This file was prepared for electronic distribution by the inforM staff. Questions or comments should be directed to inform-editor@umail.umd.edu. THE GETTING IT GAZETTE October 18, 1992 Black Congressional Caucus by Julianne Malveaux With the four incumbents--Reps. Barbara-Rose Collins, Cardiss Collins, Eleanor Holmes-Norton and Maxine Waters--strongly favored to win, and four new women making a good fight for it, the number of black women in Congress could double this January. One caveat: Historically, black candidates favored to win either end up losing or are successful by smaller margins than predicted. They're also often subject to last-minute, incendiary advertising that weakens or destroys their effort (witness Harvey Gantt of North Carolina, favored to win until the last-minute "white hands" commercial for Jesse Helms). Don't hold back the last-minute support they need to win. 1. Eddie Bernice Johnson is in the newly created 30th Congressional District in Dallas. (214) 948-4800. 2. Cynthia McKinney in Atlanta's 11th Congressional District won her August run-off, but faces tough opposition now. (404) 243-5574. 3. Eva Clayton, Warren County (N.C.) Commissioner for 8 years, is credited with creating 900 jobs and bringing $55 million to a county that relied on agriculture for its economic base. PO Box 341125; Decatur, GA 30037. 4. Carrie Meek faces no opposition at all. With her Sept. 1 primary victory, she became the first African-American elected to Congress in Florida since Reconstruction, but she is paying off a big campaign deficit. (305) 381-6216. Cover Stories THE FAT LADY HASN'T QUITE SUNG Time, November 2, 1992 October 30, 1992 For Immediate Release: Contact: Parker/Vogelsinger (202) 347-2666 At Noon. Monday, November 2. In Lafayette Park across the street from the White House. THE FAT LADY WILL SING The Women of Substance Chorale, in spontaneous pre-election harmony, will raise their voices in songs of farewell. THE FAT LADY will lead this informal group in tunes featuring themes of Goodbye, So-long and It's Over. "We are testing the theory that 'It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings,'" says Jane O'Reilly, a writer of note who has chronicled the last twenty years of the women's movement. O'Reilly, herself a Fat Lady, says "I am proud that for once, women of substance will be harbingers of change rather than objects of ridicule." The lighthearted sing-along will underscore the serious economic grief that most women and children have suffered at the hands of the current White House resident. "We will be lending our voices to the millions of women who have been silenced by the last 12 years of stagnation and disdain," adds Pat Reuss, a 20-year veteran of advocacy for women's rights. "We want to make sure that we will be heard from now on," adds Reuss as she dons her Brunhilde-style helmet in anticipation of Monday's noon adventure. Members of local and regional opera societies are expected to join in singing backup to THE FAT LADY, and several local groups, including the Oh So Politically Correct Players, will chime in. REGARDLESS OF SINGING ABILITY, BODY WEIGHT OR GENDER, all activists and supporters of happier days for women and children are welcome...indeed encouraged...to attend the sing-along to send the message "The Party's Over." Warm-up begins a 11:30. Singing begins on key at twelve noon. 100 Women's Voices for Women's Choices by Amanda W. Smith, Bryna Taubman, and Abby Hirsch "Yoo-hoo, women of change, would you take your places please?" called Judy Collins, bringing nearly one hundred famous female musicians to order at noon on Monday. The performers were of all ages from 13-year-old Daisy Eagen, the youngest-ever Tony winner for her performance in The Secret Garden, to Andrea Simon, in her eighties, mother of Lucy (who also came to sing) and Carly (who didn't). There was another mother-daughter team: Bella and Liz Abzug (not known for their singing, but proficient enough). And pop star Lesley Gore. Pop, rap, rock, folk, cabaret--you name it, "the Clintones" had it. The famous voices were gathered in a mid-Manhattan studio to lend their support to the Clinton-Gore campaign by recording two songs: "America the Beautiful," edited by Judy Collins to include women, and "Women Light the Way for Change," sung to the tune of "Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore" with new lyrics by Marilyn Bergman (who co-wrote "The Way We Were"). At most 100 tapes will be made, for the 60-plus U.S. cities and ten foreign ones planning marches tonight. And yes, there's a video to be aired on VH1 and MTV music television. "The purpose of the marches is to galvanize and crystalize the women's vote, which we feel can really make a difference in this election," said Patti Goldstein, an organizer of the New York parade. "We want to demonstrate our support for the stands Clinton and Gore take on our issues: jobs, education, the environment, choice, the Supreme Court. ... It's also a fabulous way for women to plug into the political process--you can do it directly, simply, passionately, with you body." The idea for the recording came from movie producer Beverly Camhe. She called Judy Collins and Lesley Gore, who called some others, and word spread. Susan Planer booked a recording studio. "It's great," said Gloria Nissensin, who works with Lesley Gore, "all you have to do is say the word, and people come and do." And did they ever. It was an impressive list: Odetta was there, as was the rap group Salt 'n' Pepa (Salt's year-old-daughter, Corrine, showed her enthusiasm for the cause by dancing and clapping as the group sang), jazz singer Maureen McGovern, hit-parade-er Georgia Gibbs, early rocker Darlene Love, cabaret singer Andrea Marcovici. Also Broadway's Phyllis Newman, composer Elizabeth Swados, actress Linda Lavin. Oh, and Tookie Smith, Betty Comden, Lainie Kazan, Susanne McCorkle, Cissy Houston.... With so much warm meeting-and-greeting it felt like a family reunion. Or, fittingly, like a sorority. But as soon as Judy Collins tapped her baton, all came to attention and were ready to work. To those of us watching and listening, it seemed they didn't much work at all. They began rehearsing "America the Beautiful" after Collins explained the new lyrics. Instead of "brotherhood" they sang "brother-and-sisterhood"; there was some discussion of changing the gender of God in "God shed his grace on thee" but in the end, "God shed all grace on thee" was chosen. On the first run-through, quite a few singers forgot the new words, but as they worked, they began to get past the conditioning of those years of sexist lyrics, and soon it was as if the words had always been inclusive. It was the sound, that really moved the hall. When Judy Collins asked for harmony, there it was, rising to fill the studio- -close to 100 women's voices singing out, loud, rich, deep. It was enough to cause goosebumbs even on the eighth take. "Women Light the Way for Change" is more directly political, with lines about fighting for choice, "banishing" Bush and "uniting" with Clinton, and its call to women is unmistakable. "And our voices will be heard. Halleluja, On this November third, Halleluja...." Even might Odetta was moved to tears on that one. More than three hours later, with cheers and hugs, the group began to disperse. The singers carried their energy out into the hall, and into the elevators. Who knew, when Lesley Gore was singing "It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To," that she might've been talking politics? This day, though, she's laughing and saying, "It's our party and we'll win if we want to." Yes, we will--if we want to badly enough. What To Do Right Now Nothing is more urgent. This is the most important election of your life. Right now, 72 years after women won the vote, we are balancing on the brink. We are at the turning point in exercising our votes to protect our self-interest. We are hesitating on the verge, when we could be wielding the muscle of the majority--which, with ten million more women of voting age than men, we certainly should have. Yet we can earn only 70 cents on the dollar that men earn. Women work harder and longer for less pay, and we are harassed and terrorized while we do it. Women on the job, on the street and in our homes are living in danger. Current estimates show that 75% of us have been or will become victims of violence. A woman is raped ever six minutes, the FBI says; 80% of the rapes are by men we know. One woman in eight will develop breast cancer, yet government-guided research has ignored women, while health insurance and quality care became for the rich only. Think about each name on your ballot: Does this person know about, care about women's needs? Think about it, talk about it, decide. Leave the dishes in the sink and the leaves in the gutters. Drive your neighbor to the polls. This is the most important election of yyour lives. Your vote may tip the balance. Her vote may save your life. Nothing is more urgent. Go ahead, be a banshee. Do it. --Pat Reuss WHY WOMEN MUST WIN What Women Want Are the priorities of the women's movement peripheral to the priorities of most women? The answer, according to "Women's Voices," a joint 1992 study by the Ms. Foundation, based in NYC, and the Center for Policy Alternatives, in D.C., is nothing short of Sidelash. Headline feminist issues like abortion, porn and rape, the study found, while of some concern to most women, still do not unify us, nor are they even our main priorities. The national survey of 1400 women, appropriately weighted for minorities, found the issues that pull us together--without regard to race or class-- are: Desire for guaranteed health coverage--and decent health care that respects the patient, instead of affordable-but-impersonal or demeaning treatmen. (86% considered this "very important" or their top priority) Effective and enforced legislation that will eliminate inequities in pay and promotions, especially on the basis of race. (78% said equal pay laws should be a high priority for government; 74% said anti-discrimination laws) Family leave and decent day care were cited by more than two- thirds (69%), closely followed by more funds for women's education and measures to prevent violence (both 68%). Keeping abortion legal (53%) and tax credits for homemakers (47%) were also considered important. Sexual harassment was called a major problem by 38% of the women surveyed, and 21% personally had experienced it. Keyed by media coverage, perhaps, the women surveyed felt that "combining work and family" was the biggest problem for "most women," but for themselves personally, it was low pay. Two-thirds of minimum-wage workers are women who, even fulltime, do not earn enough to keep themselves, a dependable parent or spouse, and two children above poverty. Inside the survey report's Modess-y, excuse-me-for- menstruating, lavender-and-pink cover is dynamite for any candidates, policymakers, bureaucrats or elected officials serious about improving the lives of women and families in America. --Lynn Phillips with Mollie Ann Smith WHY WE MUST ELECT WOMEN by Lorraine Dusky Exactly what will it mean when we have more women in the House, in the Senate? What will it mean to have more women governors, state legislators, judges? Do women in government really make a difference? Can't a man do a woman's job? No. Women in office are different from men. Almost to a woman, they are more active than men in pursuing solutions to the nation's social problems and fighting for equal rights. This is not stereotypical ideology. This is fact. By more than a two-to-one margin, female legislators are more likely to give top priority to women's rights policies. By more than two to one, female legislators are more likely to push for health-care legislation. By nearly three to one, female legislators are likelier to work on issues related to children and families. The figures above hold up for all women, regardless of their political affiliation, race, age and whether they call themselves feminist. Democratic women are more active in reshaping the agenda to focus on social issues, but Republican women--even women who shy away from using the F-word about themselves--are still more likely than men of either party to push for legislation affecting families, the environment, education, housing and the elderly. These hard and fast facts come from the Center for the American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Their surveys found that women are different from men in other ways, too: Women are more likely than men to open up the governmental process to public view, meaning more open meetings, fewer backroom deals. And women are more likely to give poor people access to policymaking process, undoubtedly because they have for so long been the outsiders. But there's one crucial similarity: Both sexes are effective when it comes to getting their bills passed. This is a year when we as voters have the opportunity to put more women than ever before into the legislative process. Each of us must remember these priorities: 1. ELECT WOMEN 2. Give women candidates your money, your time, your support, your vote. 3. Encourage and enable other women to vote. [From the 7/16/92 Gazette] Why We Must Elect Women (Short form) Would women senators have confirmed Clarence Thomas for the Supreme Court? For the Supreme Court!?! What Next, Gazette? Do you want to continue reading our hot-pink-and-urgent, women's point-of-view broadsheets, in which women are featured as half the human race, not a "special interest"? We need immediate support if we are to continue publishing. Yes, I will contribute $500___ $250___ $____ I'd subscribe for 10 issues at $50___ $35___ I would like to distribute to my group. Let's discuss costs, distribution, quantity. Send me all 10 back issues: $20 enclosed. Name_____________________________________________ Address__________________________________________ Phone/fax________________________________________ Reply to Getting It Gazette, 451 W. 24th St., NY NY 10011, 212/229- 0763 Fax 0758 Special thanks to Mary Jean Tully, Susan Heath, Sara Kovner, and other benefactors. Views expressed herein are not necessarily those of its backers.