The Bella Bulletin SEPTEMBER 2017
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t has been over two months since the 2017 Summer Debate and Leadership Training Program, and it has been over a year and two months since the same program held in 2016. As clichÊ as it sounds, time is really flying by. Yet, I feel closer to the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute and its staff and alumni more than I ever have. This is largely because I have worked to the best of my ability to dedicate myself to the organization. I am aware that more that I put into helping BALI, the more benefit I will from its mission. BALI can very well be a two-week experience, or it can be one that lasts years – maybe even a lifetime. This is only if we put work into it. We can only reach the full potential of networking and sisterhood if we
continuously remain involved. I highly suggest that all alumni, no matter where you are (in location or in stages of your life) contribute to The Bulletin and to our social media campaigns we have throughout the year. The Bulletin and our social media pages will only be their best if we have all of our alumni involved. Thank you to everyone that has played their part so far, and I hope that more of you will do the same!
Gisselle Rodriguez Benitez Editor-in-Chief
On Saturday, September 23, BALI Staff represented the institute at The Women’s Building second annual block party! The event brought together local residents, fellow organizations, activists, business leaders, and community members. The goal is to celebrate girls and women everywhere, while showcasing the effort to transform Bayview Correctional Facility into The Women’s Building. The building is hoped to become a new space that will serve as the home of the global girls’ and women’s rights movement.
Our BALI staff and Leslie Maxie, 1988 Olympian track and field star. “How amazing it is to surround yourself with such motivational and accomplished women” – Gabriela Valette, Program Coordinator.
Girls Speak Out: International Day of the Girl Summit
BALI alumni will be joining girls from around NYC and the rest of the world for a day celebrating the strength of every girl. For the 4th year, BALI is co-sponsoring this event at the UN, alongside several NYC and international women’s and girls’ nonprofits. You will have the opportunity to listen to inspiring stories from girls around the world while in an environment of like minded young women. We are very excited to document the experience for our girls!
Date: October 11th, 2017 Location: United Nations NYC Headquarters
State and Local Elections are taking place November 7th!
Register (& encourage others to register) by: NY | October 13th NJ | October 17th CT | October 31st
We need more political op-ed articles! Please submit.
1) Where are you from? Where did you grow up? I am Dominican, born and raised in The Bronx.
2) Where have you worked before, and why did you find it valuable? Before this job, I worked in another nonprofit, Tomorrow’s Leaders. It helps overaged students (students who got left back more than once). This job was very dear to me because it helped students who don't receive the help they deserve. 3) What do you hope to bring to BALI? Many times my students are underserved at homes and in the community causing low self-esteem and no desire to strive. I hope to bring that same passion to BALI. I went to help girls feel like there is nothing out of their reach and that representation matters, therefore they have to make it for girls that go through similar struggle.
4) What do you like to do during your spare time? During my spare time, I write poetry or go to poetry slams.
5) What type of music do you like, and who are your favorite artists? As clichĂŠ as it is, I like many types of genres. Two of my favorite artist are Ellie Goulding and J. Cole.
6) What is your favorite movie? My favorite movie? wow there's too much to pick from but I would definitely say Selena.
"Ms.Valerie helped me and others to strive towards our goals by asking us what we want repeatedly. It helped me realize what I really want in life. My goals are to finish high school and go to college. I commit to educating others in my school about feminism."
-- Taylor Bennett 10th Grade, Midwood High School
"All the BALI girls I spent time with during the program inspired me. Their stories were moving, and their strength, beauty and intelligence were captivating. Above all, they stood back up they were pushed down. I strive to be like them every day. I commit to responding with strength and evidence to anyone who tries to put down women. Putting my all into my academics and helping my school's Young Women in Bio chapter get more women into STEM fields."
-- Loula Kostas Grade 10, Stuyvesant High School
“I want to dedicate my life to spreading intersectional feminism and working for human rights; I want to travel the world and help people. At first I believed that this dream was impossible as it is not a traditional career path that ensures a stable life; however, I then realized that I only get one life and it's up to me to make it the best life possible. BALI has taught me that I can achieve that goal and that I really do have unlimited potential. BALI taught me how to break up with fear and that the answer to the question ""why you?"" is ""why not me?"". BALI has truly changed my life because I now know that I need to fight and advocate for myself, and if I set my mind to something and try my best, NO ONE can stop me for achieving my dream."
-- Rachel Mintz, 12th Grade, Livingston HS
"My favorite BALI experience was meeting really cool, diverse girls of all different ages, backgrounds, and states (since I live in NJ) yet still finding common interests and bonding with them. I got to gain some invaluable advice from listening to the unique experiences and insight of others. When I was younger, I had social anxiety and BALI helped me come out of my shell even more than I had already. I commit to paying attention to the problems that my peers and my community face."
- Yingxue Hu 12th, High Tech High School
Johanna Martinez Class of 2017 Johanna Martinez is fresh out of BALI, but already making a significant impact on the world around her. Johanna has been doing exciting things, and has a lot of valuable insight based on her work, and the wise words of others. Johanna considers the quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” Emerson, Johanna believes, is saying that “we all have our own special gifts and tools that we can utilize to help others in need.” Growing up, Johanna saw many homeless people who could use a hand on her way back from middle school. Walking home in the blistering cold of winter, she passed two homeless men. They had no jackets, gloves, or anything to that effect; just a thin wool blanket to wrap around their thin frame. Johanna, thus, decided that during the winter of 2015, she would start her own non-profit, The Blue Jay Foundation. The organization is dedicated to helping those who need it the most. It started off
with small donations of winter jackets to the homeless people under the bridge, but grew to proportions she didn’t expect. The project soon escalated to donating 500 items of clothing for St. Lucy’s Emergency Homeless Shelter. Yet, after starting high school at Phillips Exeter Academy and being a part of programs like BALI, she experienced a shift in what she wanted her goal to be. Johanna dedicated her organization more to empowering young girls through education. This summer, Johanna traveled to Ecuador where she worked in collaboration with the Ecuadorian government. Working with the GAD Paroquial, she says that she was “fortunate enough to host a local school event in Tungurahua, Ecuador. I met incredible girls and talked to them about the importance of education. I distributed school supplies for the upcoming year.” The Blue Jay Foundation has also proctored English courses to local children in orphanages and in assisting at a women’s health clinic. As an intersectional feminist, Johanna felt that it was her duty to be a leader like BALI has taught her, and give children in need tools to succeed. In the future, she hopes to help more people in need and spread hope and positivity both in the United States and overseas to developing nations.
Juviand Rivera
discuss the impacts of gender, class and race, which then led her to major in Sociology at Kenyon College. The friendships, and sisterhood that BALI fostered for her motivated her to join a sorority.
Class of 2012 Juviand Rivera has taken the world by storm since graduating BALI in 2012, and certainly won’t stop where she is now. Her growth as a woman in today’s world has continued, and the friendships she made from BALI are an important force in her success. “When Liz reached out to me about this new Bella Bulletin, I had mixed emotions. Of course I was excited to write about my experience and how BALI impacted me with the hopes that my words can inspire future generations of BALI girls, but I also felt overwhelmed because BALI’s impact on my life has been so great that trying to explain it in a few paragraphs seems almost unfair. Juviand reflects on how crazy it is to think that she was a trainee five years ago , and how emotional it is to think back on the “wide-eyed and bushy tailed” girl she once was. She appreciates the opportunities that BALI gave her; the urban environment surrounding Hunter, and the best friends she made because of the program. “Little did I know at the time, but the women I was sitting next to would become some of my dearest friends to this day and the lessons I was learning would impact me for years to come. “ At BALI, Juviand remembers learning about women’s place in the world, and the injustices they faced because they were women. But she also remembers those lessons igniting a fire in her and her peers that grew with each new speaker. They were not only empowered by the guests, however, but also each other. The friendships built during BALI, Juviand recalls, created a genuine “feeling of love and sisterhood amongst us.” After BALI, Juviand was inspired to take classes that
At times, Juviand recognizes that that fire has dimmed. “Sometimes it is hard to love myself, to dream unapologetically and to build up rather than tear down the women around me. However, whenever I get in contact with my BALI girls, I get a renewed sense of energy and empowerment.” Last summer, Juviand met up with some of BALI girls at Central Park. It was great because the group was a mix of old and new generations, so she got to connect with her old BALI friends and also meet new BALI girls. This summer, Juviand caught up with fellow alumna, Lily Zhang and Liz Abzug over lunch. They talked about Lily going away to college and her upcoming trip to China and Liz’s crazy adventures around the world. She says that meeting with BALI girls never fails to reignite her conviction to be a “mover and shaker.” Juviand leaves us with some appreciation for all BALI girls: “For those BALI girls I don’t get to see, I still get updated on their lives via social media. It’s really awesome to scroll on Facebook or Instagram to see BALI girls doing boss-like things whether it’s posting about self-love and women’s empowerment or their new internship or their study abroad experience. I am excited that BALI now has a new platform to keep us connected, so the fire to be extraordinary women will continue to burn brightly inside all of us
Edith Windsor, Key Advocate for Same-Sex Marriage, dies on September 12th, 2017 Edith Windsor, activist for LGBT rights, passed away earlier this month, leaving behind a long legacy of fighting for same-sex marriage rights. Windsor, originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, attended Temple University, New York University, and Harvard University, studying math, which led to her work as a technology manager for IBM. In the 1960s, she met Thea Spyer, a psychologist, and after dating for a number of years, Spyer asked Windsor to marry her. Despite not being legal anywhere in the US, they became engaged, with a diamond pin replacing a typical engagement ring to avoid speculation. When Spyer was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and various health scares began to affect her quality of life, they entered into a civil union in New York City. Later, as Spyer’s health deteriorated further, the two got married in Toronto, in 2007. After Spyer’s death in 2009, Edith Windsor was charged over $363,000 by the IRS in federal estate taxes due to the Defense of Marriage Act (DoMA). This law states that, because Windsor and Spyer were not a federally recognized married
couple, Windsor was not exempt from estate taxes that, normally, are removed for widows/widowers who receive the estates of their deceased spouses. Thus, Windsor ensued in a court battle that changed the scope of the federal government’s view of same-sex couples, and their rights to marry. Edith Windsor sued the US Government on the basis that “the law, by recognizing only marriages between a man and a woman, unconstitutionally singled out same-sex marriage partners for “differential treatment.” In the case of US v. Windsor, the Supreme Court overturned the law in a 5-4 ruling, based on the fifth amendment’s commitment to life, liberty, and property, and the philosophy that you cannot deny a citizen these rights “without due process of law.” Despite the uncertainty about each state legalizing same sex marriage after US vs. Windsor, many LGBT activists have described the ruling as an important step in the right direction, and regard Windsor as an extremely important figure in LGBT rights. Edith Windsor’s legacy will remain for a very long time.
Kate Millett, Feminist Writer, and Champion of Women’s Rights, dies on September 6th, 2017 Sexual liberation politics, the patriarchy in familial structures, and student activism were some of the pinpoints of Kate Millett’s career, but her impact encompassed much more than these three features. Born in 1934, in Saint Paul Minnesota, Millett’s book “Sexual Politics,” was the catalyst of not only her fame as a second wave feminist, but also a point of criticism from many. The book, which discusses the structural societal attitudes towards sex, specifically regarding the patriarchy, and women’s sexual liberation. Millett wrote the book, which was based on her dissertation, as a result of her firing from Barnard College. Her employment was terminated because of her influence on student protests. Despite
“Sexual Politics” being widely regarded as extremely important for feminist literature, critics like Irving Howe described it as “a figment of the Zeitgeist, bearing the rough and careless marks of what is called higher education and exhibiting a talent for the delivery of gross simplicities in tones of leaden complexity.” Millett and her supported, unphased by criticism continued to spread her message, the philosophy of her story becoming extremely important to women’s liberation. Of the many important topics of “Sexual Politics,” one examines women’s roles in society as subordinates to men, in a process she described at “interior colonization.” Millett’s work, aside from “Sexual Politics,” is also highly regarded as critical to the second wave of feminism, and her impact will surely not be forgotten.
“Politics is repetition. It is not change. Change is something beyond what we call politics. Change is the essence politics is supposed to be the means to bring into being.”
Angela Merkel Wins Fourth Term as German Chancellor By Paul Carrel and Thomas Escritt contributors to Time/ Reuters September 24, 2017
Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives beat their rivals on Sunday to win her a fourth term in an election that will also bring a far-right party into Germany's parliament for the first time in more than half a century, exit polls showed. After shock election results last year, from Britain's vote to leave the European Union to the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, many look to Merkel to rally a bruised liberal Western order, tasking her with leading a post-Brexit Europe. She must now form a coalition government - an arduous process that could take months as all potential partners are unsure whether they really want to share power with her. Merkel's conservative bloc won 32.5 percent of the vote, making them the largest parliamentary group, an exit poll for broadcaster ARD indicated. However, that was down from 41.5 percent in the last election, in 2013. Support for their closest rivals, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) which are currently junior partners in a so-called "grand coalition" with Merkel, slumped to 20.0 percent - a new post-war low. The SPD ruled out a re-run of that tie-up. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) stunned the establishment by finishing third and entering parliament for the first time with 13.5 percent of the vote. Merkel, Europe's longest serving leader, joins the late Helmut Kohl, her mentor who reunified Germany, and Konrad Adenauer, who led Germany's rebirth after World War Two, as the only post-war chancellors to win four national elections. SPD deputy leader Manuela Schwesig said her party would now go into opposition. That would rule out a re-run of Merkel's existing alliance with the SPD. An alternative coalition for Merkel would be a three-way tie-up with
the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) and the ecologist Greens. That is a combination as yet untested at national level and known as the "Jamaica" option because the three parties' colors are those of the blackgold-green Jamaica national flag. Both the FDP and the environmentalist Greens have played down the prospect of a Jamaica coalition, but as they have been out of government for four and 12 years respectively, they may be lured into an alliance by the prospect of power. NEW ERA- Whatever the make-up of her coalition, Merkel, 63, faces four years of government in a fragmented parliament after the return of the FDP unrepresented at national level for the last four years and the arrival of the AfD. Founded in 2013 by an antieuro group of academics, the AfD has morphed into an anti-immigration party that has profited from Merkel's 2015 decision to leave German borders open to over 1 million migrants, most of them fleeing war in the Middle East.The party's entry into the national parliament heralds the beginning of a new era in German politics that will see more robust debate and a departure from the steady, consensus-based approach that has marked the post-war period. The other parties elected to the Bundestag all refuse to work with the AfD, which says it will press for Merkel to be "severely punished" for opening the door to refugees and migrants. After the AfD hurt her conservatives in regional elections last year, Merkel, a pastor's daughter who grew up in Communist East Germany, wondered if she should run for re-election. But with the migrant issue under control this year, she threw herself into a punishing campaign schedule, presenting herself as an anchor of stability in an uncertain world. Critical Questions: 1. What do recent election controversies such as the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, the Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, and now the election of the AfD party into German parliament mean for “Western� leadership in the future? 2. How can Angela Merkel use her position as chancellor to serve as a role model and
Natural Disasters in the Last Month
Sports and Social Injustice
Four Category 4 or 5 hurricanes devastated parts of the U.S., Mexico, and the Caribbean this August and September. The recordbreaking trend began with Hurricane Harvey, landing in Texas on August 25th, and was shortly followed by Hurricane Irma, landing in Florida, Puerto Rico, parts of the Caribbean, Georgia, and South Carolina. Tropical Storm Jose landed in the Caribbean and the East Coast of the United States in mid to late September, leaving fewer effects on the Caribbean than expected. The final hurricane to arrive this month was Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico, Dominica, parts of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and parts of the British Virgin Islands.
On Friday September 22, at a rally for Senate Candidate Luther Strange, one of the many issues addressed by Presidnt Trump in his hour and a half long speech was the trend of football players and many other athletes taking a knee during the national anthem. Former San Francisco 49er’s quarterback Colin Kaepernick started this form of protest by sitting down during the national anthem before a game in August of 2016 as a response to police brutality. At the rally on Friday, Trump criticized the players who followed in the footsteps of Kae pernick, urged football fans to boycott the league, and claimed that coaches should fire players that protested the anthem. Since his speech, Trump’s comments have inspired even more athletes to sit, kneel, or link arms before or during the national anthem to show solidarity with their teammates and to call attention to the social injustices within our country.
The Rescission of DACA On September 5th, 2017, the Trump Administration announced the rescission of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, commonly known as DACA. DACA is an immigration policy issued by the Obama Administration in 2012 that allows for undocumented immigrants in the U.S., who arrived before the age of sixteen, a period of two years in which they cannot be deported and are eligible for employment authorization. The rescission was pushed forward by the threats of a lawsuit from government officials of Texas and several other states, and by a letter of encouragement for the Department of Homeland Security from Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Those who wish to apply for or renew DACA status (that expires before March 5, 2018), must apply by October 5. Congress now has six months to determine a new bill to replace DACA. The bill that is currently being negotiated is known as the Dream Act and would provide a thirteen-year pathway to permanent citizenship for undocumented individuals who were brought to the U.S. under the age of eighteen.
New Marital Freedoms for Tunisian Women On Thursday, September 14th Tunisia took a big step for Muslim women’s rights by lifting a ban that prohibited women from marrying outside of their faith. The ban stated that someone who wished to marry a Muslim woman had to convert to Islam and provide a certificate of their conversion. Muslim men, however, were not included in this ban and are allowed under Tunisian law to marry outside of their faith without requiring their spouses to convert to Islam. Tunisia’s president, Beji Caid Essebsi, is also attempting to reform Tunisia’s inheritance laws that currently only allow daughters to inherit only half of what their brothers receive.
HERE
Liz Abzug
Oriela Baliaj
Gabriela Valette
Founder & Executive Director
Senior Program Associate
Program Coordinator
Liz J. Abzug, Founder/Executive Director Erica Forman, Board-Chair Meg Holzer, Secretary Cynthia McKnight, Treasurer Erica Forman, Chair Cynthia McKnight, Treasurer Meg Holzer, Secretary Eija Ayravainen Gloria Steinem Joanne Davila Maya Catherine Popa Maya C. Popa
Claire Reed Harold Holzer Jonathan Greenberg Judy Lerner Liz Cooper
Betsy Scheinbart-Norton Jerry Goldfeder A.J. Lederman Kylie Reiffert Kai Gilchrist
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Gisselle Rodriguez Benitez Editor-in-Chief School: Northeastern University Major: Economics BALI Class of: 2016 Email: gisselle@abzuginstitute.org
Wilma Abam-Depass Section Editor School: Croton High School Grade: 11th BALI Class of: 2017
Zoe Donovan Section Editor School: Bard Early College Grade: 11th BALI Class of: 2017
Adriana Rodriguez Section Editor School: Brown University Major: Political Science BALI Class of: 2016
for inquiries and suggestions, email bulletin@abzuginstitute.org
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