What a serendipitous day for feminism this is turning out to be.
As I was being prepped in the green room at Rockefeller Center for this morning’s Today Show appearance (and stuffing myself with donuts and potato chips), I saw friend/mentor/icon Suzanne Braun Levine in the next chair over! Suzanne was there to do the segment just before mine, in connection with her hot new book Fifty is the New Fifty. Then, between Suzanne’s segment and mine, Kathie Lee bade a happy 75th birthday to our mutual friend (again for me, make that friend/mentor/icon) Gloria Steinem. And now today, in honor of Gloria’s birthday, the Ms. Foundation for Women has launched an online social change campaign called Outrageous Acts for Simple Justice, a project designed to share and support outrageous acts in the cause of simple justice for women, families and communities.
How much better could this day get?!
Well check it out: Outrageous Acts is already catching on. Kymberly Blackstock of Alaska used Facebook to organize a rally protesting Governor Palin’s rejection of federal economic stimulus money; in a video, Claire Tran of FIERCE, a Ms. Foundation grantee in New York City, suggests that viewers commit an outrageous act by signing onto their white paper advocating for access to public space on the Hudson River Park for LGBTQ youth of color; and Jacki Zehner, a women’s leadership and workplace commentator brought her outrageous act to CNN when she appeared to discuss the impact of the economic crisis on women while wearing a Wonder Woman t-shirt. (That’s my Jacki – go Purse Pundit go!)
I feel like so many of us are experiencing the current crisis as, among other things, opportunity. Says Ms. Foundation prez Sara Gould, “The times demand this kind of creative action….[P]eople are poised to create change from the grassroots. And on the heels of an historic presidential election, we’re reminded of just how effective outrageous acts — from bake sales and buttons to signatures and songs — can be.â€
For Gloria’s take on it all, watch the video, here.
And for a celebratory piece on Gloria’s birthday, see here (Thanks to my other favorite Gloria–Fedlt–for the heads up!)
Comments
Judith — March 25, 2009
This IS a great day! You were fab on the Today show -- congrats! I loved the quiz, and I really never thought I'd see Kathie Lee discussing women's history...
Please check out my post on Gloria's birthday, too.
http://jwablog.jwa.org/Steinem
Thanks!
gwp_admin — March 26, 2009
Thanks Judith -- it was a total high point for me, truly. Can't wait to check out your Gloria post. Thanks for sharing it with us!
birthday shirts — January 9, 2010
Thank for information, i will come back to here again. :)