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The FL Feminist

June 2023

On Feminism

Women's rights afire

Spark of equality shines bright

United, we will soar

- Written by Artificial Intelligence

President's Column

Hello, Woke Women, Wonder Women,

While I was at the conference, I knew it was good, but it was great to get all your feedback forms with the same opinion. They were almost all 5’s for each of the questions we asked on the forms. We genuinely appreciate your feedback. We received some suggestions for next year that we will work for next year. Thanks for those.

Woke Women was certainly a great theme. Keep selling the real definition of Woke (recognizing past and current injustices and moving forward to fix them) to counter DeSatan’s negativity on Woke (he doesn’t have a definition).

It was great to have so many Chapters represented. Thanks for being there. Again, I have to thank the 2023 FL NOW Conference Team of Diane Lebedeff, Arlene Ustin, Suzanne Southard and her West Volusia team, Judi Marraccini, Kat Duesterhaus, Linda Miklowitz.

In other words all of us.

The abortion access ballot initiative is our highest priority.

It gives me hope and brings out my determination.

Remember every Chapter must have a representative on the FL NOW Reproductive Task Force. It is critical to keep up with how we are doing and share lessons learned, e.g., touristy malls don’t get you signatures. Tabling and Clip boarding events are critical, but there are also locations that two people can work, e.g., DMV, Post Office, Library.

We have to have feet on the street getting signatures and encouraging new members to join us.

Are you up-to-date on the ballot initiative including being trained? If not, refer to this link tree, https://linktr.ee/floridiansprotectingfreedom, or email me at president@flnow.org.

We will get abortion access on the 2024 ballot, and Floridians will pass it.

We just have to make the signatures happen. Woke Wonder Women can do that.

Two other items:

Contact Sheila Jaffee to find out how to get onto the Court Watch System to support Court Watch requests. Many are virtual. Get the word out in your area on Court Watch support for mothers.

This month we are kicking off the Racial Justice Task Force. Look for email announcement.

Woke, Wonder Women march forward on getting signatures on abortion access petitions and new members.

Take Care,

Debbie

Join us in the Ballot Initiative

Go to the Floridians Protecting Freedom and Get Involved!

Moving Forward

Support Pride Events
Get Abortion in the FL Constitution

6/30 - 7/2 National NOW Conference / Arlington, Virginia

Ballot Initiative

By now, many of you have signed the petition to put abortion on the 2024 ballot in Florida. 🎉🎉

If you haven’t yet, you can print, sign, and mail in your own petition from home. Print it here: https://floridiansprotectingfreedom.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/DSDE155A_999_2307_EN_Fillable.pdf

Mail it with 7 days to: Floridians Protecting Freedom Post Office Box 4068 Sarasota, FL 34230

Note: All petitions must be filled out by voters who are already registered in the state of Florida, using blue or black ink. Ripped, damaged, or illegible petitions are not accepted. If you make an error start a whole new petition, otherwise your petition will be disqualified. Your signature must match the signature on your drivers license, and your address must match the address where you are registered to vote. Watch out for the most common mistakes, which are putting country instead of COUNTY and swapping the month and date of the date of birth.

This is going to be a huge task. We need to collect around 900,000 petitions in the next 6 months to qualify for the ballot measure.

ARE YOU WILLING TO HELP COLLECT PETITIONS? Sign up for volunteer training, find a place in your community to pick up petitions, and more at: https://linktr.ee/floridiansprotectingfreedom

Facts about the LGBTQIA+ workers in the United States

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation found that full-time LGBTQ workers make approximately 90 cents for every $1 earned by the average worker in the US. It’s even larger for LGBTQ+ women– at 79 cents.

Transgender and cisgender bisexual women experience the highest rates of poverty, according to the Williams Institute.

22% of LGBTQ+ people live in poverty. That means food insecurity at twice the rate of non-LGBTQ identities.

1 in 5 women who identify as LGBTQ+ and work in construction trades face harassment for their sexual orientation. This pushes them out of good jobs and forces unnecessary financial insecurity.

Celebrate JUNETEENTH!

FLNOW Board Members

President: Debbie Deland

Vice President: Arlene Ustin

Secretary: Diane Lebedeff

Treasurer: Suzanne Southard

Membership Director: Judi Marraccini

Legislative Director: Jennifer Adams

Communications Director: Kat Duesterhaus

June Book Club Pick

The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-JonesIn late August 1619, a ship arrived in the British colony of Virginia bearing a cargo of twenty to thirty enslaved people from Africa. Their arrival led to the barbaric and unprecedented system of American chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years.(Because it is a lengthly book, up to page 249 was read for May, and for June read to the end.)

July Book Club Pick

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri is an extremely intriguing book to read. It contains all the amazing aspects of a great book, family, interesting culture, and of course love. This fiction novel is about a Bengali husband and wife from Calcutta, India moving to the United States as an arranged couple. They venture off to Massachusetts where they have their firstborn, Gogol, and then later on they conceive a daughter named Sonia.

2023 Feminist Planning Calendar

January

29 Hollywood Pride

February

Black History Month, 4 Pride/DeLand, 11 Pride/Ft. Lauderdale, 18 Pride/Tallahassee

March

Women's History Month, 8 International Women's Day, 10 National Abortion Provider Appreciation Day 15 Average Woman Equal Pay Day

April

Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), 5 Start By Believing Day, 22 Earth Day

2023 Equal Pay Days

Average Woman 03/15, AAPI Women 5/15, LGBTQIA+ 6/15, Black Women 9/21, Native Women 11/30, Latina 12/8

Watch for Local Events to Table At!

May

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, 15 AAPI Women Equal Pay Day , 05/19 - 05/21 FLNOW State Conference/ Orlando FL

June

LGBTQA+Pride Month, 15 LGBTQIA Equal Pay Day, 23 Anniversary of Title IX, 06/30 - 07/02 NOW Conference, Arlington VA,

July Organize for Elections

August 26 Women's Equality Day

September. National Hispanic Heritage Month, 4 Labor Day, 21 Black Women Equal Pay Day

October

National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 11 Day of the Girl, 19 Love Your Body

November Native American Heritage Month, 7 Election Day, 30 Native Women Equal Pay Day

December 8 Latina Equal Pay Day

Plan for Next Year!

Recharge! Gather! Learn! - Conference Wrap Up

Friday:

Members and Friend's Reception Speakers: Tim Ayers, Rev. Tracie Barrett, and Rev. I. Renai Collins. They kicked off the Conference with words of compassion and activist encouragement.

Saturday:

Debbie Deland, President of FLNOW, welcomed us and started the ball rolling. She was joined by Saturday Opening Plenary Speakers: Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith, FL Senator Lauren Book, Karla Hernandez-Mats, Jennifer Webb, Joe Scott, Zo Michell and Angie Nixon.

Next, the Reproductive Rights Plenary presented the Ballot Initiative to put Abortion on the 2024 Ballot. This is our CALL TO ACTION!

Our Saturday Lunch Speaker was Rabbi Barry Silver, Esq.. Rabbi Silver spoke about what we have accomplished and what we yet have to do. He had us raise the roof for feminism!

Workshops: LGBTQ+ Perspectives on the Current Political Climate, Climate Change and Women's Economic Burdens, WOC Feminism 2 - Women of Color and the Feminist Movement, Freedom to Read, Chapter Management, GOTV and Candidate Support. It was very difficult to choose which one to attend! We all learned so much!

Saturday night was Ax Throwing with Pizza followed by watching "Call Jane", reminder of the bad old days before "Roe V Wade.

Sunday Morning brought the President's Welcome and Bear Atwood, VP NOW, gave encouragement over Zoom.

Elections were held and Jennifer Adams is our new Legislative Director.

We covered Officer Reports, Florida NOW Resolutions, National NOW Resolutions and Bylaw Amendments Review, Court Watch in record time. State Council and PAC Sessions were held and we closed the Conference by 12:30pm.

It was so great, the action never stopped! We recharged, gathered, and learned! Can't wait until next year!

We were all WOKE at the 2023 FLNOW State Conference

Karla Hernandez-Mats hanging out with Cheryl Orr hosting for West Volusia Chapter

Tim Ayers, President of the Orange County, Florida Democratic Black Caucus

Reverend I. Renai Collins, Vice President of the West Palm Beach Mental Health Coalition

Karla Hernandez-Mats, President of the United Teachers of Dade County

Reproductive Rights Plenary

Kait Thomson, Director of Government Relations and CommunityEngagement for Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida
Anna V. Eskamani, Florida House of Representatives / 47th district in Orange County
Amy Weintraub, Reproductive Rights Program Director for Progress Florida and Reproductive Rights Task Force chair for FLNOW

CLICK FOR FLNOW

We need you to take a few minutes a day to CLICK for FLNOW!
Did you know that FLNOW has a Facebook Page?

The link is: https://www.facebook.com/FLNOW

Please "like" our posts and repost them DAILY -- including sharing them to your chapter's FB page.

Thanks for the CLICK for FLNOW!

Celebrate Pride Month!

FLNOW Task Force Blurbs by Arlene Ustin

2023 is here! FLNOW needs your active support in the continuing fights against the unacceptable and outrageous assaults on our democratic values and rights.

Below are our FLNOW Task Forces. Please join us in making NOW gain ground in the social / political arenas and let's educate the public.

Reproductive Rights: Amy Weintraub Monthly zooms are held and we need NOW members to attend, especially since the overturn of Roe v. Wade. When organizations work in coalitions rather than in local advocacy, more effective actions can reverse this situation.

Constitutional Equality (ERA): Nancy Terreri - This Task Force is part of the National ERA Coalition and Fund for Women's Equality. The ERA wraps around every issue which impacts women with 280 members who will present resolutions in both chambers of the 118th US Congress. Help Nancy get the ERA into the US Constitution.

LGBTQIA+ Rights: Beck Andre - Does excellent work in coalition with other organizations, especially Compass Center, which is in Palm Beach County and has far reaching connections. Please join us in "Saying Gay"!

Freedom from Violence: Kat Duesterhaus & Beck Andre - Members of this Task Force engage local Sexual Response Teams to promote the responses that Start By Believing. Join us in making Florida safer for all people by advocating for survivors.

Families Against Court Travesties (FACTS): Natalie Andre & Sheila Jaffe - Serving women and some men for over 20 years who face horrible treatment in court. FACTS created Court Watch, which adds a vital public dimension to proceedings so that the demeanor and behavior of presiding judges and attorneys, which are frequently biased against the mother, can be raised to the level of fair hearings.

Florida National Organization for Women

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