intergenerational

I’m telling ya, I’m in intergenerational feminist heaven this month. For those of you in NYC looking for a way to honor Women’s History Month, I hope you’ll consider coming out for this one, here at my home base!

Feminist Generations/Feminist Locations: The Continuing Vitality of Feminist Thought and Action

THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2008
New School for Social Research
66 WEST 12TH ST., ROOM 407
6:30-8 PM

Quick recap: I’ll be joining Ai-Jen Poo (Domestic Workers United), Meredith Tax (a founder of Bread & Roses – 1969), Cleopatra Lamothe (Women of Color Collective, Lang College), and Erica Reade (Moxie, Lang College Feminist Club), and Ann Snitow, coeditor of The Feminist Memoir Project and a founder of New York Radical Feminists — the group that brought us the Miss America Protest that put women’s liberation on the map, and so much more. The panel, will take on the state of feminism across generations. Joining me will be:

For more info, please contact Soraya Field Fiorio, fiors393@newschool.edu.

Here’s a shot of yesterday’s intergenerational panel at SUNY-New Paltz–Amy Kesselman, Elizabeth Gross, me, and Heather Hewett, who graciously organized us all.

It was humbling to share the stage with Amy, a second-wave radical feminist/now historian, who shared a number of zingers herself, including: “Coming out of the 1950s, everything looks like progress.” Amy is currently working on the history of women’s liberation movement in New Haven and I can’t wait to read what she has found. Elizabeth–a very savvy sophomore who turned 20 yesterday and who heads up the only feminist group on campus, the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance–spoke beautifully from her heart. (Welcome to the 20s, Elizabeth! The 30s get even better!) We talked a lot about forms of social activism, current attitudes toward political engagement, what issues we’d fight for, and what “the personal is political” still means to women of different ages. And we talked about the role feminism plays in our life. Amy has written how “Feminism saved my life.” I talked about how “feminism launched my life.” And in Elizabeth’s words, “Feminism is me.” I’ve asked Elizabeth to do a guest post here on GWP, and she has agreed. Coming soon!

That pic to the right is the WomenGirlsLadies gang of 4 signing books at Eastern Michigan University last week. Our blog, offering “a FRESH conversation about feminism across generations” is now in full swing, over at: www.womengirlsladies.blogspot.com. Please do visit us over there and join the convo if so inclined!

Well, Courtney rather beautifully summed up our travel misadventures yesterday and I got nothin’ to add. Except that I think I may soon be offering seminars in the Siegel Slip, as I am more than happy to share my line-busting, rule-breaking tips for the good of well-behavin women waiting unnecessarily in lines at airports across the land. Oh–one more thing. Miss Courtney, tomorrow, *I* call the cute black sweater dress and boots.

Thank goodness our travel misadventures nevertheless got us to Mt. Pleasant this morning, because I loved loved loved our visit to Central Michigan University. The students we spoke to today are amazing, and inspire me. During the day, Gloria and I talked to a group of Honors students about the pressures facing “academically gifted” women, while Kristal and Courtney spoke to a journalism class. After the big evening panel, we asked the audience to fill out forms telling us what they, as younger women, would like to say to older women, and vice versa. And we asked the men in the audience to tell us what they think about feminism, or what they’d like women to hear from them. We’ll be posting some of the responses here, and my copanelists will be coposting at their various blogs as well. The responses are just too darn good not to coshare.

For more on today, here’s the take from our resident young’un over at feministing. And do check out another intergenerational conversation Miss Courtney is participating in–about the election–over on Jewcy, along with Wendy Shanker and Bitch PhD.

(Heads up Kristal and Gloria: I think Courtney may be intergenerationally cheating on us over there!)

I’ve been really moved reading the comments and emails posted in response to Courtney and my oped (“Come Together? Yes We Can”) in The Washington Post yesterday–everything from “This primary fight is breaking my heart” to ” I am so glad to read what I have been thinking,” and even the occasional “WTF” and “dream on,” as it puts me in touch with the various perspectives out there and gives me a sense of what we (as in we Dems) are up against.

The same week our oped appeared, an essay by Jessica Valenti titled “The Sisterhood Split” appeared in The Nation, and Gloria Feldt responded over at Heartfeldt, “What’s That about a Sisterhood Split?” For more, see also an article by Jennifer Wells in The Globe and Mail, “Battle Lines Harden on the Gender Front”.

Clearly, there’s a hunger for discussion! Gloria, Courtney, Kristal Brent Zook, and I are taking the conversation on the road this month with what I’ve been tongue-in-cheek calling the intergenerational feminist roadshow (otherwise known as “WomenGirlsLadies: A FRESH Conversation Across Generations”*). There’s one event in there (March 14 @ Eastern Michigan University) where Courtney and I can’t make it, and we’re delighted and honored to have Hannah Seligson and Paula Kamen speaking in our stead.

I’m posting our March events below, along with talks I’m giving on Sisterhood Interrupted this month too. A thousand thanks for spreading word, and def come say hi if you’re there!

March 11 @ University of Missouri, Kansas City (Sisterhood, Interrupted)

March 14 @ Eastern Michigan University (WomenGirlsLadies)

March 17 @ Central Michigan University (WomenGirlsLadies)

March 18 @ Eastern Michigan University, Central Michigan University (WomenGirlsLadies)

March 26 @ Lafayette College, PA (Sisterhood, Interrupted)

March 27 @ New School (Feminist Generations/Feminist Locations with Ann Snitow, Meredith Tax, me, Cleopatra Lamothe, and Ercia Reade)

April 18 @ Harvard University (WomenGirlsLadies)

*WomenGirlsLadies will be booking throughout 2008. To book an engagement, please contact Taryn Kutujian at taryn.kutujian@gmail.com.

When Ann Snitow calls, I jump. And so, I of course said YES to participating on a panel at The New School in celebration of Women’s History Month. Ann is coeditor of The Feminist Memoir Project and a founder of New York Radical Feminists (circa 1969), the group that brought us the Miss America Protest that put women’s liberation on the map, and so much more. The panel, “Feminist Generations/Feminist Locations: The Continuing Vitality of Feminist Thought and Action,” will take on the state of feminism across generations. Joining me will be:

AI-JEN POO of Domestic Workers United
MEREDITH TAX of Women’s World
(a founder of Boston’s Bread & Roses – 1969)
ANN SNITOW of Eugene Lang College and New School
(a founder of New York Radical Feminists – 1969)
CLEOPATRA LAMOTHE of Women of Color Collective, Lang
ERICA READE of Moxie, Lang College Feminist Club

When and where, you ask?

THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2008
66 WEST 12TH ST., ROOM 407
6:30-8 PM

For more info, please contact Soraya Field Fiorio, fiors393@newschool.edu.

This week Miss Courtney Martin and I penned a joint rebuttal, of sorts, to dear Charlotte Allen’s oped and to other divisive pieces by women about divides among us around this election of late. And it’s going to appear in Sunday’s WaPo, in the Outlook section. Please visit, leave comments, and let us know what you think!

My first national oped was placed with the help of Kathy Vermazen at the Women’s Media Center, and my dear friend Heather Hewett, who shared a contact with me. Thank you, ladies! Needless to say, Courtney and I are damn ridiculously thrilled.

Susan Bee and Mira Schor, along with Emma Bee Bernstein (Susan’s daughter!), Carolee Schneemann, and Brynna Tucker will be on a March 30th Panel, 3:00 – 5:00 PM: “Beyond the Waves; Feminist Artists Talk Across Generations” at The Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum. It’s free & open to the public (with museum entry fee).

Emma (pictured left) is the twentysomething photographer who has teamed up with Nona Willis-Aronowitz (pictured right) for GIRLDrive, a project which is SO worth checking out if you don’t know about it already.

It’s always an immense pleasure to be invited by an organization to speak about Sisterhood, Interrupted, but when it’s the Alice Paul Institute–located at Paulsdale, birthplace and farm home of 1st wave icon Alice Paul–the pleasure is double. (Thank you Kris, Dana, Rhonda, and Becky!)

The crowd was intergenerational to the nth degree, spanning at least six decades–14 to 74, I’d say. My host Kris Myers and I brushed up together on ERA history during the car ride to Paulsdale, as Alice was its original author back in 1923. The talk was held in the Double Parlor of the historic home, in front of the fireplace. Being there put the whole conversation in a context that went back to early 20th century. Kris talked about generational differences between Alice Paul’s generation and Carrie Chapman Catt’s. I talked about the recent ones. We talked A LOT about the election.

The audience included founders of the Institute, South Jersey NOW members, mothers and daughters–and the group discussion afterward just rocked my world. I think I managed to get the whole exchange on video (hope my fussing with my MacBook wasn’t too distracting, to those of you who were there?!). I’m really interested in recording these intergen. convos this month whenever I can. I want them to have “legs,” as we say, beyond my little talks. Stay tuned.

And hey, speaking of, if you know of any interesting additional footage of women across gens talking about feminism out there, I’d love to hear!

As folks who know me know, I’m endlessly fascinated with the intergenerational divide among women going on around this election. And I’ve come to feel like those my age occupy an odd place here on the cusp of 40. Many of the polls show the cut-off for Hillary vs. Obama support among women voters as being age 40. We all know that cut-off numbers are often random but convenient divisors, false but convenient truths. Still, I can’t help but wonder, does my earlier waffling reflect some kind of generational fence-sitting?

It comes as no surprise that women born at different times in history are going to differ in their attitudes across the board–though the realization does seem to be news for some. In the history of feminism, generational differences has been a central theme for decades. Think back to the 1970s: Betty Friedan (who was by then middle-aged) vs. the radical feminists (who came out of the New Left and antiwar movements and were generally in their 20s). They wanted different things. Some wanted change at City Hall, others rooted their politics in the bedroom. They fought for equality, and fought each other along the way, often destructively. So my question, always, is how do we fight and debate without tearing ourselves apart? How to adamantly disagree and still find the common ground? The questions were relevant in the 1970s, and they’re relevant today.

And speaking of, I’m currently gathering data and ammo for the talks I’m giving around the country for Women’s History Month and would love to be pointed to any articles you’ve seen that focus on this latest generational division among women. The way it’s all being framed has tremendous consequences, I believe, for the future of women’s organizing, for the health of intergenerational relations, and for national politics overall. Thanks in advance for any links. Please feel free to post em here in comments–along with any thoughts of course!–or email me.

P.S. The intergenerational panel I’m traveling with through 2008 may be coming soon to a campus near you! Our March is pretty filled up, but we’re booking into the fall, so for more info, please click here.

Image cred

Check out this article in the New York Post for the latest on intergenerational tensions among women and the Obama-Clinton divide. Aside from the racy headline–“LIPSTICK JUNGLE: WHY YOUNG WOMEN ARE VOTING FOR OBAMA — AND LEAVING OLDER HILLARY SUPPORTERS FUMING”– I thought the article was actually quite thoughtful. I was interviewed for the piece but fear I safe-talked my way out of being quoted. I was concerned that the piece was likely to offer more of a catfight angle, which as a personal policy I adamantaly refuse to play into. Kudos to reporter Maureen Callahan for her coverage, I say! See if you agree, and let me know what you think.