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Table of Contents

Herland Voice February 2009

Elizabeth Alexander inaugural poem

Recited on January 20, 2009 after Barak Obama took his oath of office as 44th President of the United States

Praise Song for the Day

Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others’ eyes or not, about to speak or speaking.

All about us is noise. All about us in noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues.

Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.

Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum, with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.

A woman and her son wait for the bus. A farmer considers the changing sky. A teacher says, “Take out your pencils. Begin.”

We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.

We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, “I need to see what’s on the other side; I know there’s something better down the road.”

We need to find a place where we are safe. We walk into that which we cannot yet see.

Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.

Praise song for struggle. Praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand–lettered sign, the figuring it out at kitchen tables.

Some live by “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.

What if the mightiest word is love. Love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp–praise song for walking forward in that light.

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report faults treatment of women held at immigration centers in arizona

by Dan Frosch, New York Times

Some 300 women held at immigration detention centers in Arizona face dangerous delays in health care and widespread mistreatment, according to a new study by the University of Arizona, the latest report to criticize conditions at such centers throughout the United States.

The study, which federal immigration officials criticized as narrow and unsubstantiated, was conducted from August 2007 to August 2008 by the South–west Institute of Research on Women, SIRW, and the James E. Rogers College of Law, both at U. of A. The report was released January 13.

Researchers examined the conditions facing women in the process of deportation proceedings at 3 federal immigration centers in Arizona. An estimated 3,000 women are being held nationwide.

The study concluded that immigration authorities were too aggressive in detaining the women, who rarely posed a flight risk, and that as a result they experienced severe hardships, including lack of prenatal care, treatment for cancer, ovarian cysts and other serious medical conditions. In some cases they endured being mixed with federal prisoners.

Nina Rabin, of SIRW, and immigration lawyer who led the study, observed that life was made more difficult for those who were pregnant or had recently given birth.

To learn more about the treatment of women and gays in immigration detention centers, call 202–595–8990 or see www.immigrantsolidarity.org

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“Milk” may be all over Oscars

On February 22 the Academy Awards will be watched with particular enthusiasm, as the film ”Milk”, about the life and times of Harvey Milk, was nominated for 5 of the top categories! A maximum of 5 films are nominated for each category.

“Milk” was nominated for Best Picture; Best Original Screenplay, by Dustin Lance Black;

Best Director, Gus Van Sant; Best Supporting Actor, Josh Brolin; and Best Actor, Sean Penn.

The film was in limited release in Oklahoma, due to the over–the–top Gay content, as Harvey Milk was the first openly gay elected official in the U.S. He was a City Supervisor for the city of San Francisco, murdered by Dan White, a fellow supervisor, and found in his office by Dianne Feinstein, also a supervisor, and now Senator from California.

In a review by OUTLOOK Weekly, Gregg Shapiro observes “Van Sant makes excellent use of vintage footage, from the opening credits featuring gay bar raids, to the scenes from the 1970’s and the ongoing struggle for gay rights.”

The Copa Club at the Habana Inn will host a watch party for the Oscars on Sunday, February 22, at 7 pm.

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controversy over mandated vaccine

The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum is asking friends to sign a petition to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) asking it to reverse the newly imposed Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination mandate for immigrant women and girls.

The CDC has recommended that Gardasil, the only FDA approved HPV vaccine, be administered to females ages 11 to 26 in the U.S. This recommendation became an automatic requirement for those applying for immigrant visas or adjustment to permanent residency status when the government updated its vaccination list in July 2008.

Contact Nancy Chung at nchung@ napawf.org

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take paws

From OUTLOOK Weekly

Pet–Friendly Accommodations Worldwide (PAW) has researched the pet policies of luxury hotels, for easy access on the internet.

A surprising number of luxury hotels have become pet–friendly, allowing your pet to sleep in the hotel room with you, some not charging any fees. PAW can tell you which ones offer complimentary pet guests, weight restrictions, and even amenities like a toy or treat.

Most hotels provide a pet bed, water and food bowls, and treats.

Janine Franceschi, owner of PAW, and her Irish setter, Beau, have been touring the country gathering this information first hand. Search for available hotels and book a room at www.luxurypaw.com

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remembering legends we lost in 2008

Odetta

Rosa Parks was her No. 1 fan, and Martin Luther King Jr. called her the queen of American folk music. Odetta’s stage presence was regal enough: planted onstage like an oak tree no one would dare cut down, wearing a guitar high on her chest, she could envelop Carnegie Hall with her powerful contralto as other vocalists might fill a phone booth. This was not some pruny European monarch but a stout, imperious queen of African–American music. She used that amazing instrument to bear witness to the pain and perseverance of her ancestors. Some folks sing songs. Odetta testified.

Her death on Dec. 2 in New York City at 77 from heart failure, coupled with that of South African singer Miriam Makeba three weeks ago, writes finis and fulfillment to 50 years of pursuing self–determination through song, of spreading the word through music. Her resonance was literal, political – few civil rights rallies of the early ’60s were complete without an Odetta rendition of ”We Shall Overcome”.

For Odetta and many other survivors of the civil rights movement, the election of Barack Obama as President signaled a fulfilling chapter in the struggle. As she sank toward death in New York City, Odetta had an Obama poster taped on the wall across from her bed. TIME MAGAZINE

Mildred Loving

In a Supreme Court ruling in 1967, Mildred Loving and her husband struck down the last group of segregation laws to remain on the books–those requiring separation of the races in marriage. Loving called herself “an accidental crusader”, just wanting to marry the man she loved. The Lovings were married in 1958, but were forced to live in separate residences until 1963, when Mildred was inspired by the civil rights movement to take action. She wrote to Attorney General Robert Kennedy for help. He referred her to the ACLU, and its lawyers climbed the high hills to get her freedom.

Justice Warren wrote, “We have consistently denied the constitutionality of measures which restrict the rights of citizens on account of race.” Loving died May 2. NY TIMES

Dottie Collins

Pitching for six seasons in the All–American Girls Baseball League, Collins dazzled opposing batters with her underhand, sidearm, curveball, fastball, overhand, and changeup. The league was formed in 1943, Collins joined the Minneapolis Millerettes in 1945, and in the summer of 1948 she pitched until she was four months pregnant. She threw 17 shutouts, and had a league–leading 293 strikeouts in 1945 for the Fort Wayne Daisies.

Collins greatest contribution to women’s baseball may have come when its ball clubs had almost been forgotten. In 1987, Collins helped form an association of former players in the league. She drew on her contacts to provide the Baseball Hall of Fame, in Cooperstown, N.Y., with memorabilia from the league, spurring creation of its Women in Baseball exhibit in 1988. Now an enlarged, permanent collection, the exhibit inspired the 1992 Hollywood movie “A League of Their Own,” a reprise of women’s pro–baseball during World War II. Dottie died at age 84 in August. NY TIMES

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February Events

Meet your friends at Herland. Check out the new magazines, CD’s and books! 1 to 4 every Saturday
Tuesday the 3rd, OKC PFLAG Church of the Open Arms, 7 pm
Monday the 9th, OGLPC Monthly meeting, Neighborhood Alliance 7 pm
Friday the 13th OKC Food Banks Meeting, Boys & Girls Club, Memorial Park, NW 36th and Western, 11:30–1:30 972–1111
Saturday the 14th Herland Red & White Party, Church of the Open Arms 3131 N Penn, 7–11, $4
Sunday the 15th Herland Board Meeting 4 pm
Thursday the 19th OKC LGBT Community Center planning meeting, Church of the Open Arms 6 pm
Saturday the 21st Herland work day, building & grounds 1–4 pm
Saturday the 21st Norman Mardi Gras Parade, downtown at 6:30
Sunday the 22nd Academy Awards Watch Party, The Copa Club, in the Habana Inn (Watch “MILK” sweep the Oscars) 7 pm

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March Events

Saturday the 7th, Herland Potluck Supper, Dr. Martha Skeeters speaks on ERA Archives at University of Oklahoma

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RETREATS! RETREATS!

MAY 15–17 Herland Spring Retreat Roman Nose State Park Tara H. will be performing Sat. night. Bring your dancin’ shoes for Latin dance lessons, & get ready for another game of Musical Bras!

October 23–25 Herland Fall Retreat Eufaula State Park

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Red & White Party

At the Red & White Party we’ll wear whites and reds,
Some will look kinda fancy in their sparkly threads.
Others decked out in checks, stripes, diamonds or HEARTS
Sports fans or Romantics, we’ll all play our parts!

Saturday, February 14 7–11 pm
Church of the Open Arms, 3131 N Penn, OKC

Dance Music by DJ Victrola
Party Food and Soft Drinks Provided
Nine Prizes for the Best Dressed at 9 pm
Silent Auction closes at 10 pm

Entertainment by Kenny, Bo and Friends
Miss Anita Ryder, April Fool

Entry is $4 per person at the door, ages 1–100
A fundraiser for Herland Sister resources

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website of the month

www.immigrantsolidarity.org

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© Copyright 2008
All Rights Reserved
Herland Sister Resources, Inc.