UniteWomen.org, a women’s rights organization with a reach of 20 million people worldwide, is holding a reception in Richmond, Virginia on April 28, 2013 to celebrate the one-year anniversary of an historic day in the resurgence of the women’s rights movement – a day when simultaneous rallies were held in states nationwide showing solidarity against the legislative War on Women.
Women everywhere had been looking for a way to take to the streets! Images of the arrests of peaceful, silent protesters standing up against the 2012 mandatory ultrasound legislation in Virginia’s General Assembly were indelibly etched into the minds of women around the country. The founders of UniteWomen.org saw these Virginia arrests, and personhood bills making their way through several states, on the news. They also watched in horror as a Congressional panel on contraception, comprised entirely of men, denied testimony to a Georgetown Law Student, Sandra Fluke. Fueled by pure passion, and inspired to fight, the first UniteWomen.org (then called “United Against the War on Women”) Facebook group was started. Within 24 hours, thousands of people had joined. Two months later, on April 28, 2012, UniteWomen.org organized 55 simultaneous rallies in 45 states. It is that anniversary that they are celebrating in Richmond, Virginia on April 28, 2013.
The resurgence of the women’s rights movement largely began with the protests in Richmond, Virginia, and Virginia’s Women’s Rights Activists were collectively named the “2012 Person of the Year” by Style Weekly. This makes Richmond the perfect location for this national celebration. UniteWomen.org has also chosen Sandra Fluke as the keynote speaker at the event, honoring another catalyst of the resurgence of the women’s rights movement.
This is a public event, and UniteWomen.org would like to invite everyone to join to celebrate the strides being made in women’s rights. It will be held at the West End Community Center at 8102 Ridge Rd Richmond, VA 23229 from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. There is an online event page for registration (http://unitewomenanniversary.eventbrite.com), and guests can also contact UniteWomen.org’s Virginia State Director, Brenda Seward, at 804-647-4449 or unitewomenvirginia@gmail.com. There is a suggested donation of $20 per person. This event will be live-streamed on the Internet (free) to gatherings of UniteWomen.org chapters around the country and anyone unable to be there in person. Speakers from several women’s rights and community organizations will be in attendance, including the following:
Sandra Fluke - Social Justice Advocate
Linda Young, - President of the National Women’s Political Caucus
Diana Egozcue - President of the Virginia Chapter of NOW
Vicki Yeroian - Cooch Watch
Robyn Deane - LGBT Activist
Dr. Kim Allen - President of the Richmond Chapter of the NAACP
Courtney Mills - Lead Counsel for the Fair Elections Legal Network
Lupe Blevins - Founder of the Highland Support Project
Patricia Gil - Executive Vice President of Operations for UniteWomen.org
Brenda Seward, Virginia State Director for UniteWomen.org
Karen Teegarden - President and CEO of UniteWomen.org
Please join us as we continue the discussion of uniting for the greater good. We will take a moment to look back at our successes, talk about what we have learned and look forward to the work we have ahead of us. Together, we can achieve equality for all. Join us in the fight, and join us to celebrate!
Note From Diarist: Hate Radio's talk show host, Rush Limbaugh, was one of the main catalysts of the 'War On Women,' last year. Limbaugh continues to get away with blatant public misogyny daily on our public radio airways. Nationwide protests, petitions and boycotts have been created to shut him down. Over 2600 Limbaugh sponsors have now pulled their ads from his show. The voice and power of the public is strong and a clear message is being sent to sponsors, radio, and the media in general, "We will not support hate speech." To get involved:
Sign: Limbaugh Sponsor Petition
Boycott-Rush-Limbaughs-Sponsors-to-SHUT-HIM-DOWN
StopRush
Thank You Richard Myers. We Will Finish This. Rest In Peace.
Also posted in AddictingInfo.org