stairs, Maisie Shaw. Reverend Caldwell often appeared to be drunk; you could smell the liquor on his breath. He kicked Maisie. She went down the stairs. She later died. There were other kids who were in the infirmary and had their appendix burst No one bothered to take them to the hospital; they were just put in the infirmary to die. That's murder. Other children were beaten til they died. That's murder. I didn't consider it murder until 1984, when my daughter died. We can't change the past, but we have to deal somehow. There's a way to heal and that's by our culture, to regain our culture, to speak our language, to once more be who we should be. I want to regain my language. I want to be able to speak to my Elders, to my people. If we had been left alone, we would have evolved just like everybody else. We would have prospered. The worst part was the loneliness. When you're a little kid and can't go to your mom for a hug, it really hurts. I had four years of that. It really does something to you. It's a lifetime wound. When I went to residential school, I was anxious to go. I wanted to learn how to speak English well. I wanted to go to school, but I didn't realize how lonely it would be in a residential school where you Harriet Nahanee can't see your brother, even though he was right next door. My favourite brother who taught me how to hunt and fish, I couldn't talk to him. I tried to understand what happened to our people, how our own people could turn on our own people. My sister, who knew I would get a strap, pushed me over the fence. She knew I was going to get the strap but she did it anyway. I want to know what happened to us. I came across something in a newspaper about the Stockholm Syndrome. It said, "We were taken prisoner at age five by terrorists, church and government. We were under extreme stress and duress. In a state of agitation for years we started to identify with our captors, called the General Adaptation Syndrome. You do what you have to do to survive, which turns into love for your captors. Intense identification with their goal." I read this somewhere and I applied it to us because this is what happened. We have this division; we have the break up of our families. We used to have this hereditary chieftainship system which was family oriented, where families stuck together When you're going to have a potlatch, you invite all of your family. They could live in Seattle, but they would still come and then you plan for your potlatch. Every family member has input into the potlatch. Every family member is a part of it and they feel good about it; they're giving. This is how our families were and there's no reason we can't do it right now. We can work together, we can have potlatches once more because the potlatch system was generous. That's what it means, potlatch means to give. The churches and the government took Nations and Nations of generous people and turned them into dysfunctional people. The money I am suing for, I am going to use to have a potlatch. I'm going to make sure that when I die my children have potlatch, they'll know what to do. Assata Shakur: AMERICA'S M O ST "WANTED" She was born JoAnne Chesimard, but to most people she is knoivn as Assata Shakur. A proud Black woman. A member of the Black Panther Party. A target on the FBI's most wanted list. A woman falsely accused and convicted of murder. A political activist living in exile in Cuba. Kinesis was sent the following open letter by Assata Shakur taken off the Internet. Shakur tells of her experience of political repression in the United States, and of the continuing campaign by police and state authorities to "return" her to prison in New Jersey. In her own words... My name is Assata Shakur, and I am a 20th Century escaped slave. Because of government persecution, I was left with no other choice than to flee from the political repression, racism and violence that dominate the US government's policy towards people of colour. I am an ex-political prisoner, and I have been living in exile in Cuba since 1984. I have been a political activist most of my life, and although the US government has done everything in its power to criminalize me, I am not a criminal, nor have I ever been one. In the 1960s, I participated in various struggles: the Black liberation movement, the student rights movement, and the movement to end the war in Vietnam. I joined the Black Panther Party (BPP). By 1969, the BPP had become the number one organization targeted by the FBI's COINTELPRO [counter intelligence program]. Because the BPP demanded total liberation of Black people, [FBI Director] J. Edgar Hoover called it "the greatest threat to the internal security of the country," and vowed to destroy it and its leaders and activists. In 1978, my case was one of the many cases brought before the United Nations in a petition filed by the National Conference of Black Lawyers, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and the United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice, exposing the existence of political prisoners in the US, their political persecution, and the cruel and inhumane treatment they receive in US prisons. According to [the groups'] report: "The FBI and the New York. Police Department, in particular, charged and accused Assata Shakur of participating in attacks on law enforcement personnel. The FBI and the NYPD further charged her as being a leader of the Black Liberation Army, which the government and its respective agencies described as an organization engaged in the shooting of police officers. "This description of the Black Liberation Army and the accusation of Assata Shakur's relationship to it was widely circulated by government agents among police agencies and units. As a result of these activities by the government, Ms. Shakur became a hunted person—posters in police precincts and banks described her as being involved in serious criminal activities; she was highlighted on the FBI's most wanted list; and to police at all levels, she became a 'shoot-to-kill' target." I was falsely accused in six different "criminal cases," and in all six of these cases I was eventually acquitted or the charges were dismissed. The fact that I was acquitted or that the charges were dismissed did not mean I received justice in the courts; that was certainly not the case. It only meant that the "evidence" presented against me was so flimsy and false that my innocence became evident. On trial for murder On May 2, 1973, I, along with Zayd Malik Shakur [no relation] and Sundiata Acoli were stopped on the New Jersey Turnpike, supposedly for a "faulty tail light." Acoli got out of the car to determine why we were stopped. Zayd and I remained in the car. State Trooper Harper then came to the car, opened the door and began to question us. Renewed distortions and lies On December 24, 1997, the New Jersey State Police called a press conference to announce they had written a letter to Pope John Paul II asking him to intervene on their behalf and to aid in having me extradited back to New Jersey prison. The state police refused to make their letter public, knowing that they had probably totally distorted the facts. I decided to write the Pope to inform him about the reality of "justice" for Black people in New Jersey and the US. In January 1998 during the Pope's visit to Cuba, I agreed to do an interview with NBC journalist Ralph Penza around my letter, about my experiences in the New Jersey court system, and about the changes I saw in the US and its treatment of Black people over the past 25 years. "They call me the most wanted woman in America. I find that ironic. I've never felt very wanted before." Because we were Black and riding in a car with Vermont license plates, he claimed he became "suspicious." He drew his gun, pointed it at us, and told us to put our hands up in the air, in front of us where he could see them. I complied and in a split second, there was a sound that came from outside the car. I was shot once with my arms held up in the air, and then once again in my back. Zayd Malik Shakur was later killed; Trooper Werner Foerster was killed, and even though Harper admitted that he shot and killed Zayd Malik Shakur, I was charged in his death and in the death of Foerster. Although he was unarmed, and the gun that killed Trooper Foerster was found under Zayd's leg, Acoli, who was captured later, was also charged in both deaths. Neither of us received a fair trial. We were both convicted in the news media way before our trials. No news media was ever permitted to interview us, although the New Jersey police and the FBI fed stories to the press on a daily basis. In 1977,1 was convicted by an all-white jury and sentenced to life plus 33 years in prison. In 1979, fearing that I would be murdered in prison, and knowing that I would never receive any justice, I was "liberated" from prison, aided by committed comrades who understood the depths of the injustices in my case, and who were also extremely fearful for my life. The US Senate's 1976 Church Commission report on intelligence operations inside the USA revealed that, "the FBI has attempted covertly to influence the public's perception of persons and organizations by disseminating derogatory information to the press, either anonymously or through 'friendly' news contacts." This same policy is evidently still very much in effect today. I agreed to do this interview because I saw this secret letter to the Pope as a vicious, vulgar publicity manoeuvre on the part of the police, and as a cynical attempt to manipulate Pope John Paul E. Instead of an interview with me, what took place was a "staged media event" in three parts, full of distortions, inaccuracies and outright lies. NBC purposely misrepresented the facts. Not only did NBC spend thousands promoting this "exclusive interview series" on NBC, but also on Black radio stations and in local newspapers. In an interview, New Jersey Governor Christine Whitman was quoted as saying, "this has nothing to do with race; this has everything to do with crime." Either Whitman is completely unfamiliar with the facts in my case, or her sensitivity to racism and the plight of Black people and other people of colour in the US is at a subzero level. In 1973, my trial in Middlesex County [as an accomplice to murder] had to be stopped because of the overwhelming racism expressed in the jury room. The court was finally forced to rule that the entire jury panel had been contaminated by racist comments like, "she's Black; she's guilty." In an obvious effort to prevent [Acoli and Shakur] from being tried by "a jury of our peers," the New Jersey courts ordered that a jury be selected from Morris County, where only 2.2 percent of the population was Black. In a study done in Morris County, one of the wealthiest counties in the country, 92 percent of the registered voters said they were familiar with the case through the news media, and 72 percent believed we were guilty based on the pretrial publicity. During the jury selection process, white supremacists from the National Social White People's Party, wearing swastikas, demonstrated carrying signs reading, "Support White Police." The trial was later moved to Middlesex County where 70 percent thought I was guilty based on pre-trial publicity. I was tried by an all-white jury, where the presumption of innocence was not the criteria for jury selection. Potential jurors were merely asked if they could "put their prejudices aside and render a fair verdict." The basic reality in the US is that being Black is a crime and Black people are always "suspects", and an accusation is usually a conviction. Most white people still think that being a "Black militant" or a "Black revolutionary" is tantamount to being guilty of some crime. The current situation in New Jersey's prisons underlines the racism that dominates the politics of New Jersey, in particular, and the US as a whole. Although the population of New Jersey is approximately 78 percent white, more than 75 percent of it's prison population is made up of Blacks and Latinos. Eighty percent of the women in Jersey prisons are women of colour. That may not seem like racism to Whitman, but it reeks of racism to us. Money for my capture The NBC story implied that Whitman had raised the reward for my capture based on my interview with NBC. The fact of the matter is that she had been campaigning since she was elected into office to double the reward for my capture. In 1994, she appointed Colonel Carl Williams who immediately vowed to make my capture a priority. In 1995, Whitman sought to match a $25,000 departmental appropriation sponsored by an "unidentified legislator." [In its piece,] NBC ran a photograph of a woman it claimed was me. I was not that woman. The photograph was taken from a highly publicized case where I was accused of bank robbery. Not only did I voluntarily insist on participating in a line up, during which witnesses selected another woman, but during the trial, several witnesses, including the manager of the bank, testified that the woman in that photograph was not me. I was acquitted. NBC aired that photograph on at least five different occasions, representing the woman in the photograph as me. How is it possible, that the New Jersey State Police who claim to have a detective working full time on my case, Governor Whitman who claims she had reviewed all the "evidence," and NBC which has an extensive research department, did not know that the photograph was false? It was a vile, fraudulent attempt to make me look guilty. NBC deliberately misrepresented the truth. Even after many people called in, and there was massive fax and e-mail campaign protesting NBC's mutilation of the facts, Ralph Penza and NBC continued to broadcast that photograph. In a clear attempt to discredit me, Williams was allowed to give blow-by- blow distortions of my interview. In my interview, I stated that on the night of May 2nd, I was shot with my arms in the air, then shot again in the back. Williams stated, Assata Shakur from the cover of her autobiography. "that is absolutely false. Our records show that she reached into her pocketbook, pulled out a nine-millimetre weapon and started firing." However, that claim was even contested by Harper. Although on three official reports, and when he testified before the grand jury, he stated that he saw me take a gun out of my pocketbook, he finally admitted under cross-examination that he never saw me with my hands in a pocket- book, never saw me with a weapon inside the car, and he did not see me shoot him. I had been examined by three medical specialists. A neurologist testified I was immediately paralyzed after being shot. A surgeon testified that the claim by Harper that I had been crouching in a firing position when I was shot was "totally anatomically impossible. "A pathologist testified that "there is no conceivable way that (the bullet) could have travelled over to hit the clavicle if her arm was down." The prosecutors presented no medical testimony whatsoever to refute the above medical evidence. Although Williams refers to us as the "criminal element," neither Zayd or Acoli or I were criminals; we were political activists. I was a college student until the po lice kicked down my door in an effort to force me to "cooperate" with them, and Acoli was a computer expert who had worked for NASA before he joined the BPP. In an obvious manoeuvre to provoke sympathy for the police, the NBC series juxtaposed my interview with the weeping widow of Werner Foerster. While I can sympathize with her grief, I believe her appearance was deliberately included to appeal to people's emotions, to blur the facts, to make me look like a villain, and to create the kind of lynch mob mentality that has historically been associated with white women portrayed as victims of Black people. In essence, the supposed interview with me became a forum for the New Jersey State Police, Foerster's widow, and the obvious hostile commentary of Penza. The two initial programs together lasted 3.5 minutes: me 59 seconds, the widow 50 seconds, the state police 38 seconds, and Penza 68 seconds. Not once was I ever asked about Zayd, Acoli or their families. Although I tried to talk about racism, and the victims of government and police repression, it was clear Penza was totally uninterested. My "quite nice life" As I watched Governor Whitman's interview, the one thing that struck me was her "outrage" at my joy about being a grandmother, and my "quite nice life," as she put it, here in Cuba. While I love the Cuban people and the solidarity they have shown me, the pain of being torn away from everybody I love has been intense. I have never had the opportunity to see or hold my grandchild. If Whitman thinks my life has been so nice, that 50 years of dealing with racism, poverty, persecution, brutality, prison, underground, exile and blatant lies has been so nice, then I'd be more than happy to let her walk in my shoes for a while. I am a proud Black woman, and I'm not about to get on the TV and cry for Ralph Penza or any other journalist, but the way I have suffered in my lifetime, and the way my people have suffered, only god can bear witness to. Williams stated, "we would do everything we could to get her off the island of Cuba and if that includes kidnapping, we would do it." I guess the theory is that if they could kidnap millions of Africans from Africa 400 year ago, they should be able to kidnap one African woman today. It is nothing but an attempt to reincarnate the Fugitive Slave Act. All I represent is just another slave that they want to bring back to the plantation. Well, I might be a slave, but I will go to my grave a rebellious slave. In another recent interview, Williams talked about asking the federal government to add to the $50,000 reward for my capture. He also talked about seeking "outside money, or something like that, a benefactor, whatever." Now, who is he looking to "contribute" to that "cause"? The Ku Klux Klan, the Neo-Nazi parties, the white militia organizations? But the plot gets even thicker. He says the money might lure bounty hunters. "There are individuals out there, I guess they call themselves soldiers of fortune, who might be interested in doing something, in turning her over to us." The irony of being wanted Neither the government nor the state police say one word about "justice." They have no moral authority to do so. The level of their moral and ethical bankruptcy is evident in their eagerness to break the law and hire hoodlums, all in the name of law and order. But you know what gets to me, what makes me truly indignant? With the schools in Paterson, NJ falling down, with areas of Newark looking like disaster areas, with the crack epidemic, with the widespread poverty and unemployment in New Jersey, these depraved, decadent, would-be slave masters want federal funds to help put this "nigger wench" back in her place. They call me the most wanted woman in America. I find that ironic. I've never felt very wanted before. When it came to jobs, I was never the most wanted; when it came to economic opportunities I was never the most wanted; when it came to decent housing,... It seems the only time Black people are on the "most wanted" list is when they want to put us in prison. But at this moment, I am not so concerned about myself. Everybody has to die sometime, and all I want is to go with dignity. I am more concerned about the growing poverty, the growing despair that is rife in America. I am more concerned about our younger generations, who represent our future. I am more concerned that one-third of young Blacks are either in prison or under the jurisdiction of the "criminal justice system." I am more concerned about the prison-industrial complex that is turning our people into slaves again. I am more concerned about the repression, the police brutality, violence, the rising wave of racism that makes up the political landscape of the US today. Our young people deserve a future, and I consider it the mandate of my ancestors to be part of the struggle to ensure they have one. They have the right to live free from political repression. A plea for justice I urge every single person who reads this statement to fight to free'all political prisoners. As the concentration camps in the US turn into death camps, I urge you to fight to abolish the death penalty. I make a special, urgent appeal to you to fight to save the life of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the only political prisoner who is currently on death row. Like most poor and oppressed people in the US, I do not have a voice. Black people and poor people have no real freedom of speech, no real freedom of expression, and very little freedom of the press. The Black press and the progressive media have historically played an essential role in the struggle for social justice. We need to continue and expand that tradition. I am only one woman. I own no TV stations, or radio stations, or newspapers, but I feel that people need to be educated as to what is going on, and to understand the connection between the news media and the instruments of repression in America. All I have is my voice, my spirit and the will to tell the truth. Free all political prisoners. I send you love and revolutionary greetings from Cuba, one of the largest, most resistant and most courageous palenques (Maroon Camps) that has ever existed on the face of this planet; -AtSdata ~J>haKur Havana, Cuba For a more detailed account of Assata Shakur's story, read her autobiography, Assata, first published by Zed Books in London in 1987, then re-published in the US by Lawrence Hill Books in Chicago. Be warned that the book appears to be out of print. Check with your local library or your activist friend for a copy. Feature CD W M 2 Z h H THEY fatpfcfo.? Qd**-«"K't «JW-:T3 TRowise fctfrem oeciAEATioM /*>—- We found this cartoon in an article about the Promise Keepers in Volume 15 of hip Mama, a quarterly parenting magazine from Oakland CA. Their "Conspiracy Issue " also covered a disturbing approach to child rearing in the US as described in "On Becoming Babywise" and included some poetry and a piece by the mother of filmmaker Sarah Jacobson. The editor of the magazine, Ariel Gore, is on tour for her new book The Hip Mama Survival Guide, hip Mama has been around since 1994 and involves many single mothers in its writing and production. hip Mama,PO Box 9097, Oakland, CA, 94613; tel:(510) 658-4508; e-mail: hipmama@sirius.com; web site: www.hipmama.com Subscriptions are $12 to $20 sliding scale (You decide how much you can afford.) [Ed note: JF stands for Jacky Fleming, British-born and internationally acclaimed and very beloved feminist cartoonist] Feature Women in the garden: Eat your weeds by Adele McCrank Snow may still cover the lawn where you live. But under the snow, dandelions, chicory, burdock, garlic mustard and plantains are already growing. None of these plants are native to North America. They were all brought here by immigrants who valued them as food or medicine. Gradually the knowledge of how to use these plants got lost. The plants our ancestors brought from Europe, Asia and Africa are now called "weeds." Americans spend $30 billion a year to kill these weeds—and themselves. Thirty-two of the 34 pesticides used for lawn care cause cancer, birth defects, skin rashes, irritation to the lungs and eyes and damage to the liver, nervous system and reproductive system. But you can have your lawn and eat it too! By doing this, you'll be saving money, your planet and maybe, your life. Not only that, but most native and non-native "weeds" cure the very diseases that pesticides cause. Dandelions,chicory, burdock, garlic mustard and plantains are all good in a stir- fry. Garlic mustard is beginning to choke out many native plants in Milwaukee. The Park People hold annual "Weed-Outs" to get rid of it without pesticides. From early Spring to late Fall, I keep it under control in my yard by adding it to stir-fry along with the leaves of the wood violet, the official flower of the state of Wisconsin. Garlic mustard is good for asthma and is supposed to get rid of intestinal worms. The other plants I mentioned are best in the early spring.Aftertheyflower,meygetbitter Dandelion flowers are good dipped first in a beaten egg, then in a mixture of corn meal or flour and salt. Fry them in little oil and butter. By eating the flowers, you are preventing the plant from going to seed and making more dandelions. Early spring dandelion sap is often used to cure warts. Eat the leaves if you have liver or urinary problems. They also detoxify the blood and cure acne and eczema. Dandelion roots are a laxative, aid digestion, reduce inflamation, build the blood and cure anaemia. They are an important liver stimulant used for jaundice, gallstones and rheumatic joints. In the spring, the roots contain levalose, a sugar easily assimilated by diabetics. By Fall, this sugar has changed to insulin, a starch good for diabetics. Collect the roots in the Spring or Fall. First boil them to get rid of bitterness, then fry them. You can also dry them, grind them up and use them as a coffee substitute. Chicory is sometimes called "blue dandelion. " The leaves and flowers, which are blue, have the same shape as dandelion leaves and flowers. The leaves are rich in calcium and are used as a bitter Passover herb. They are good for the liver and kidneys. Prepare the roots the same as dandelions to eat or use as a coffee substitute. The famous New Orleans Cafe du Monde coffee is made of half coffee beans and half chicory root. It is very strong. I use it half-strength. For cuts, swelling and inflamation, bruise some chicory leaves and soak them in boiling water Soak a clean rag or towel in the chicory water and put it on your wound. Keep this up for 10 to 30 minutes. Garlic mustard leaves can be used the same way. If you are on a picnic and you bum yourself on the grill or get an insect bite, the cure is probably right there in the park grasses. Look for a low growing plant with oval leaves about three inches wide. It might have a stalk growing in the middle of it. This is the plantain (no relation to the banana-like plant of the same name). Chew up a leaf and put it on your bum or bite. Native Americans even use this for snake bite. I usually only use catnip to make my cats high. You can smoke it to get yourself high, but some people say this doesn't work (I haven't tried it.) You can put the leaves in salads or on meat or make a tea from them. The tea is good for colic, hyperactivity, anxiety, cramps, upset stomach, colds, fever and scalp irritation. Most lawns contain plenty of red clover and violets. I have made violet jam, and you can dunk the flowers in beaten egg white then sugar, and use them for cake decorations. I've also made a honey-like spread from clover flowers and sugar. Consumer warning: Actual weeds may not appear exactly as shown. Make a tea from clover and violet leaves or flowers by boiling two cups of water. Turn off the heat and add two cups leaves or flowers. Let it sit ten minutes, then strain. Soak towels or rags in this and use for skin ailments, inflamation, and varicose veins. Or add sugar and drink. Good for coughs, colds and bronchitis, insomnia, arthritis, chest constriction, coronary thrombosis, breast and lung cancer, and AIDS. (That's what it says in the book, Herbs, by Lesley Bremness.) These are some of the most common, easily identifiable lawn "weeds" and their uses. You should not use a plant you don't know because some plants are poisonous. Get some library books with clear photos or drawings. Some other books I have used are Growing and Using the Healing Herbs by Gaea and Shandler Weiss, and Stalking the Wild Asparagus by Euell Gibbons. There are many others. This article was reprinted from the Winter 1998 issue of Welfare Mothers Voice, a quarterly newspaper by, for and about mothers in poverty. To subscribe or submit stories, art or information, contact WMVat 2711 W. Michigan, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53208, USA; tel: (414) 342-6662; fax: (414) 342-6667. Annual subscriptions rates for Welfare Mothers' Voice are $4 or whatever you can afford for low-income single mothers; $15 for other individuals; and $25 for organizations. Adele McCrank is a proud mother of three and a grandmother of one. © BEST OF THE ALTERNATIVE PRESS Looking for an adventure in your magazine reading? Order a sample copy of the best of Canada's other press by simply filling out the request form. With over 25 years of journalistic experience, ALTERNATIVES is the most widely-read environmental journal in Canada. Thought-provoking articles go beyond band-aid solutions to consider concrete alternatives for a wide range of environmental issues. Look to ALTERNATIVES for reports, opinion pieces, and reviews of eco-books. ARTICHOKE is Western Canada's visual arts magazine and winner of the 1996 Western Magazine of the Year Award for editorial excellence. Launched in Calgary in 1989, ARTICHOKE sustains a critical dialogue about visual arts in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and beyond. Each issue features reviews, interviews, and profiles documenting careers, politics and trends. BRIARPATCH is Canada's award-winning magazine, providing an alternative view on issues and event in Canada and the world. Essential reading for activists interested in politics, unions, the environment, women's rights and international affairs. We publish articles the mainstream media won't touch. Principled. Radical. Independent. For over 30 years, CANADIAN DIMENSION has been a place where activists can debate issues, share information, recount our victories, evaluate our strategies for social change. Our pages are open to all progressive voices- debate makes the movement stronger. And it makes for lively reading! Insightful, informative, inspiring, CANADIAN WOMAN STUDIES is an indispensable resource for the feminist reader. We publish material that bridges academia and grassroots activism. Women's diverse voices from across Canada are featured in each thematic issue. Upcoming: Women and Education, Mothers and Daughters, and a 20th anniversary issue. You're going to love HERIZONS, the Canadian feminist magazine that delivers the scoop on issues inside the Canadian women's movement today. The latest legal rulings affecting women, provocative interviews, health, new issues and debates. HERIZONS has it all. Plus satire, tons of reviews, and plenty of news at a glance. Join us. News with an edge from Indian Country and traditional knowledge from the source. The award-winning magazine THE NATION is a bi-monthly that has broken all the industry's rules. Starting with two borrowed computers and a $1000 ad, it has grown into one of the leading voices of Canada's North. Economic crisis sweeps Asia. General SOUTHERN AFRICA REPORT- for strikes challenge the cuts in Ontario. trenchant commentary and perceptive Unemployed workers demonstrate in Paris. analysis on the latest events in Southern The world has become a terrain of crisis Africa! SAR has provided 12 years of and struggle. Every two weeks, SOCIALIST consistently informed analysis on the region's WORKER analyses this terrain and argues political and economic developments, for a way to fight back. Published quarterly by writers and activists. Each issue of SUB-TERRAIN is a stimulating fusion of fiction, poetry, commentary and visual art from Canada and abroad. Voted one of the two "Best edited-in-Vancouver magazines with few pictures, lots of good words." - Georgia Straight, Best of Vancouver 1997. Publishing a new front-line of writers since 1988. Alternative journalism that doesn't flinch. With THIS MAGAZINE, the recognized leader in alternative journalism, you get genuinely fresh takes on Canadian politics, culture and the arts. You get writing that takes on neo-con myths with wit, personality and attitude and award- winning investigative journalism that the THE COUNTRY CONNECTION illuminates country life through heritage, cultural, artistic, pro-nature and outdoor themes. Stories, maps and photography are dedicated to the restoration of natural ecosystems, the preservation of heritage buildings, and the nurturing of lifestyles. A great see-and-do guide for nature lovers and rural adventurers. Vegan friendly. i^iHE^LMfis ipact NATURAL LIFE is Canada's alternative newsmagazine- in print and on the Internet at <www.life.ca>. Founded in 1976, we are now Canada's widest- ranging source of information and inspiration for reinventing how we live... in our communities and on our planet. Always honest, always provocative, always slightly ahead of our time. Begin your reading adventure here... WE INTERNATIONAL brings a brand new face to the 21st century with reviews, interviews, art, essays and humour. Independent and 22 years old, WE (formerly Women and Environment^ is an eco-feminist quarterly that prides itself on its world readership and representation, and ground-breaking research on women's global and community realities. FUSE MAGAZINE provides a door to cutting-edge activities in the art and cultural communities shaping our world. Investigating why the work is being produced, FUSE covers visual art, performance, film/video, multimedia and more. One of the only magazines exploring in depth the political aspects of art making and the ways art fits in Who's being exploited? How should we live? Who will save the Earth? Find out what's really going on with NEW INTERNATIONALIST, a five-time Alternative Press Award winner. From endangered species to child labour, each month Nl takes a radical look at a specific theme. We examine all the angles to put you squarely in the picture. GEIST is home to the Honourary Canadian Awards, the Trans-Canada Phrase Book, the Canadian Mall Writing Competition, the Who the Hell is Peter Gzowski survey, and the very best in story, picture, essay, memoir, crossword, toon, and little-known fact. In print since 1990. "A publication that is, in this country, inimitable."- Toronto Star POV is Canada's cutting-edge magazine on the culture, politics, art and business of independent documentary film and television. POV also covers a diverse range of work from features and shorts to video art through lively analysis and timely criticism. Published three times per year. : g REQUEST INFORM • ^^^ To place your order, please: • 1 / Indicate the magazine(s) you wish to receive. Alternatives Can. Woman Studies Country Connection Herizons New Internationalist S. Africa Report WE International Artichoke Briarpatch Canadian Dimension Fuse Ceist Natural Life The Nation POV Socialist Worker Sub-Terrain This Magazine • 2/ Fill out your name and address. ' 3/ Calculate your payment. The first magazine you request [ costs $5.00, each additional magazine is $2.50. For example, if , you order three magazines, your payment would be $5.00 + 2 » x $2.50 = $10.OO. GST is included. Please add IS to MS ' orders, $10 to International orders. Please make your t 4/ Mail this form with your payment. Send to: Chaos , Consulting-BOAP, PO Box 65506, Stn F, Vancouver, BC, V5N » 5X5. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery. For inquiries • only (no orders), e-mail chaos@axionet.com or J fax:(604)875-1403. KINESIS Arts A number of new books written by women come into our offices each week, so Kinesis thought we'd share with you, our readers, a sampling of some of the recently-published fiction and non-fiction titles. If you are interested in reviewing any of the books listed below for Kinesis, or know of any other exciting titles you would like to review or that Kinesis should review, please give us a call (604) 255-5499 or drop us a line. Genealogical response Stranger: "Where do you come from?" Me: "Well, I was born in Hamilton. My father, Stephen Brown, was born in Brantford. My paternal grandfather, Gordon Brown, was born in Brantford. My great-grandfather, Andrew Brown, was born in Dunville. My great-great-grandfather, Stephen Brown was born in Fort Erie. His father escaped across the border to Canada in a buggy..." Stranger: "Will this take very long?" Me: "My paternal great grandmother, Agnes Morey, was born in Bufords. My great-great-grandfather, John Moreywas a free slave who came from New York. My great-great-grandmother was Elizabeth Brant, the daughter of Joseph Brant. My great-great-great-grandfather was a Mohawk Indian born in Ohio. Joseph Brant was also known as Thayendanega. My paternal grandmother, Lorna Shelby, was born in Brantford. My great-grandmother, Irene McCormus, was born in Cayuga. She was of Irish descent. My great-grandfather, George Selby, was born in Woodstock. His parents' first names are unknown, but his mother's maiden name was Peterson..." Stranger: "That's nice, but..." Me: "My mother, Cora Lawson, was born in Freement, Saskatchewan. My grandfather, Joseph Lawson, was born in Oklahoma. My greatgrandfather, Sam Lawson, was also born in Oklahoma. My great-grandmother was of Irish descent. My maternal grandmother, Eva Williams, was born in Toro, Oklahoma. My great-grandmother, Cornelia Reed, was born in Liberty Hill, Texas. My great-grandfather, Charles Williams, was born in Moorville, Texas..." Stranger: "Sorry, I thought you were from the West Indies." (End of conversation.) (From "Responses for Resistance" by Joyce Brown in ...but where are you really from?) Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty, by Dorothy Roberts. Killing the Black Body is a powerful and authoritative account of the ongoing assault—both figurative and literal— waged by the American government and society on the reproductive rights of Black women. Roberts, a professor of law at Rutgers University, points out that, "...books on racial justice tend to neglect the subject of reproductive rights; and books on reproductive freedom tend to neglect the influence of race." Some examples of the repressive controls on Black women's reproductive freedom Roberts addresses are: the unsavory association between birth control champion Margaret Sanger and the eugenics movement of the 1920s; the coercive sterilization of Black women under government welfare programs; and the rendering of reproduction as a crime by prosecuting women who expose their fetuses to drugs. (Pantheon Books, New York, 1997.) "...but where are you really from?" Stories of Identity and Assimilation in Canada, anthologized by Hazelle Palmer. "Where do you really come from?" It's hard to imagine how so few words can unleash a rush of mixed emotions. Contributors to this book respond with defiance, courage and humour presenting fresh, energetic writing on racism and cultural identity. Their stories stand as a testament for us all to challenge our assumptions. (Sister Vision Press, Toronto, 1997.) Dragon Ladies: Asian American Feminists Breathe Fire, edited by Sonia Shah. Asian- American women writers, artists and activists draw on a wealth of personal experience and political analysis to address issues of immigration, work, health, domestic violence, sexuality, and the media. The contributors seize the power of their unique political perspective and cultural backgrounds to transform the landscape of race, class and gender in the United States. (South End Press, Boston, 1997.) Coming to Bone, by Fran Muir, is a collection of four short stories filled with acute and vivid images that move in and out of the real and hallucinatory world of memory with an ease and rhythm that is fresh and compelling. (Exile Editions, Toronto, 1997.) Turnip Blues, by Helen Campbell, is an enduring story about the journey of a lifetime for two 75-year old women: Mrs. Kuzo and Mrs. Lemack. As the two drive across Philadelphia to visit the grave of legendary blues artist Bessie Smith, Mrs. Kuzo reflects upon her own life's journey, growing up in a dysfunctional family. The journey comes to an end in a sprawling West Philadelphia Victorian mansion and Mrs. Kuzo arrives at her own destination, learning an important fact that recasts her entire life. (Spinsters Ink, Duluth, Minnesota, 1998.) Report for Murder, by Val McDermid. A self-proclaimed, "cynical socialist lesbian feminist journalist," Lindsay Gordon is less than overjoyed to find herself spending a weekend at a posh all-girl boarding school. Originally commissioned to write a feature article on the school's fundraising efforts, Lindsay meets best-selling author, Cordelia Brown and sparks begin to fly. The two women find their new relationship tested in unique ways when they find themselves involved in a murder mystery. Their shifting relationship intertwines a realistic romance with a solid detective story. (Spinsters Ink, Duluth, Minnesota, 1998.) Don't Explain, by Jewelle Gomez. In her latest collection of short fiction, Gomez moves from lesbian life in Boston in the 1960s to a futuristic fantasy. Characterized by the her trademark rich, highly sensual language, Don't Explain takes readers into the complexities of relationships, exploring racial, class and generational boundaries; the abuse of children; and the hunger for love and connection. Completely enticing and entertaining, this collection continues to demonstrate the breadth of Gomez's literary reach. (Firebrand Books, New York, 1998.) 3€ Research has also discovered dramatic differences in the effects of maternal alcohol abuse depending on the mother's socio-economic status. Although all women in a study drank at the same rate, the children born to low-income women had a 70.9 percent rate of fetal alcohol syndrome, compared to a 4.5 percent rate for those of upper- income women. The main reason for this disparity was the pregnant women's nutrition. (From Killing the Black Body) Love Ruins Everything by Karen X. Tulchinsky. Nomi Rabinovitch has been dumped—utterly unceremoniously—by her girlfriend Sapphire (and for a man, no less!) Heartbroken, angry and vengeful, she wraps herself up in her friend Betty's quilt and wallows on the couch watching Moonstruck night after night. She cries, broods, plots her revenge and, finally, swears off love forever. Love Ruins Everything, Tulchinsky's first novel, is filled with romance, family relations, humour and political intrigue. (Press Gang Publishers, Vancouver, 1998.) Arts IDWIFERY R e-fCc C t i o n S o n fi e n a i s S a n c n n (/ R e q u (a t i o n FARAH M. SHROFF 3€ The New Midwifery: Reflections on Renaissance and Regulation, edited by Farah M. Shroff, offers a critical perspective on women's reproductive health and midwifery issues. This inclusive collection of essays examines the impact of professional- ization, legalization and state involvement on women-centred care and implications for birthing women. One question which Shroff says resonates through many of the essays is: "how is the experiment with state regulation going?" Most of the contributors are either midwives or social scientists working in the health field. (Women's Press, Toronto, 1997.) The Wolf Ticket, by Caro Clarke, is a novel about two women—an American translator and a refugee—thrown together by chance. Torn apart by the destruction in wartime Europe, they struggle to find each other again across a chaotic continent. Their attempts to reunite introduces a myriad of memorable female characters who help or hinder them. A novel of great skill and imagination, Clarke covers the trials of survival during World War II and the power of female relationships. (Firebrand Books. New York. 1998.) I call my mother on the telephone long distance. "Mom," I say when she answers, "what's our family heredity on hot flashes?" "Terrible!" responds my mom. "Your grandmother had them until the day she died, and I still have two or three a week myself." Mom is seventy-three. "Oh, great," I mumble. "Thanks, Mom. I love you." (From Merril Mushroom's "My Life as a Volcano" inThe Lesbian Health Book.) Roberts' Rules of Lesbian Dating, by Shelly Roberts, is a handy little guide leading the way through that eternal source of hope and anticipation, confusion and perplexity: the intricate maze of lesbian coupling- Roberts' wit and wisdom concerning lesbian dating runs the gamut from the finer points of dating etiquette to dating advice to dating truisms. Whether the reader has been out and about for ten minutes or ten years, Roberts' rules will help her navigate the peculiarities of lesbian dating in her effort to attain what every ardent dyke seeks: the ideal lesbian relationship. (Spinsters Ink, Duluth, Minnesota, 1998.) The Indelible Alison Bechdel: Confessions, Comix, and Miscellaneous Dykes to Watch Out For is a hair-raising autobiographical tale of the cartoon chronicler exlraodinaire, who for over fifteen years keeps bringing readers deeper and deeper into the lives of Lois, Jezanna, Clarice, Toni Ginger, Sparrow, and of course, Mo. Real-life cartoon scripts, collaborative work with other cartoonists, cartoons not included in the ongoing strip, old faves from the calendars, and much, much more takes readers behind the pen and into the psyche of lesbiana's most quick-witted and incisive social commentator. Bechdel has produced seven "Dykes to Watch Out For" collections, and her strips are syndicated in over fifty US and Canadian publications. (Firebrand Books, New York, 1998.) 1 Mill II II ourse /es TIIE LESBIAN HEALTH BOOK The Lesbian Health Book: Caring for Ourselves, edited by Jocelyn White and Marissa C. Martinez, is a comprehensive health book for lesbians. The book brings together a wide range of voices from the lesbian community— doctors, health care providers, women facing illness and other life changes, and many others. Some of the subject areas covered are chronic fatigue syndrome, menopause, AIDS, breast surgery, multiple sclerosis, lesbian health research, and homophobia in the liealth care system. The Lesbian Health Book highlights personal and community efforts in the US to make health care accessible and responsive to lesbians. (Seal Press, Seattle, 1997.) lJ till, this vision of a radical Asian women's movement has already begun to take shape. It begins when a young Asian American learns of Yuri Kochiyama's activism and tells me, "just to hear about her is a total inspiration," and counts the days until she not only meets Yuri Kochiyama but is involved in political actions at her side. It begins with an APLB member marching at Gay Pride with a sign that reads, "Gay white soldiers in Asia? Not my Liberation!" and ends with the absence of all soldiers, gay and straight, from my imperialist army..It begins here, with all our joy and pain in politics and identity, and carries us to the day when Asian American women agree that action is vital in a grassroots political movement for sweeping social change. (From "Strategies from the Field: Organizing the Asian-American Feminist Movement" by Juliana Pegues in Dragon Ladies) Western Canada's Lesbian & Gay Bookstore Open Daily 10am to 1 lpm Our Books/Our Issues Gay Fiction Lesbian Fiction Our Magazines & Journals AIDS/Health Humour Erotica Little Sister's Book & Art Emporium 1238 Davie Street,Vancouver,B.C,V6E 1N4 (604)669-1753 Phone Orders 1-800-567-1662 Internet Address: http://www.lsisters.com Queer Theory Feminist Theory Biographies, Essays, Poetry Religion & Spirituality Art & Photography Community Carol Weaver Graphic Design & Illustration (604)939-0776 WOMEN IN PRINT BOOKS a OTHER MEDIA Discounts jot book clubs 3566 West 4th Avenue 4 Special orders Voice 604 732-1128 welcome lax 604 732-1129 10-6 Daily • 12-5 Sunday «ffiii»MEi A Beautiful Place 5 acres of forested foot paths with ponds, ocean and mountain views. Healthy Breakfasts Hot Tub & Sauna HS2H 1207 Beddis Road, Salt Spring Island, BC V8K 2C8 Arts Women, addiction and healing: Recovery uncovery discovery by Dawn Livingstone MANY ROADS, ONE JOURNEY: Moving Beyond The 12 Steps by Charlotte Davis Kasl HarperCollins, New York, 1992 Charlotte Kasl, an internationally recognized expert in the field of addiction, has written a new understanding of recovery with her popular book, Many Roads, One Journey. [Ed note: Although Kasl's book was published six years ago, Kinesis is publishing a review of it at this time because it is an important resource and many women are likely unaware of its existence.] While not afraid to confront the traditional Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step mystique, her main focus is to offer another choice, one that utilizes a wholistic approach to help augment a healthy integration of empowerment. Kasl's solutions to addiction bring together love, flexibility, creativity, inner wisdom, unconditional support, and the elimination of labels. When reading Kasl's groundbreaking book, it becomes clear that she has a thorough knowledge of the many addictions women deal with, including: drugs, sex, alcohol, eating, shopping, smoking, relationships, gambling, spending, working, codependency chronic medication, bad habits, and compulsive behaviour. All these, by definition, are usually unmanageable, out of control, harmful and escalating. Kasl's previously published book was Women, Sex and Addiction. In her writings, counselling, workshops, and lectures, Kasl draws on her own experiences with addiction and with various recovery programs. Kasl concludes that since addiction encompasses a vast complexity of causes and concerns, it is important to have a treatment program that is wholistic and "open to the notion of multiple addictions and addiction as symptomatic of deeper problems." In other words an one-door policy. This new empowerment model of healing is especially advantageous for women, people of colour, Aboriginal people, poor people, and other marginalized groups of people, as it emphasizes effects of internalized oppression. In fact, Kasl acknowledges that Many Roads, One Journey is "essentially positioned from the perspective of women and minorities, for it is their reality which has so often been omitted in approaches to overcoming addiction and dependency." Where other programs sometimes reinforce social inequalities, Kasl's 16-step complimentary program offers solutions to Charlotte Davis Kasl power imbalances and to the many problems women face by virtue of just being women in today's society. Since addiction and dependency are often rooted in societal problems, it is important for women to activate an internal sense of power aligned with their heart and wisdom. Besides, it is time to change patriarchy as a religion! There are many roads to recovery and personal growth, but Kasl warns that some organizations and programs perpetuate the status quo of privileged white male dominance, pressured conformity, and moralistic values based on shame and guilt. In other words, they are still sexist, threatened by change, and do not promote diversity, internal wisdom or a social conscience. Based on her vast research, personal quest, interviews, and experience as a therapist, Kasl also clearly demonstrates the links between addictive behaviours and abuse, dysfunctional families, incest, homophobia, the 'isms,' poverty, and living in a patriarchal society. Her 16-step solution is a timely in-depth alternative for finding your own voice, social consciousness, strength and spirituality. This broader approach can heal the individual and the world! For Kasl, true healing occurs through love and validation, not fear, humiliation or shame. She offers a deeper level to the "recovery, uncovery, discovery" journey, hoping to achieve and maintain a higher quality of life. Don't we all deserve that? In Vancouver, a number of groups have adopted Kasl's approach. The Watari Research Association, a non-profit society that provides a range of services to high-risk adolescents and their families, believes in Kasl's 16 steps for empowerment. They have just completed facilitating their third group and self-care workshop. Candace Plattor, an addictions counsellor at Watari, claims Kasl's workbook, Yes, You Can! A Guidebook to Empowerment Groups, says it all: the steps are real, affirming, positive, bonding, healing, and offer solutions for everyone. Plattor went on to say, "doing the steps is very validating, which can help a person find a way out of isolation." Charlotte Kasl's 16 steps: 1 .We affirm we have the power to take charge of our lives and stop being dependent on substances or other people for our self-esteem and security. 2. We come to believe that God/ the Goddess/Universe/Great Spirit/ Higher Power awakens the healing wisdom within us when we open ourselves to that power. 3. We make a decision to become our authentic Selves and trust in the healing power of truth. 4. We examine our beliefs, addictions, and dependent behaviour in the context of living in a hierarchical patriarchal culture. 5.We share with another person and the Universe all those things inside of us for which we feel shame and guilt. 6. We affirm and enjoy our strengths, talents, and creativity, striving not to hide these qualities to protect others'egos. 7. We become willing to let go of shame, guilt, and any behaviour that keeps us from loving ourselves and others. 8. We make a list of people we have harmed and people who have harmed us, and take steps to clear our negative energy by making amends and sharing grievances in a respectful way. 9. We express love and gratitude to others, and increasingly appreciate the wonder of life and the blessings we do have. 10. We continue to trust our reality and daily affirm that we see what we see, we know what we know, and we feel what we feel. 11 .We promptly acknowledge our mistakes and make amends when appropriate, but we do not say we're sorry for things we have not done and we do not cover up, analyze, or take responsibility for the shortcomings of others. 12. We seek out situations, jobs, and people that affirm our intelligence, perceptions, and self- worth and avoid situations or people who are hurtful, harmful, or demeaning to us. 13. We take steps to heal our physical bodies, organize our lives, reduce stress, and have fun. 14. We seek to find our inward calling, and develop the will and wisdom to follow it. 15. We accept the ups and downs of life as natural events that can be used as lessons for our growth. 16. We grow in awareness that we are interrelated with all living things, and we contribute to restoring peace and balance on the planet. Patti Bosomworth, facilitator of the woman's empowerment group at Watari, adds that, "a person gets to the core of an issue or problem, and through a process of sharing, self-healing and support they can find the courage to be real, grow and feel." Both facilitators agree that by working through the 16 steps, a person's life can be profoundly changed through finding their own power. Sixteen-step programs are forming all over North America. All anyone needs to begin are Kasl's books, a meeting place, and possibly some herbal tea! In British Columbia, the Aurora Centre, a residential treatment program for women who are chemially dependent, operating out of the BC Women's Health Centre, holds open meetings every Saturday from 10:30am to noon. Other groups have begun in North Vancouver, Kelowna and Victoria. Check your local paper to see if a group has started in your area. If not, begin a group for empowerment and continuing health. For further information about Charlotte Kasl's work, write to her at: Many Roads One Journey, Box 1302, Lob, Montana, 59847, USA. Dawn Livingstone has done extensive group work, and knows Charlotte Kasl's model works. She has been an activist all her life, and says that she's aging nicely. Letters dear readers Kinesis loves receiving mail. Please get your letter to us by the 18th of the month. If you can, keep the length to about 500 words. (If you go way over, we might edit for space.) Hope to hear from you very soon. Love, Kinesis Apples are not oranges Dear Kinesis: Thank you, thank you for the article in the March edition of Kinesis about keeping women's spaces for women. I was most relieved to see that other feminists are frustrated with the transgendered male to female [MTF] folk gaining access to women's spaces. I can be sympathetic towards someone who feels uncomfortable with his body—what woman has not had (long) moments of discomfort with her physical self? I can be sympathetic towards a man who is uncomfortable with standards of male behaviour. These men need respect, safety and a place to explore their ideas and feelings. It should not be a woman space. There are some folks who believe that transgendered people undergoing a 'sex change' from male to female are women. I am not one of these folks. I think these fellows are attempting an individual personal solution to what is a much larger political problem—restrictive gender roles to which we are expected to conform. I know that these people are victims of harassment, threats and violence because of their choices and I find that reprehensible. I can disagree with someone's decisions about their fives, but I must treat them with respect. I maintain that M-F transgendered people are essentially men in extreme drag, and should organize their own space. Alix Dobkin once said," You can paint an orange red, and shoot it up with apple juice, and it may not be a proper orange, but it's not an apple." (From a letter to off our backs, Dec 1992.) The argument is often made that barring transgendered people from women-only events, is like barring people of colour from clubs or events. This is a flawed analogy as MTF transgendered people come from a position of male privilege. Coming from a privileged group into an oppressed group, [claimed to be] a member of the oppressed group, is a lie. It is an invasion. It is harassment. I am of European descent. I would not attempt to gain entry to a gathering of women of colour. I may be uncomfortable about my racism that makes such gatherings necessary; I may question my unearned privilege, and the attendant power. I may examine my own behaviour and attitudes. I think racism and sexism are different fish in the same tank. I wish all men would do the same in response to women-only gatherings. Once, when I expressed my discomfort (to another women) overthe presence of a man (a self-defined transgendered person) in a women- only space, she replied that though he was behaving more like a caricature of a woman, we could teach him how to behave like a woman. It is not my job to "teach" a man how to be a woman. I have enough to do. Women have enough to do. I encourage men to question their [gender] roles, talk with one another, and change these expected roles of male behaviour. If some men want to experiment with typically feminine ways of dress and behaviour, that's fine with me. Although, as I said before, there are elements of appropriation in that strategy that bears rigorous inquiry. I want men to question what is means to be male, to examine the concepts of masculine and feminine, and to challenge and encourage one another in these examinations. Don't do it in women only spaces, that's all. Help one another. But don't obstruct our work with and for other women. This is a difficult issue for all of us, and those of us who have dissenting views are often insulted or threatened by "formerly fellows" and their allies. That shuts down debate and makes finding solutions that much more difficult. Thank you Kinesis, and thank you, Virginia, Jeanne, Maria, and Clara, for sharing your ideas, feelings and analysis of this difficult and divisive issue. In sisterhood, Erin Graham Vancouver, BC Article is transphobic Dear Kinesis: "The Struggle," published in the March 1998 issue of Kinesis. By being part of the women's movement, I learned of the endless variations in the relationships between sex, gender and sexuality. In my case, I realized that I could sexually want a woman while being female and being femme; that when I live against the grain of social expectation, refusing to conform to rigid mainstream perception of "white, middle class, femininity" (read het/submissive/ female), I am infused with the courage to fight against structural hatred—like sexism, classism and transphobia. Given that the sex/sexuality/gender conflation is a powerful tool used to control women and [other] targeted groups, why do so many in the women's movement perceive transgendered people as a threat, rather than allies? In the Kinesis article, trans women became the ultimate bio-boy patriarch: socialized for intrusion and violence, using their male privilege to drain the so-called woman-born-woman of their strength. (How can these women be so sure they were born with cunts?) The trans movement has become the scapegoat for all the ills of feminism, causing chaos in women's organizations everywhere. What a bunch of transphobic bullshit. The article reads like the Christian Right of the FMS [false memory syndrome] movement's appropriation of feminist arguments. The women in this article not only minimized the reality of trans people's experiences of erasure, violence and poverty, but also continued the history of shaming and condemning people who break the rules. This reminds me of the lesbian community's response when satanic ritual abuse and multiplicity were raised at the Vancouver Lesbian Connection— everyone so busy defending their piece of the pie, they couldn't hear that we needed a change of flavour. Why would Kinesis, newspaper committed to the struggle against all social injustice, publish an article rooted in hatred and disrespect? Does Kinesis also believe that transphobia does not exist? I would like to know how Kinesis believes FTMs [female to male transgendered people] fit into this so- called women-only space. After all, they were socialized to be women, and how many years does it take to be a man (sic)? It seems the women's movement needs to learn that we do not have a monopoly on vulnerability and that we too can use our power abusively. I want to be clear. I have not been silenced by guilt as Jeanne D'Arc would have me believe. While I want woman raised-only space around issues such as child sexual abuse, I also want to integrate into my politics the commonalities between my experiences as a white-skinned, middle class rural raised, femme dyke, and those of trans women, men) and people. I believe that the women's movement will be enriched by the inclusion of trans people, and we will learn in a new way the strength that comes from living through contradiction. Kinesis should apologize for publishing hate literature, and take responsibility by allowing a rebuttal. Sincerely, Juli Macdonnell Vancouver, BC Discussion, not divisiveness. Please. Dear Kinesis: I admire the way Kinesis presents news in a feminist context and explores women's realities—not only printing what mainstream newspapers ignore, but also backing everything up with the facts and contextual information that newspapers of the Right so glaringly lack. However, the feature article, "The struggle for women-only spaces," does not live up to this standard. Addressing the numerous unfounded assertions contained in this discussion could run to feature length, so I will only mention a few of the things that upset me: 1) transgendered women are characterized as men, jealous of women, and driven to assert their male privilege in a new forum, while transgendered men are depicted as frustrated young women who would ruin their health in pursuit of fashion and an easy road to equality; 2) "pro-inclusion" women are dismissed as naive, confused, or part of the anti-feminist backlash; 3) the transgendered movement is linked to two women-hating movements: the false memory syndrome lobby and fathers' rights groups; 4) bisexual and transgendered people are relegated to the periphery of queer community. As a lesbian and a feminist who identifies with the queer community, I want to hear discussion of how we create our communities in the face of changes occurring in society. These issues can be discussed without hatred, and without promoting the divisiveness that saps our energy and distracts us from the work of promoting equality for women and all oppressed people. Sincerely, Teresa McCarthy Vancouver, BC Bulletin Board read this! INVOLVEMENT INVOLVEMENT EVENTS Bulletin Board listings have a maximum of 50 words. Groups, organizations and individuals eligible for free space in the Bulletin Board must be, or have, non-profit objectives. Other free notices will be items of general public interest and will appear at the discretion of Kinesis. Classifieds are $8 (+$0.56 GST) for the first 50 words or portion thereof, $4 (+$0.28 GST) for each additional 25 words or portion thereof and must be prepaid. Deadline for all submissions is the 16th of the month preceding publication. Note: Kinesis is published ten times a year. Jul/Aug and Dec/Jan are double issues. All submissions should include a contact name and telephone number for any clarification that may be required. Listings will not be accepted over the telephone. Kinesis encourages readers to research the goods and services advertised in Bulletin Board. Kinesis cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information provided or the safety and effectiveness of the services and products listed. Send submissions to Bulletin Board, Kinesis, #309-877 E. Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, V6A 3Y1, fax: (604) 255-5511, e-mail: kinesis@web.net For more information call (604) 255- 5499. WANNA GET INVOLVED? With Kinesis? We want to get involved with you too. Help plan our next issue. All women interested in what goes into Kinesis—whether it's news, features or arts—are invited to one of our next Story Meetings: Tues May 5 and Tues June 2 at 7pm at our office, 309-877 E. Hastings St. For more information or if you can't make the meeting, but still want to find out about contributing to Kinesis, give Agnes a call at (604) 255-5499. New and experienced writers welcome. Childcare and travel subsidies available. CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS Are you interested in finding out how Kinesis is put together? Well...just drop by during our next production dates and help us design and lay out Canada's national feminist newspaper. Production for the June 1998 issue is from May 19-26. No experience is necessary. Training and support will be provided. If this notice intrigues you, call us at (604) 255-5499. Childcare and travel subsidies available. VSW IS LOOKING FOR YOU! If you are interested in learning to do referral and peer counselling work, at VSW we are offering a great opportunity to women who are interested in volunteer work during the day. Come answer the phone lines and talk to women who drop in and help connect them with the community resources they need. For more information call Ema or Agnes at 255-6554. Childcare and travel subsidies available. RESOURCE LIBRARIAN NEEDED If you have knowledge of organizing and maintaining a Resource Centre and want to hang out with great group of women, VSW is the perfect place for you. VSW is looking for women to help make our resources more accessible and user- friendly to women. For more information call Ema or Agnes at 255-6554. Childcare and travel subsidies available. HEATHER SPEARS Artist and writer Heather Spears will read from her latest collection The Panum Poems Tues May 5, 7:30pm at Women in Print, 3566 West 4th Ave, Vancouver. Spears has received the Governor General's Award and the CBC Literary Prize for her poetry, and is a two-time winner of the Pat Lowther Award. Admission is free. For more info call 732-4128. SONJA ARNTZEN Sonja Arntzen, a professor of Japanese literature at the University of Alberta, will read from her recently published translation of the 10th Century Kagero DiaryTues May 19, 7:30pm at Women in Print, 3566 West 4th Ave, Vancouver. Through the lyrical prose and poetry of this text, the reader enters into the intimate life of a Japanese woman of 1000 years ago. Admission is free. For more info call 732-4128. MARY MEIGS Author of several works of autobiographical fiction, Mary Meigs is also well known for her role in the NFB semi-documentary film The Company of Strangers. Meigs will be in Vancouver to read from her most recent novel The Time Being, Wed May 27, 7:30pm at Women in Print, 3566 West 4th Ave. Meigs' novel is the story of two old women rekindling innocent passion. Free admission. For more info call 732-4128. ftt/M / Oa/ 0W&- -73 &a/£$/£ I Employers and employees! Avoid problems in future by having responsible hiring, dismissal, harrassment and human rights policies. Mediation is a way of finding solutions to conflict which preserve rights, dignity and the future ability to work together. MUNRO* PARFITT MELINDA MUNRO MEDIATOR/LAWYER LAWYE RS 401-825 granville street, Vancouver, b.c. v6z 1k9 689-7778(ph) 689-5572 (fax) quality legal services woman friendly atmosphere 401-825 granville street, Vancouver, b.c. v6z 1 k9 689-7778(ph) 689-5572 (fax) seeking peaceful solutions which respect difference, equality and justice labour/employment, human rights, civil litigation and public interest advocacy. labour/employment, human rights, civil disputes and conflicts within community organizations. PROUDLY ANNOUNCING the Opening of DR. PENNY THOMPSON'S DENTAL PRACTICE Dentistry in the Heart of the Community Phone:251-1322 Fax:251-1232 ^BPe^Jl Call U$ ... Be a Special Patient yjpS) Or drop by at 1 - 1701 Grant Street (at Commercial Drive), Vancouver Advertisement paid by Dr. Penny J. Thompson, Inc. Ferron in concert with Jami Sieber • cellist Friday May 15 Norman Rothstein Theatre Jewish Community Centre 41st & Oak 8pm advance $18-$22 lJ sliding scale at Urban Empire & Women in Print $25 at door (if still available) Sounds juries iDUCTIONS 253-7189 S&F upcoming events: Saturday May 9 Women's Arts & Crafts Faire • Heritage Hall @ 3102 Main Street 10AM - 5PM • $1 - $3 door donation to benefit the Mole Hill Living Heritage Society Friday May 29 3rd Women's Journey to Ireland (April 22 - May 6, 1999) Slide show & talk with archeologist Mod O'Donnell of Mystical Ireland for Women Vancouver Cultural Alliance • 938 Howe Street • 8 pm • $2 Bulletin Board GROUPS GROUPS SUBMISSIONS SUBMISSIONS DYKEWORDS Dykewords is an evening ot readings by local writers held at the Lotus, 455 Abort St, Vancouver. Thurs Apr 30 features readings by Lydia Kwa, Russel Baskin and Louie Ettling. Thurs May 14 features readings by Margarita Miniovich, Susan Holbrook and Anna Nobile. Thurs May 28 is in honour of Asian Heritage Month and will feature readings by Ming Dinh, Sook C. Kong, Rita Wong, Lily Shinde, Michele Wong and Veena Gokhale. All readings begin at 9pm. Admission is sliding scale $1-4. Tickets at the door. Everyone welcome. For more info call 685-7777. FILIPINO YOUTH FORUM Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada/Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance presents a one day gathering for Filipino- Canadian youth and students to deepen their knowledge of Philippine history, its people and their struggles Sat May 23. The forum, Reclaiming our Past, Shaping our Future, takes place from 9am-6:30pm at the Kalayaan Centre, 451 Powell 3t, Vancouver. For more information and to register, contact May or Sean at 215-1103. FESTIVAL FOR YOUNG ADULTS X-Site, the first annual Vancouver arts festival for young adults, will be held May 25-May 31. The event is held at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre, 1895 Venables St. X-Site will feature Autopsy, a play by Australia's Arena Theatre Company developed from interviews with young people about the struggle between technoscience and humanity. Other featured events include Margo Kane performing Moonlodge, which takes a look at the superficiality of pop culture and the stereotypical images that surround Native peoples. Tickets available at Ticketmaster. For more info call 687-7697. PLAY DAY FOR WOMEN Play Day For Women will be held on Sat May 2 from 10am-4pm at Simon Fraser Village Recreation Centre, 3290 Ganymede Dr, Burnaby. Come play with paint, collage, sing, dance and tell stories in an atmosphere of fun and frivolity. Hosted by Barbara Karmazyn of Arts Play Creative Development Services. Admission is free. For more info or to register call 421-6200. MICHIGAN WOMYN'S FEST The Michigan's Womyn's Festival will be celebrating its 23rd year during the week of Aug 11-16. This fest attracts thousands of women for a week-long event that includes 40 performances, 200 workshops, a Film Festival, Crafts Faire and 650 secluded areas for camping. Artists scheduled to appear this year include: Sweet Honey in The Rock, Indigo Girls, Alice Walker, Ferron, Ubaka Hill, Kinnie Starr, Carole Pope, Rhiannon, and others. For further info write to WWTMC, PO Box 22, Walhalla, Ml, 49458, or call (616) 757-4766 WOMEN'S BUILDING SYMPOSIUM The 3rd Women's Natural Building Symposium and Hands-On Extravaganza will be held solstice time, Jun 15-22, near Seattle, Washington. All women interested in creating healthy healing homes and sacred spaces are invited to come co-create magical natural buildings out of earth, straw and wood, make a living-fence, plasters, thatching, and passive solar design. Tuition is sliding scale US$250-350. For more info write to: PragtreeAA/AIL Farm, 13401 184th St NE, Arlington, WA, 98223; call (360) 403-0185; or check out their website at http://www.cpros.com/~sequoia CITYFEST'98 CityFest '98 will be held this year from May 15-17 at the King Edward Campus of the Vancouver Community College, 1155, E. Broadway, Vancouver. The fifth annual free performing arts festival is expected to highlight the work of about 1,000 performers. Among the artists showcasing their talents this year will be Colleen Jones, singing Irish and Canadian acappella songs; Resin, a folk groove trio-vocals, violin and cellc—from Bowen Island; folk singer Starchild; and Schaandra Krown with her fire spinning and breathing. For a full schedule of events or more info call 526-2804. SINGLE MOM'S DAY The Vancouver Status of Women and the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre are putting out a call for volunteers to help with the annual Single Mother's Day event on Sun May 10. Women are needed to help with set up, childcare, face-painting, serving refreshments, carrying out the games for kids, and so on. The celebration will take place from 1-5pm at Solheim Place, 255 Union St. [See page 23 for full details of the event] Women interested in volunteering, please call Colleen or Ema at VSW, 255-6554. INDIAN HOMEMAKERS The Indian Homemakers Association of BC is looking for volunteers for various tasks such as answering phones, food bank pick-ups and fundraising. Volunteers will receive on the job training. For more info call 876-0944 or drop by I HA at 208-175 E. Broadway, Vancouver. COMPULSIVE EATING A drop-in support group for women who compulsively eat held every 1 st and 3rd Thursday of each month from 7:30-9pm. The group meets at the Eating Disorder Resource Centre of BC, St. Paul's Hospital, 2nd Floor, Rm 2C-213, 1081 Burrard St, Vancouver. Admission is free. For more info call 631-5313. TRADITIONAL PARENTING SKILLS The Indian Homemakers Association in Vancouver is starting the next session of its Traditional Parenting Skills Program Mon May 11. Interviews will be held May 4-8. The program runs for 12 weeks, Mon-Fri 9:30am-2:30pm. This program welcomes First Nations women and is meant to empower and strengthen women's parenting skills through wholistic teachings. The program will focus on the areas of personal development, life skills, parenting skills and cultural awareness. IHA is accepting applications until Fri May 15. For more info call Ellen Antoine at 876-0944. PWN BOARD The Positive Women's Network in Vancouver is looking for new board members to serve a two year term beginning June 1998. PWN supports women living with HIV/AIDS to make their own choices by providing safe access to services and resources. For more info call Margreth Tolson at 681-2122, local 229 or Diana Peabody at 875-3782. LESBIANS OVER 30 SOCIAL The Over 30's Social Group meets every 2nd Saturday at 5:30pm for a potluck at the Vancouver Lesbian Connection, 876 Commercial Dr. For more info call 254-8458. SHAKTI-STRENGTH Shakti "strength" is a self-help group for South Asian Indo-Canadian Women who have experienced the psychiatric system. The group meets every 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month from 7-9pm at South Vancouver Neighbourhood House 6470 Victoria Dr. Admission is free. For more info call Helen (in English) at 733- 5570 or Jito (in Punjabi) 590-8212. ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH This May marks the second annual Asian Heritage Month in Vancouver. Through art exhibits, literary readings, film, video, dance, music, workshops and discussions, organizers say they hope to continue forging artistic and social links between individuals and communities, while raising the awareness and visibility of Asian arts and cultures in Vancouver. For a full listing of events, pick up the AHM calendar program from around Vancouver, or visit AHM's website at http://www.shinnova.com/asianheritagemonth/. Some of the events highlighting the voices and creative talents of women are: TELEVISION PREMIERES Friday May 1,6pm and Saturday May 2,1am My America...Or Honk If You Love Buddha, Renee Tajima-Pena is an exploration of how the racial and cultural landscape of America has changed since when, during a childhood vacation, she and her family crossed five state lines without ever seeing another Asian face, will be premiered on PBS. Thursday May 7, noon, 7pm and 11pm The National Film Board documentary, Under the Willow Tree: Pioneer Chinese Women in Canada will be aired on the History Channel. Directed by Dora Nipp, the documentary unfolds through the the stories of the first Chinese women to come to Canada and of subsequent generations of Chinese Canadian women. VIDEO SCREENING Saturday May 16, 9:30pm All You Can Eat! is a night of recently produced videos by Asian-Canadian women and men taking place at the Video In Studios, 1965 Main St. Featured videos include Open Mouth Laughs, Karen Ke^rs glimpse at the simple pleasures of Chinese heritage, and Looking For Another Girl, a tongue-in-cheek video on lesbian love by Meena Nanji and Jane Cottis. Tickets are $5-12. LITERARY EVENTS Saturday May 2, 7:30pm The opening night of the Asian Heritage Month literary reading series will feature the works of Jen Lam, a Vancouver-born spoken word performer and author of Serial Cockroach. The event will take place at the Western Front, 303 East 8th Ave. The readings listed below will all take place at The Grind & Gallery Coffee Bar, 4124 Main St. starting at 7:30pm: Sunday May 3 Readings by highly acclaimed writer Evelyn Lau, whose most recent book is Ofher Woman; Nancy Lee, whose writing has been published in Grain Magazine and Writer's World, Doretta Lau, an English and Creative Writing student at UBC; and Craig Takeuchi. Saturday May 9 Readings by Lydia Kwa, author of the collection of poetry, The Colour of Heroines, Gaik Khoo, a doctoral student in Malaysian literature and film at UBC; Fiona Tinwei Lam, whose poetry has been published in numerous journals and has been included in the forthcoming anthology A Room at the Heart of Things; and Goh Poh Seng. Saturday May 16 Readings by Larissa Lai, author of When Fox is a Thousand and currently Writer-in-Residence at the University of Calgary; Hiromi Goto, author of Chorus of Mushrooms, Terrie Hamazaki, writer and performer of the play Furusato; and Rita Wong, whose writings have been featured in several journals including absinthe, Fireweed, and Tessera. Saturday May 24 Readings by writer, teacher and storyteller Judy Fong Bates, who will be in Vancouver to launch her new collection of short stories, China Dog and Other Tales from a Chinese Laundry, Jen Lam; Paolo Javier; and David Michael Kwan Saturday May 30, 7:20pm Readings by SKY Lee, author of Bellydancer and Disappearing Moon Cafe; lanne Sison, a Filipina writer currently pursuing degrees in English and Creative Writing at UBC; Virginia Chan, a student of Latin and Creative Writing at UBC; and Henny Choi. Bulletin Board SUBMISSIONS MARION PORTER PRIZE The Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW) invites nominations for the Marion Porter Prize, to be awarded for the most significant feminist research article from a journal or an anthology published between July 1997 and August 1998. The criteria used to judge articles will be the importance of the issue addressed to women, the originality of the theme, and the article's academic excellence. For more info contact the Chairperson, Awards Committee, c/o CRIAW, Suite 408, 151 Slater St., Ottawa, ON, K1P 5H3; tel: (613) 563-0681; fax: (613) 563-0682; TDD/ATS: (613) 563-1921; e-mail: criaw@sympatico.ca. Nominations must be received by Aug 31. TESTIMONIES OF FAITH Women's Press in Toronto is seeking personal essays on experiences with organized religion from Canadian lesbians of color and African- American lesbians to be published in Testimonies of Faith, Testimonies of Difference: An Anthology of Lesbians of Color and Their Religious Experiences. Essays should be typed, double spaced with one-inch margins, and be no more than 20 pages. American essays should be mailed to L.K. Barnett, 1 Mead Way Bronxville, NY, 10708. Canadian essays should be mailed to Rosamund Elwin c/ o Women's Press Suite 302, 517 College St., Toronto, ON, M6G 4A2. Women's Press is particularly interested in submissions from disabled women and welcomes taped inter- views. Deadline is Sep 1. CRIAW RESEARCH GRANTS The Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW) offers annual grants of $2,500 for projects that promote the advancement of women. The research can be the subject of a proposal that is complete in itself, part of a larger study, in its initial stages, or an on-going project. The project must make a significant contribution to feminist research and be non-sexist in methodology and language. Priority will be given to: emerging independent researchers, women's groups, and projects with Canadian content Candidates should send four copies of their application to CRIAW, 151 Slater Street, Suite 408, Ottawa, ON, K1P 5H3; tot (613) 563- 0681; fax: (613) 563-0682; TDD/ATS: (613) 563-1921; e-mail: criaw@sympatJco.ca. Submissions must be postmarked no later than Aug 31. COMPLEXLY CARIBBEAN Seeking short stories for an anthology on female Caribbean identities into the 21st Century-who are we now? Looking for fiction which deals with the experiences of being complexly Caribbean from Caribbean (broadly defined) women inside and outside the region. Especially interested in experimental writing and writing which breaks new ground and the mold of nostalgic first generation migrant experience fiction. Send submissions to: Complexly Caribbean, Sister Vision Press, PO Box 217, Stn E, Toronto, ON, M6H 4E2. Deadline is Sep 1998. CLASSIFIEDS SPINSTERVALE Spinstervale in Coombs (Vancouver Island) offers rustic cabins to women. Tiny cabin sleeps one or two close friends, at $7.50/ 15 per night. Larger cabin sleeps four; weekend rate $40. Inquire about work exchange (three hours a day equals room/ board). Call (250) 248-8809 or e-mail Sunshine @ macn.bc.ca. TURNING POINTTHERAPY Counselling with Delyse Ledgard, MA. Fifteen years of experience in childhood trauma counselling, including sexual abuse. Plus relationships and sexuality, depression, addictions, self-esteem, and lesbian issues. I work with individuals and couples. Experiential/feminist approach. First half-hour consultation free. Call (604) 681-6858. GAIA ADVENTURES GAIA (Mother Earth) Adventures presents Outdoor Adventures for Women. Come hike High Falls Creek in Squamish (moderate to challenging) on May 16 and Jun 13. Enjoy a moderate hike to Port Moody's famous Diez Vistas trail or bike Galiano Island on May 24. You can also discover the adventure of rock climbing with us on Jun 27 (no experience required) or hike the North Shore's Black Mountain on Jun 6. Call (604) 875-0066 today! For more info, check out GAIA's website at http://www.vancouver.bc.com. WOMEN'S SELF-DEFENSE Women Educating in Self-defense Training (WEST) teaches Wenlido. In Basic classes, you learn how to make the most of mental, physical and verbal skills to get away from assault situations. Continuing training builds on basic techniques to improve physical and mental strength. By women, for women. For info, call (604) 876-6390. FRASER RIVER PLACE COOP Fraser River Place Co-op is accepting applications for 1-3 bedroom units. No subsidies, snares are $1600. Housing costs are $667- 977. Participation required. S.A.S.E. 530 Ginger Dr, New Westminster BC, V3L 5K8. LYDIA KWA Lydia Kwa, Ph.D, clinical pychologist in private practice, works with clients dealing with a wide range of issues. Central downtown Vancouver location. For appoint- ments, call (604) 682-5818. DEEP COMFORTING RELAXATION Experience massage. Warmth. Tranquillity. Warm oils. Hot towels. Luxurious. Soothing. Rejuvenating. All sizes. Take care of and rejoice in your self. Kinesis reader's March/ April special 90 minutes for $50. Bring a friend for company or split the time. Flexible hours. Healthful. Respectful. Feels Fabulous. Lonsdale, North Vancouver. For an appointment call (604) 990-1049. SUMMER INSTITUTE WITH VANDANA SHIVA The Women's Studies Department at SFU and the Ruth Wynn Woodward Chair in Women's Studies presents Women, Life and the Planet from Jun 16-19,1998 from 9 am to 1 pm. At Harbour Centre Campus at SFU. The Institute will be organized each day as a lecture followed by smaller seminar groups. Registration fee is $200 (subsidies available). For further information and registration please call (604) 291- 3333 or fax (604) 291-5518 or, e-mail cgoodman@sfu.ca SINGLE MOTHER'S DAY IN VANCOUVER The Vancouver Status of Women and the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre are hosting the 8th annual Single Mother's Day Celebration on Sunday May 10th. Single moms and their children are invited to come and enjoy an afternoon full of entertainment and fun.There will be door prizes, refreshments, performances, and much, much more! Let us entertain your kids with face painting and arts and crafts while you treat yourself to a free mini-massage, learn how to make your own bath-bomb, or just join in some laughs with a great bunch of women. This event will take place from 1:00 to 5:00pm at Soiheim Place, 255 Union St (near Main). The celebration is a FREE event for single moms and their kids. For more information, call VSW at 255-6554 or the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre at 681-8480. Dahl findlay Connors & Evans BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS • A full range of services to meet your business and personal legal needs • Free initial consultation • Lawyers experienced in protecting the interests and advancing the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered communities Suite 620, 1033 Davie (near Burrard), Vancouver, B.C. (604) 687-8752 • Toll Free 1 888 4 GAY LAW LIBiZa LIBRARY PROCESSING CTR - SERIALS £286. EAST;jgflLL, U.B.C. VANCOUVER, *B'C V&T 1Z8 ^ Cot\f\orl P (and 4*8+3 +eo j) rou... One year □ Cheque enclosed D$20 +$1.40 GST □ Bill me Two years □ New □$36 + $2.52 GST □ Renewal Institutions/Groups □ Gift □$45+ $3.15 GST □ Donation For individuals who can't afford the full amount for Kinesis subscription, send what you can. Free to women prisoners. Orders outside Canada add $8. Vancouver Status of Women Membership (includes Kinesis subscription) □$30+$1.40 GST Name Address- Country Telephone _ Postal code_ Fax Published ten times a year by the Vancouver Status of Women #309-877 E. Hastings St., Vancouver, BC V6A 3Y1
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Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Vancouver : Vancouver Status of Women
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Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. HQ1101.V24 N49
Women--Social and moral questions
Feminism--Periodicals
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