extracted text

FEBRUARY 1992

Interview with Susan Shown Harjo

uwe Have No Reason to
Celebrate an Invasion"
Susan Shown Harjo is president and director of the
Morning Star Foundation in Washington, D.C. The
foundation sponsors the 1992 Alliance, formed to provide an indigenous peoples' response to the Columbus
Quincentenary. Harjo, a 45-year-old Cheyenne-Creek,
agreed to answer questions about why some people are
not celebrating the quincentenary. She was interviewed
by Barbara Miner of Rethinking Schools.
Why aren't you joining in the celebrations of the
Columbus quincentenary?
As Native American peoples in this red quarter of Mother
Earth, we have no reason to celebrate an invasion that caused
the demise of so many of our people and is still causing
destruction today. The Europeans stole our land and killed
our people.
But because the quincentenary is a cause celebre, it provides an opportunity to put forth Native American perspectives on the next 500 years.
Columbus was just "a man of his times." Why are you
so critical of him? Why not look at the positive aspects
of his legacy?
. ;. :,... , For people who are in survival mode, it's very difficult to
took at the positive aspects of death and destruction, especially when it is carried through to our present. There is a
reason we are the poorest people in America. There is a
reason we have the highest teen suicide rate. There is a reason
why our people are ill-housed and in poor health, and we do
not live as long as the majority population.
That reason has to do with the fact that we were in the way
of Western civilization and we were in the way of westward
expansion. We suffered the "excesses" of civilization such as
murder, pillage, rape, destruction of the major waterways,
destruction of land, the destruction and pollution of the air.
What are those "positive" aspects of the Columbus legacy?
If we're talking about the horse, yeah, that's good. We like
the horse . Indians raised the use of the horse to high military
art, especia lly among the Cheyenne people and the tribes of
the plains states.
Was that a good result of that invasion? Yes. Is it something
VOLUME 9 NUMBER 2

•

we would have traded for the many Indian peoples who are
no longer here because of that invasion? No.
We also like the beads that came from Europe, and again
we raised their use to a high art. Would we have traded those
beads for the massacres of our people, such as the Sand
Creek massacre [in which U.S. soldiers massacred hundreds
of Native American men, women, and children at Sand
Creek, Colorado in 1864 ]? No.
Why do we focus on Columbus rather than any number of
U.S. presidents who were also responsible for the death and
destruction of Indian people? Because it's his 500 years; it's
his quincentenary.

Isn't criticism of Columbus a form of picking on the
Spaniards? Were they any worse than other Europeans
who came to America?
In my estimation, the Spaniards were no worse than any
number of other Europeans. The economy of slavery and
serfdom that existed in northern Europe-how do you measure that in cruelty and in long-term effects against the Spanish Inquisition?
I view the issue more as the oppressive nature and arrogance of the Christian religions. And that continues today.
Our Indian religions are not missionary religions. We are
taught to respect other religions. It was a shock when we were
met with proselytizing zealots, especially those who thought
that if your soul can't be saved, you're better off dead-or if
your soul can be saved, you should be dead so you can go to
heaven. And that's the history of that original encounter.
How does that arrogance and ignorance manifest itself
today?
How? Well, for example, the Catholic Church has said that
1992 is a time to enter into a period of grace and healing and
to celebrate the evangelization of the Americas. My word,
how can you be graceful and healing about the tens of thousands of native people who were killed because they would
not convert to a religion they didn't understand, or because
they didn't understand the language of those making the
request?
It's difficult to take seriously an apology that is not

HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES

(continued on page 3)

•

2312 N.W. 39th, OKC, OK 73112

ST. SYBIL
(St. Sybil, Matron Saint of the forgotten woman, answers the occasional odd
question in the "Voice.")
Dear St. Sybil:
With the elections coming up, I am wondering who the
Republicans are going to get to replace poor ridiculous Dan
Quayle on the ticket. He is so pathetic I am beginning to feel
sorry for him.
Democratically yours, if you know what I mean,
Sophie Baer
Dear Sophie,
You are quite right about one thing; it is easy to make fun of Dan
Quayle: a pampered rich boy of modest intellect, whose horrendous
faux pas and disastrous off-the-cuff comments have resulted in his
near-disappearance from the public eye. And, when seen, he does cut
such a foolish figure. On the slopes of Vail, Colorado, last Christmas,
for example, where he was spotted vacationing: what was our boy doing?
Was he taking up downhill skiing, a sport of grace, finesse and daring?
Well no, not our Danny. Did he choose cross-country skiing, a tranquil,
mature and reflective past time? Not he; what Danny Quayle chose was
the world's most adolescent and obnoxious winter sport ever devised;
the sport of bullies, the winter equivalent of kicking sand in a weakling's
face, the sport voted most likely to annoy: Snowboarding. (A snowboard, according to Henry Beard's Skiing Dictionary, is "a short, wide,
ski-shaped board designed for 'snowsurfing,' with a flat surface on one
side and a fathead on the other.") Get a grip, Dan! You're not 15
anymore.
So: Who will the Republicans replace him with next fall? Well, don't
be too sure that they plan to. While you are dismissing him with a
contemptuous sneer and a shake of the head, a skyward roll of the eyes
and a "Grow up, Dan!'', he, through the Council on Competitiveness,
which he chairs, is quietly gutting laws designed to protect the
environment; this, in the classic "good cop - bad cop" routine, allows
the Bush administration to develop a decent reputation for accepting
environmentally responsible laws, while secure in the knowledge that
Quayle and the Council on Competitiveness will eviscerate those same
laws. And, at the same time, through his work with the Council, Quayle
is expanding and solidifying a power base among the country's
wealthiest and staunchest conservatives; men and businesses who are
quite likely to have the will and the power to keep Dan Quayle on the
ticket in November.
You just can't believe it? Remember, twelve long years ago you were
snorting derisively at the idea of anyone voting for Ronald Reagan for
president; and four years ago Bush's reputation as a "wimp" and a loser
was as well established as Quayle's is today as a "dork." So, you had
better get busy, pay attention, and shine a bright spotlight on Quayle
and his COC, or you may have to try to form your mouth around the
words "President Quayle" in 1996. But if you stay alert and work hard
you may be able to issue, instead, that musical, mystical, mellifluous
mouthful, that dizzy, delicious, delighful directive, that gratifying,
edifying, soul satisfying decree, "Dan, you bum, get a job!"
Apolitically as always,
Love
Sybil
Dear St. Sybil,
What are you wearing to Herland's Valentine Party?
Jess Wondrin
Dear Jess,
I'm wearing a #3 cloud, a #7 rainbow, the spirit of fifty-two lop-eared
rabbits and the ribbon from a box of Godiva chocolates. See you there?
Love,
Sybil
2

HERLAN D VOICE, FEBRUARY 1992

Ink Well ]{J1fint{ng
942-5693
10% Discount On All New Orders
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Ok laho ma Ci ty, O K 731 2 7

AUDRELORDEGARNERS
NEW HONOR
New York State has selected Audre Larde as its official State Poet.
Audre Larde said she accepted the two-year honor on behalf of "all the
poets of the oppressed, disenfranchised, and silenced peoples within
this state."
Larde said in an interview with The Washington Blade that her
selection as State Poet reflects "intense contradictions," as New York is
a state where "black woman can be raped and sodomized and her white
college student attackers be freed in court; a place where date-rape and
street violence against lesbians and gay men is on the increase.
"We must find ways to use the best we have-our selves and our
work - to bridge these contradictions, to learn the lessons they teach.
That is the job of the poet within each one of us-to envision what has
not yet been and to somehow make a reality pursuit of those visions
irresistible."
Larde, who is self-described as a ''Black lesbian feminist warrior poet
mother," is the authorofZami, A New Spelling of My Name; The Cancer
Journals and A Burst of Light and many volumes of poetry, including Our
Dead Behind Us and The Black Unicorn.
•

Support
Oklahoma's

Indigent
Health Care
Project
Deductions from state tax refund:
Check one If you wish to donate ...
Indigent Care Program C:: $2 C $5

=$ _

_.

A small check on you r tax return fo rm will make a big
difference to child ren and their fami lies who cannot afford
to pay for basic health care . These funds will be used to
provide basic medical and dental services.
Sponsored by the
Oklahoma Indigent Health Care Pro1ect and th e
Oklahoma Department of Human Serv•ces
in cooperation with
Oklahoma Dental Assoc iation
Oklahoma Hosp ital Association
Oklahoma Osteopath ic Association
Oklahoma State Medical Association
Oklahoma County Medical Soc iety
Tulsa County Medical Soc iety
Oklahoma City Medical Associat ion

HARJO (continued from page 1)
coupled with atonement. It's as if they're saying, "I'm sorry, oops,
and we'll be better in the next hemisphere." That doesn't cut it.
We've had empty platitudes before.
The combination of arrogance and ignorance also results in making mascots of Indian people, of dehumanizing and stereotyping
them - in the sports world, in advertising, and in society at large.
The Washington Redskins football team is an excellent example.
There is no more derogatory name in English for Indian people
than the name Redskins. And the Redskins is a prominent image
right here in the nation's capital that goes by unnoticed. Because we
are an invisible population, the racism against us is also invisible for
the most part.
You don't see sports teams called the White Trash, the Black
Chicks, the Jew Boys, or the Jack Mormons. And if we did see that, it
wouldn't go on for long, you can be sure of that.

Why can't we use the Columbus quincentenary to celebrate
American diversity and the contributions of all, Europeans,
and Native Americans alike?
There will be lots of people who will be putting forth the perspective of rah rah Columbus, rah rah Western Civilization. Our perspective is putting forth native peoples' views on our past and present.
We also want to get into the public consciousness the notion that we
actually hav~ a future on this planet. This is something missed by
even what is hailed as the most progressive of American movies,
Dances with Wolves.
We're more interest~d in the 500 years before Columbus and
what will go on in the next 500 years. The truth of the intervening
500 years is really known in the hearts of people worldwide, even
though the particulars have been obscured by a cotton-candy version of history.
Aren't some of the criticisms of Columbus just substituting
Native-centrism for Euro-centrism?
Oppressed people need to be centered within themselves. Racism
and centism become a problem if you are in the dominant society
and are subjugating other people as a result of your centrism. I don't
accept the question. I think it's an empty argument.
Aren't criticisms of Columbus just another form of insuring
"political correctness?"
The Eurocentric view, having been exposed for its underlying
falsehood, now wishes to oppose any other view as either equally
false or simply the flip side of reality: a secondary or dual reality?
Feelings are usually dual realities; perspectives are dual realities.
But there are some things that don't have a dual reality. For example,
if we look at who has polluted all of our water, causing a whole lot of
death and a whole lot of illness in this country alone, then we have a
bit of a clue where the problem might rest. We have a clue whose
reality might expose the truth and whose reality might obscure the
truth.
It's about time for the people who are the true historic revisionists, who are on the far right side of this whole political correctness
debate, to stop lying to themselves, to their readership and to their
students. They must stop their silly ivory tower kinds of debates
about whether multiculturalism should be used, and so forth.
What is the true history? Just start dealing with some undisputable realities . The world is a mess. This country is a mess. The people
who fare the worst in this country are poor, non-white children and
poor, non-white old people Societies who do not care for their
young people and old people are decadent, decaying societies.
I think there are a lot of good minds that are reflecting that
decadence and decay when they choose to spend their time on these

kinds of i~ory tower debates. Th:ere are things about which they can
do much; and they are doing nothing.

What should be the goal and perspective of teachers when
telling their elementary and high school students about
Columbus?
First, that no one knows the truth about Columbus. His story is a
very complex history in and of itself. Too often, this history is posed
as romantic myth, and the uncomfortable facts about Columbus are
eliminated.
Explaining the unpleasant truths about Columbus does not take
away from the fact that he was able to lurch over to these shores in
three little boats. In fact, it gives the story of Columbus more
dimension. It also makes it easier for kids in school to accept not
only Columbus but other things.
Teachers need to respect the truth. What happens ifl'm sitting in
a classroom and teachers are telling me that Thomas Jefferson was
one of the greatest men in the world, and I also know that he owned
slaves, but they don't tell me that? What am I going to do when I'm
told "don't use or abuse drugs or alcohol"? Will I think there may be
another side to that too? What else am I being told that isn't true?
Kids are smart. And they have not experienced enough setbacks
to know that they have to be sheep. But that's what they're taught in
the public schools- how to exercise not · personal discipline, but
top-down discipline. It's the "do as you're told" approach to the
world, rather than trying to help kids understand their place in the
world.
We have to inject more truth in the classroom generally. And that
only comes from discussion. I guess I'm a fan of the Socratic
method.
What are the key struggles that native people face today?
We need, in the first in.stance, basic human rights such as religious
freedom. Or how about life, liberty and the pursuit of happines~,
and other things that many people in the United States view .as
standard fare but are out of reach for Indian people?
There is also the issue ofland and treaty rights. We have property
that we don't own and we should, and we have property that we own
that we don't control and we should.
We have treaties with the United States that are characterized in
the U.S. Constitution as the supreme law of the land. Yet every one,
without exception, of nearly 400 treaties signed between native
peoples and the U.S. government has been broken. Every one of
them . .
A good place to start would be for the United States to live up to
every treaty agreement. It's also the way you get at resolving some of
the problems of poverty, alcoholism, unemployment, and poor
health.
If we don't handle the big things, we can't get to the manifestations
of the problem. We have to go to the basic human rights issues, the
basic treaty rights issues.
If we don't resolve these issues, then all people in this country are
going to be complicit in the continuing effort to wipe out our Indian
people. It's as simple as that.
•
Reprinted from "Rethinking Columbus: Teaching About the 500th Anniversary of Columbus's
Arrival." Available from Rethinking Schools, 1001 E. Keefe Ave., Milwalkee, WI 53212.

THERAPY SISTERS AT
THE COYOTE CLUB!
If you've never seen them, you've got to, and if you have, you'll be
there. A dynamic, talented, FUNNY group of women, there to
entertain you. Saturday, March 7, 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Cost? A
•
measly $4, and believe me, it's worth it.
HERLAND VOICE, FEBRUARY 1992

3

DON'T LAY THAT TRASH
ON OKLAHOMA!
by Deborah Fox
We're being targeted for Landfill sites by out-of-state companies
because our charge of $6.50 per ton is cheaper than anywhere else in
the country, and also because we have areas in the State that are
sparsely populated and thus offer less opposition. I urge everyone to
get involved to keep out-of-state waste out of Oklahoma and to help
those fighting in sparsely populated areas to gain a greater voice.
Once again the men in power are trying to treat symptoms rather
than face the problem head on. Of course, because facing the
problems means acknowledging their greed, stupidity and arrogance. The beneficiaries of rampant capitalism are so enraptured by
their accumulation of financial excess= power and self-aggrandizement they refuse to think of the future . They've lost the capacity for
thinking ahead in their narrow-minded rut. And as environmental
scientist Jessica T uckman Mathews tells us: "We are up against a lot
of limits that require us to think ahead and to act in advance of
damage, rather than going back to clean it up- because there are
some things we can't clean up."
What's happened to Americans?' Why weren't Americans
outraged by \X1atergate, the Iran-Contra scandals, or the Pentagon
scandals? Why aren't Americans panicked, even hysterical over the
life-threatening hole in earth's ozone layer? In general, most
Americans have become apathetic, accepting rising crime rates, acts
of violence, mounting destruction to the earth, governmental
deception, violence glorified on TY and so on as "normal" now.
Many Americans seem to have become emotionally and mentally
deadened, even crippled. And if not that, then paralyzed by fear.
Our society is like a colt running reckless with its nose wide open
having no thought for the past and no thought for the future. It is
only in the past 50 years that such fatal environmental destruction
has been incurred upon the earth. And our tax dollars are primarily
used (literally poured into) technologies for destruction. Why
aren't Americans demanding that our tax dollars be used for
technologies that sustain and support life? Why isn't solar power
subsidized by the government, making it available to the masses? 1
Why aren't our tax dollars being used for energy efficient technologies that do not depend upon fossil fuels?! Why isn't the
automobile industry developing the cars that get 70 - 110 miles per
gallon? Japan has them, Western Europe has them. In fact, Japan has
all sorts of energy efficient appliances-we don't need to fear
violent takeover from another country but we could be taken over
economically.
What has happened to democracy that the people do not have a
say in whether or not an industrial waste landfill is put in our
backyard? In the American Revolution Americans fought for
independence and to establish a new government, but today we have
the very same qualities operating in American government that we
fought to liberate ourselves from; tyranny and the rule of the rich.
Of course, as women, we have never benefited from the "new
government" and "The Rights of Man."
As women we have been denigrated along with the Earth. Our
prepatriarchal ancestors literally worshipped the ground they
walked on, and also Woman, whose biology is inextricably linked
with the cycles of the universe. Matricentered culture's religion
deified the female and was earth-based; when the patriarchies
conquered, Woman and the Earth suffered the most. Now women
and the earth would be relegated to the dominion of man. But, as
Susan Griffin points out; we are Nature. What we do the earth and
to women we ultimately do to ourselves. Oklahoma is one of the last
states to remain environmentally preserved (as it is we already have
4

HERLAND VOICE, FEBRUARY 1992

two cancerous landfills, one in Tulsa and one in Lone Wolf). We
should be looking to cultivate Oklahoma's tourist trade; building up
our small, quaint Western towns, our Wildlife Conservation areas,
our outdoor recreational trade, our Native American and country
art, not cultivate Oklahoma as a dumping ground! We have a fast
diminishing resource; Nature. Our land is rich in paleohistory, the
Wichita Mountains are one of the oldest exposed landmasses and so
on. Oklahoma is a diamond among broken glass and we must fight
to keep greed from stealing this gem, leaving us nothing in the end.
No one can tell me that "industrial" (read; toxic) landfills won't
destroy the resources Oklahoma does have.
The environmental problem will not be solved by more
landfills-that only treats the symptoms. What's needed is large
scale reduction of waste and a unity of Nations embracing the destiny
we share. There is no other solution. As a species we'd better wake
up before we go the way of the dinosaur, and as Oklahomans we'd
better fight against more landfills before our land can no longer
support life.
As a woman and as a feminist I am proud of my alliance with the
•
Earth, and I take up her cause along with my own.

COFFEEHOUSE
°\? SATURDAY, FEB. 22

o

7:00 P.M.

c§i

Come have a cappucino and listen to good music
at Herland on Saturday, February 22. lf you want
to bring an instrument, feel free, as a portion of
the evening will be open mic. Admission is free,
and refreshments will be available for purchase.
See you there.

TELL·IT: AFRICAN
WOMEN WRITING
Call for submissions for TELL-IT: AFRICAN WOMEN
WRITING, an annual which seeks to publish poetry, short stories
and essays with an African outlook from women writers who
reside in Africa or are studying abroad. Deadline for Issue
Number 1 is June 1, 1992. While manuscripts will not be
returned, the authors will be notified by mid-July as to whether
their articles will be published. The authors whose articles are
published will receive two free copies of the journal.
The majority of women who attended the All-African Student
Conference at Oklahoma State University, May 31 - June 2, 1991,
supported the birth of this journal.
Poems will be limited to a maximum of 5 - 10 poems per entry,
and stories and essays will be limited to a maximum of 2000
words. Authors are encouraged to send only unpublished manuscripts in English.
Attention Artists: TELL-IT: AFRICAN WOMEN WRITING
is also seeking original drawings.
Please include 3 or more sentences about yourself so that the
information can be used for author notes .
Submissions should be sent to Wairimu Wanjohi, Editor,
TELL-IT: AFRICAN WOMEN WRITING, P.O. Box 981,
Stillwater, Oklahoma 74076, USA.
•

HERLAND
SPRING RETREAT
Plan now to attend the Herland Spring Retreat
at Robbers Cave State Park, May 15, 16 and
17. Watch the Voice for more information.

NOW NEWS
The Cleveland County Chapter of NOW met on January 4th and
elected its slate of officers. LoReacy Moses was elected president.
Kristy Stewart was elected vice-president, and Robyn Drisko was
elected secretary-treasurer. About 45 people attended the meeting.
As yo u may know, the Oklahoma City NOW chapter is no longer
ac tive. The Cleveland County chapter therefore encourages
interested people throughout central Oklahoma to join our chapter.
We are excited about the response we have already received in
C leveland County. In fact, we wish to thank the "Daily Oklahoman" and its recent anti-NOW editorials for helping get the word
out 1 With Professor Anita Hill's ordeal just behind us, and with a
Supreme Court reconsideration of Roe v. Wade looming on the
horizon, we can't afford to wait.
Come join us! Call LoReacy Moses at 325-9259.
•

CLINIC ESCORTS NEEDED
Cleveland County NOW is organizing Clinic Defense
Teams to escort women into area clinics. If you are
•
interested, contact Sandy or Nancy at 794-6884.

HERLAND GARAGE SALE
Herland plans to be involved in the annual Non-Profit Garage
Sale at the Fairgrounds, April 4, 1992 . This is your opportunity
to do your Spring C leaning, get the stuff hauled out and make a
much needed contribution to Herland. All you need to do is call,
we will make arrangements to pick it up and if needed provide
you with a receipt for estimated value.
Also, help will be needed picking up, moving in/out of the
fairgrounds, pricing items the night before and selling the day of
the sale. If you have a pickup and could be available for a couple
of hours, please call and work out a time either right before the
sale or prior to pick up items from people's homes. Please note all
donations wi ll be accepted, but remember we will be competing
with some major non-profit organizations all over the city so dig
deep into your nice items. Then come on down to the Made In
Oklahoma bu ilding Saturday April 4 and shop your brains out,
nr just say hi.
Also, Wednesday and Thursday (April 1 and 2) from 6pm
-9pm will be the pricing party. Come help price, eat refreshments
and have fun. AND .. . people who help get first choice on buying
items.
If you have any questions, leave a message for Laura at
Herland, 521-9696. She'll get back to you ASAP. Thanks!
•

WOMEN'S RAPE MUSEUM
The January 1992 issue of Off Our Backs has a lengthy article on
a proposal for a Women's Rape Museum; by Carolyn Gage. Her
vision is "A public space where women who were survivors could
come and grieve the collective pain of other women who were
raped. I wanted a learning environment where women and children
could see exhibits about the history of our oppression. I wanted a
library and resource center for women working their way towards
healing and empowerment. I wanted a public, visible monument
that would say, 'This is a war, this is an epidemic, this is a
conspiracy.' "
Gage envisions a multitude of displays and exhibits; films,
photographs, art, a library, quiet spaces, counselors, and other
traditional and non-traditional museum exhibits. To summarize
the exhibits, there would be: The Myths about Rape, the first
exhibit to greet the visitor to the museum; The History of Rape
Laws in America; Historic Rape Resistors; If Someone You Know
Has Been Raped, a list of "do's" and "don'ts" for friends and
family of victims; Reporting Rape: The Legal Steps; Child
Survivors Tell Their Stories, a film with no adult narrative,
focusing on the survivor art of these children; Post-Rape
Syndrome: Steps to Healing; Slavery and Rape; War and Rape;
Incest: Covert and Overt; Famous Women Who Survived; Side
Effects of Rape; Sexual Harassment: On The Job Rape; Cultural
Control of Women, a display of articles used for the oppression of
women, including traditional foot-bindings from China, the
chador and the chastity belt, boned corsets, and high-heeled shoes;
The Burning Time, the persecution and killing of women as
witches; The Battering Cycle; Women and Weapons; Self-Defense
Strategies; Rape in Institutions; Pornography: Teaching Rape;
Compulsory Marriage: Legal Rape; Date Rape; Rape Survivors
Library and Resource Center; Counseling Room; Testimony Book
and Tapes: Women Only, so that women visiting the Museum may
have the opportunity of writing or telling their story on tape in
privacy and leaving it in the archives; The Rape Survivor's
Memorial, a quiet garden area where survivors and their friends
and family can come and pay tribute to the courage of the women
and children who have been raped; this would be the place for
leaving poems, flowers, photographs, and so on, as tributes. There
would also be a place where articles associated with the rape could
be burned, as part of a healing, empowering act for survivors.
Ms. Gage describes early attempts to build and create this vast
project, and how and why those attempts failed. It is a wonderful
vision, and surely it will become a reality in [most of our] lifetimes.
"Off Our Backs" is available for in-store reading at Herland.
Come in if you can and read in greater detail about this bold and
daring vision.
•

RU486 UPDATE
The French company that makes the abortion pill RU486 has
announced that it will launch a major study of the pill's
effectiveness in treating breast cancer in 1992 in Canada. RousselUclaf chose Canada rather than the United States because the legal
status of abortion in this country is so unclear and there is so much
political conflict over the issue, they said. The study will treat
1,000 women who have breast cancer with RU486 (info from Off
Our Backs).
In related news, the Food and Drug Administration has declined
to issue an outright ban on breast implants, but has requested a
temporary moratorium on them until the manufacturers can prove
that they are safe. That sounds reasonable.
•
HERLAND VOICE, FEBRUARY 1992

5

~~----

NEED TO TALK?
NEED COMMUNITY INFORMATION?

LESBIAN ONLY THERAPY GROUP. Wednesday evenings.
Call Jo Soske. M.Ed/ MHR /CAC at 364-5708 .. . .
GOOD NEWS FROM THE GIRL SCOUTS. We have heard
recently about the Boy Scouts hierarchy, which refused to allow
Scouts who are either gay or Atheist. Better news comes from the
Girl Scouts; Girl Scouts spokeswoman Barbara Smith, in commenting on a Girl Scouts statement endorsing personal privacy, said
"We value and respect our volunteers and staff and we don't
investigate into their personal matters. We don't have any policies
that involve the individual's sexual preferences . We don't condone
or permit sexual displays of any sort, either homosexual or
heterosexual . . . .
THE 22ND NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WOMEN
AND THE LAW will take place in Chicago, March 26- 29, 1992.
This national forum for the discussion of legal, social and political
issues which affect women will have workshops, special events,
caucuses, entertainment-the works. For info, contact JulieJusticz
at 312/651-3100 . . ..
THE 7TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S
FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL, to be held March 27 - 30 in
Austin, Texas, is soliciting entries less than one hour long. Deadline
is February 10, which means that time will be really short by the
time this newsletter reaches you, so you will need to call 512 / 4744337 for guidelines for submissions ....
February 28 is the deadline for the SPINSTERS BOOK COMPANY ANNUAL LESBIAN FICTION CONTEST. Entries
must be 200 to 350 pages; write them for complete guidelines at
P.O. Box 410687, San Francisco, CA 94141 .. . .
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Two feminist self-defense instructors at the D.C. Rape Crisis Center are publishing a book on women
who have successfully confronted sexual harassment. Write 1 - 5
English or Spanish pages, or call to give a phone interview, by
March l. Describe yourself briefly, say when and where the
harassment happened, what the harasser said arid did, what you said
and did, how it turned out, and how you felt about it. P.O. Box
21005, Washington, DC 20009; 301/654-0176.

Organizers Plan for Democratic
National Convention
Operation Rescue will be attempting to shut down all the clinics
in New York during the Democratic National Convention, July 7
-11, 1992. They will also be doing actions at the con ven ti on itse 1f.
WHAM! (Women's Health Action and Mobilization) is coord inating escorting, clinic defense, and counter-protest and publicity.
ACT UP /NY will also be a large part of the organizing and activism
for Choice at the Convention.
WHAM! organizers say they will send a clear message to the
nation that we will not stand by in silence while women's rights to
control their bodies are trampled upon. "We will not let this he
another Wichita!"
If you have experience in these areas , or are interested in learning,
WHAM! asks that you contact them ASAP at: 2121713-5966
(leave a message c/o Misha) or write P.O. Box 733, N .Y., NY 10009.
Please pass the word on to other interested parties. If you have
experience with ACT UP as well, please let WHAM! know that
when you call.
•
6

HERLAND VOICE, FEBRUARY 1992

CALL

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Hours: 7 p.m. - 1 a.m. Wednesday - Monday

Volunteers Needed: Leave a message with
a cu rrent volunteer if you are interested.

HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES
MISSION STATEMENT
(WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE'RE ABOUT)

Herland Sister Resources envisions and strives toward a
world in which all women live free from oppression.
Herland supports and includes all women who experience
oppression. Lesbians as a group have a deep experience of the
general oppressive climate of this world. A lthough Herland is
not restricted to lesbians, we have a strong lesbian focus. We
are a womanist organization, supporting women in their
jo urney toward self-definition and self-determination, and
recognizing that each woman has her own pace of growth and
enlightenment.
Herland is a non-profit volunteer organization. We publish
a newsletter, operate a bookstore and lending library, and .
provide . musical and cultural events for education and
entertainment. We offer a safe place for women to meet and
exchange ideas, feelings, hopes and fears and to learn about
themselves and each other.
The only requirement for involvement in Herland is a
desire for women to be free of the restraints of oppression.

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ebruziry 1992
Frederick Douglass, February 12, 1817 - 1895 ; US escaped slave, abolitionist
orator. He established his own newspaper, ''North Star", in Rochester, New
York. He held various federal posts and was US minister to Haiti 1889 - 1891.
&

Tuesda~1

Wednesday Thursda~1

Friday

1

Elizabeth Blackwell, February 3, 1821 - 1910 ; First American woman doctor of medicine - i.e.,
first American woman to reclaim the right of healing.
Rebuffed at first by the authorities
and l ater ostracized by her fellow students, she went on to gain her degree, with the highest
grades for her year,in 1949. After study in Europe, she returned to the US in 1857 and opened
first a hospital run by women, and later a medical school for women, in New York City.
-~~-~~-~

g

6

4
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Blad;well
l82l - jgjO

*

~iss

Hotel Rohernia
9:00 p.rn. ;·1

$5

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Cleveland
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9 pm

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13

Freder·icl\
Douglass
1817 .. 1895
Abraham
Lincoln

DAY

CONCERT

Marv

j

Reynolds &
Louise Did\

Coyote Club
9prn ·- j arn

18

Herland
Discussion
Group

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PRESIDENT'S
01\Y

MEETING

HOLIDAY

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24

19

20

21 Tomorrow.
Feb 22.

Edna St.
Vincent
11illay·s
Birthday;
l892 - l950

P.ll'i.

Tonii:,lht:
Conciousness
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25

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& Harv

Reynolds

W.E.8 . lhtBOIS
1868 - 196.]

Tof!e\..herllt

at the
(oyole Club
9

SilPnt Vigil for peace in Central America.

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j

Library,
Lowry Room

5
J
... •

l~ALENTINE'S

182l - 1920

17

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a:own To

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Party;

r-

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at 7:oo p.m.
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in Norman
8 - Ii p.rn.

J·
6~AHOl1A

NOW
StateCouncil
~leeting

11:00 a.m.

*

Coffee House

al Herland
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J-

~!=101

GRAS &__,I
Miss Brown I- ~
To You
d

Hotel Bohemia
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On the steps of the Federal Building, NW 4th & Robinson, OKC; each Wednesday at Noon.

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FEBRUARY 1992

Interview with Susan Shown Harjo

uwe Have No Reason to
Celebrate an Invasion"
Susan Shown Harjo is president and director of the
Morning Star Foundation in Washington, D.C. The
foundation sponsors the 1992 Alliance, formed to provide an indigenous peoples' response to the Columbus
Quincentenary. Harjo, a 45-year-old Cheyenne-Creek,
agreed to answer questions about why some people are
not celebrating the quincentenary. She was interviewed
by Barbara Miner of Rethinking Schools.
Why aren't you joining in the celebrations of the
Columbus quincentenary?
As Native American peoples in this red quarter of Mother
Earth, we have no reason to celebrate an invasion that caused
the demise of so many of our people and is still causing
destruction today. The Europeans stole our land and killed
our people.
But because the quincentenary is a cause celebre, it provides an opportunity to put forth Native American perspectives on the next 500 years.
Columbus was just "a man of his times." Why are you
so critical of him? Why not look at the positive aspects
of his legacy?
. ;. :,... , For people who are in survival mode, it's very difficult to
took at the positive aspects of death and destruction, especially when it is carried through to our present. There is a
reason we are the poorest people in America. There is a
reason we have the highest teen suicide rate. There is a reason
why our people are ill-housed and in poor health, and we do
not live as long as the majority population.
That reason has to do with the fact that we were in the way
of Western civilization and we were in the way of westward
expansion. We suffered the "excesses" of civilization such as
murder, pillage, rape, destruction of the major waterways,
destruction of land, the destruction and pollution of the air.
What are those "positive" aspects of the Columbus legacy?
If we're talking about the horse, yeah, that's good. We like
the horse . Indians raised the use of the horse to high military
art, especia lly among the Cheyenne people and the tribes of
the plains states.
Was that a good result of that invasion? Yes. Is it something
VOLUME 9 NUMBER 2

•

we would have traded for the many Indian peoples who are
no longer here because of that invasion? No.
We also like the beads that came from Europe, and again
we raised their use to a high art. Would we have traded those
beads for the massacres of our people, such as the Sand
Creek massacre [in which U.S. soldiers massacred hundreds
of Native American men, women, and children at Sand
Creek, Colorado in 1864 ]? No.
Why do we focus on Columbus rather than any number of
U.S. presidents who were also responsible for the death and
destruction of Indian people? Because it's his 500 years; it's
his quincentenary.

Isn't criticism of Columbus a form of picking on the
Spaniards? Were they any worse than other Europeans
who came to America?
In my estimation, the Spaniards were no worse than any
number of other Europeans. The economy of slavery and
serfdom that existed in northern Europe-how do you measure that in cruelty and in long-term effects against the Spanish Inquisition?
I view the issue more as the oppressive nature and arrogance of the Christian religions. And that continues today.
Our Indian religions are not missionary religions. We are
taught to respect other religions. It was a shock when we were
met with proselytizing zealots, especially those who thought
that if your soul can't be saved, you're better off dead-or if
your soul can be saved, you should be dead so you can go to
heaven. And that's the history of that original encounter.
How does that arrogance and ignorance manifest itself
today?
How? Well, for example, the Catholic Church has said that
1992 is a time to enter into a period of grace and healing and
to celebrate the evangelization of the Americas. My word,
how can you be graceful and healing about the tens of thousands of native people who were killed because they would
not convert to a religion they didn't understand, or because
they didn't understand the language of those making the
request?
It's difficult to take seriously an apology that is not

HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES

(continued on page 3)

•

2312 N.W. 39th, OKC, OK 73112

ST. SYBIL
(St. Sybil, Matron Saint of the forgotten woman, answers the occasional odd
question in the "Voice.")
Dear St. Sybil:
With the elections coming up, I am wondering who the
Republicans are going to get to replace poor ridiculous Dan
Quayle on the ticket. He is so pathetic I am beginning to feel
sorry for him.
Democratically yours, if you know what I mean,
Sophie Baer
Dear Sophie,
You are quite right about one thing; it is easy to make fun of Dan
Quayle: a pampered rich boy of modest intellect, whose horrendous
faux pas and disastrous off-the-cuff comments have resulted in his
near-disappearance from the public eye. And, when seen, he does cut
such a foolish figure. On the slopes of Vail, Colorado, last Christmas,
for example, where he was spotted vacationing: what was our boy doing?
Was he taking up downhill skiing, a sport of grace, finesse and daring?
Well no, not our Danny. Did he choose cross-country skiing, a tranquil,
mature and reflective past time? Not he; what Danny Quayle chose was
the world's most adolescent and obnoxious winter sport ever devised;
the sport of bullies, the winter equivalent of kicking sand in a weakling's
face, the sport voted most likely to annoy: Snowboarding. (A snowboard, according to Henry Beard's Skiing Dictionary, is "a short, wide,
ski-shaped board designed for 'snowsurfing,' with a flat surface on one
side and a fathead on the other.") Get a grip, Dan! You're not 15
anymore.
So: Who will the Republicans replace him with next fall? Well, don't
be too sure that they plan to. While you are dismissing him with a
contemptuous sneer and a shake of the head, a skyward roll of the eyes
and a "Grow up, Dan!'', he, through the Council on Competitiveness,
which he chairs, is quietly gutting laws designed to protect the
environment; this, in the classic "good cop - bad cop" routine, allows
the Bush administration to develop a decent reputation for accepting
environmentally responsible laws, while secure in the knowledge that
Quayle and the Council on Competitiveness will eviscerate those same
laws. And, at the same time, through his work with the Council, Quayle
is expanding and solidifying a power base among the country's
wealthiest and staunchest conservatives; men and businesses who are
quite likely to have the will and the power to keep Dan Quayle on the
ticket in November.
You just can't believe it? Remember, twelve long years ago you were
snorting derisively at the idea of anyone voting for Ronald Reagan for
president; and four years ago Bush's reputation as a "wimp" and a loser
was as well established as Quayle's is today as a "dork." So, you had
better get busy, pay attention, and shine a bright spotlight on Quayle
and his COC, or you may have to try to form your mouth around the
words "President Quayle" in 1996. But if you stay alert and work hard
you may be able to issue, instead, that musical, mystical, mellifluous
mouthful, that dizzy, delicious, delighful directive, that gratifying,
edifying, soul satisfying decree, "Dan, you bum, get a job!"
Apolitically as always,
Love
Sybil
Dear St. Sybil,
What are you wearing to Herland's Valentine Party?
Jess Wondrin
Dear Jess,
I'm wearing a #3 cloud, a #7 rainbow, the spirit of fifty-two lop-eared
rabbits and the ribbon from a box of Godiva chocolates. See you there?
Love,
Sybil
2

HERLAN D VOICE, FEBRUARY 1992

Ink Well ]{J1fint{ng
942-5693
10% Discount On All New Orders
5% C.O.D. Discount
46 00 N.W. 12th

Ok laho ma Ci ty, O K 731 2 7

AUDRELORDEGARNERS
NEW HONOR
New York State has selected Audre Larde as its official State Poet.
Audre Larde said she accepted the two-year honor on behalf of "all the
poets of the oppressed, disenfranchised, and silenced peoples within
this state."
Larde said in an interview with The Washington Blade that her
selection as State Poet reflects "intense contradictions," as New York is
a state where "black woman can be raped and sodomized and her white
college student attackers be freed in court; a place where date-rape and
street violence against lesbians and gay men is on the increase.
"We must find ways to use the best we have-our selves and our
work - to bridge these contradictions, to learn the lessons they teach.
That is the job of the poet within each one of us-to envision what has
not yet been and to somehow make a reality pursuit of those visions
irresistible."
Larde, who is self-described as a ''Black lesbian feminist warrior poet
mother," is the authorofZami, A New Spelling of My Name; The Cancer
Journals and A Burst of Light and many volumes of poetry, including Our
Dead Behind Us and The Black Unicorn.
•

Support
Oklahoma's

Indigent
Health Care
Project
Deductions from state tax refund:
Check one If you wish to donate ...
Indigent Care Program C:: $2 C $5

=$ _

_.

A small check on you r tax return fo rm will make a big
difference to child ren and their fami lies who cannot afford
to pay for basic health care . These funds will be used to
provide basic medical and dental services.
Sponsored by the
Oklahoma Indigent Health Care Pro1ect and th e
Oklahoma Department of Human Serv•ces
in cooperation with
Oklahoma Dental Assoc iation
Oklahoma Hosp ital Association
Oklahoma Osteopath ic Association
Oklahoma State Medical Association
Oklahoma County Medical Soc iety
Tulsa County Medical Soc iety
Oklahoma City Medical Associat ion

HARJO (continued from page 1)
coupled with atonement. It's as if they're saying, "I'm sorry, oops,
and we'll be better in the next hemisphere." That doesn't cut it.
We've had empty platitudes before.
The combination of arrogance and ignorance also results in making mascots of Indian people, of dehumanizing and stereotyping
them - in the sports world, in advertising, and in society at large.
The Washington Redskins football team is an excellent example.
There is no more derogatory name in English for Indian people
than the name Redskins. And the Redskins is a prominent image
right here in the nation's capital that goes by unnoticed. Because we
are an invisible population, the racism against us is also invisible for
the most part.
You don't see sports teams called the White Trash, the Black
Chicks, the Jew Boys, or the Jack Mormons. And if we did see that, it
wouldn't go on for long, you can be sure of that.

Why can't we use the Columbus quincentenary to celebrate
American diversity and the contributions of all, Europeans,
and Native Americans alike?
There will be lots of people who will be putting forth the perspective of rah rah Columbus, rah rah Western Civilization. Our perspective is putting forth native peoples' views on our past and present.
We also want to get into the public consciousness the notion that we
actually hav~ a future on this planet. This is something missed by
even what is hailed as the most progressive of American movies,
Dances with Wolves.
We're more interest~d in the 500 years before Columbus and
what will go on in the next 500 years. The truth of the intervening
500 years is really known in the hearts of people worldwide, even
though the particulars have been obscured by a cotton-candy version of history.
Aren't some of the criticisms of Columbus just substituting
Native-centrism for Euro-centrism?
Oppressed people need to be centered within themselves. Racism
and centism become a problem if you are in the dominant society
and are subjugating other people as a result of your centrism. I don't
accept the question. I think it's an empty argument.
Aren't criticisms of Columbus just another form of insuring
"political correctness?"
The Eurocentric view, having been exposed for its underlying
falsehood, now wishes to oppose any other view as either equally
false or simply the flip side of reality: a secondary or dual reality?
Feelings are usually dual realities; perspectives are dual realities.
But there are some things that don't have a dual reality. For example,
if we look at who has polluted all of our water, causing a whole lot of
death and a whole lot of illness in this country alone, then we have a
bit of a clue where the problem might rest. We have a clue whose
reality might expose the truth and whose reality might obscure the
truth.
It's about time for the people who are the true historic revisionists, who are on the far right side of this whole political correctness
debate, to stop lying to themselves, to their readership and to their
students. They must stop their silly ivory tower kinds of debates
about whether multiculturalism should be used, and so forth.
What is the true history? Just start dealing with some undisputable realities . The world is a mess. This country is a mess. The people
who fare the worst in this country are poor, non-white children and
poor, non-white old people Societies who do not care for their
young people and old people are decadent, decaying societies.
I think there are a lot of good minds that are reflecting that
decadence and decay when they choose to spend their time on these

kinds of i~ory tower debates. Th:ere are things about which they can
do much; and they are doing nothing.

What should be the goal and perspective of teachers when
telling their elementary and high school students about
Columbus?
First, that no one knows the truth about Columbus. His story is a
very complex history in and of itself. Too often, this history is posed
as romantic myth, and the uncomfortable facts about Columbus are
eliminated.
Explaining the unpleasant truths about Columbus does not take
away from the fact that he was able to lurch over to these shores in
three little boats. In fact, it gives the story of Columbus more
dimension. It also makes it easier for kids in school to accept not
only Columbus but other things.
Teachers need to respect the truth. What happens ifl'm sitting in
a classroom and teachers are telling me that Thomas Jefferson was
one of the greatest men in the world, and I also know that he owned
slaves, but they don't tell me that? What am I going to do when I'm
told "don't use or abuse drugs or alcohol"? Will I think there may be
another side to that too? What else am I being told that isn't true?
Kids are smart. And they have not experienced enough setbacks
to know that they have to be sheep. But that's what they're taught in
the public schools- how to exercise not · personal discipline, but
top-down discipline. It's the "do as you're told" approach to the
world, rather than trying to help kids understand their place in the
world.
We have to inject more truth in the classroom generally. And that
only comes from discussion. I guess I'm a fan of the Socratic
method.
What are the key struggles that native people face today?
We need, in the first in.stance, basic human rights such as religious
freedom. Or how about life, liberty and the pursuit of happines~,
and other things that many people in the United States view .as
standard fare but are out of reach for Indian people?
There is also the issue ofland and treaty rights. We have property
that we don't own and we should, and we have property that we own
that we don't control and we should.
We have treaties with the United States that are characterized in
the U.S. Constitution as the supreme law of the land. Yet every one,
without exception, of nearly 400 treaties signed between native
peoples and the U.S. government has been broken. Every one of
them . .
A good place to start would be for the United States to live up to
every treaty agreement. It's also the way you get at resolving some of
the problems of poverty, alcoholism, unemployment, and poor
health.
If we don't handle the big things, we can't get to the manifestations
of the problem. We have to go to the basic human rights issues, the
basic treaty rights issues.
If we don't resolve these issues, then all people in this country are
going to be complicit in the continuing effort to wipe out our Indian
people. It's as simple as that.
•
Reprinted from "Rethinking Columbus: Teaching About the 500th Anniversary of Columbus's
Arrival." Available from Rethinking Schools, 1001 E. Keefe Ave., Milwalkee, WI 53212.

THERAPY SISTERS AT
THE COYOTE CLUB!
If you've never seen them, you've got to, and if you have, you'll be
there. A dynamic, talented, FUNNY group of women, there to
entertain you. Saturday, March 7, 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Cost? A
•
measly $4, and believe me, it's worth it.
HERLAND VOICE, FEBRUARY 1992

3

DON'T LAY THAT TRASH
ON OKLAHOMA!
by Deborah Fox
We're being targeted for Landfill sites by out-of-state companies
because our charge of $6.50 per ton is cheaper than anywhere else in
the country, and also because we have areas in the State that are
sparsely populated and thus offer less opposition. I urge everyone to
get involved to keep out-of-state waste out of Oklahoma and to help
those fighting in sparsely populated areas to gain a greater voice.
Once again the men in power are trying to treat symptoms rather
than face the problem head on. Of course, because facing the
problems means acknowledging their greed, stupidity and arrogance. The beneficiaries of rampant capitalism are so enraptured by
their accumulation of financial excess= power and self-aggrandizement they refuse to think of the future . They've lost the capacity for
thinking ahead in their narrow-minded rut. And as environmental
scientist Jessica T uckman Mathews tells us: "We are up against a lot
of limits that require us to think ahead and to act in advance of
damage, rather than going back to clean it up- because there are
some things we can't clean up."
What's happened to Americans?' Why weren't Americans
outraged by \X1atergate, the Iran-Contra scandals, or the Pentagon
scandals? Why aren't Americans panicked, even hysterical over the
life-threatening hole in earth's ozone layer? In general, most
Americans have become apathetic, accepting rising crime rates, acts
of violence, mounting destruction to the earth, governmental
deception, violence glorified on TY and so on as "normal" now.
Many Americans seem to have become emotionally and mentally
deadened, even crippled. And if not that, then paralyzed by fear.
Our society is like a colt running reckless with its nose wide open
having no thought for the past and no thought for the future. It is
only in the past 50 years that such fatal environmental destruction
has been incurred upon the earth. And our tax dollars are primarily
used (literally poured into) technologies for destruction. Why
aren't Americans demanding that our tax dollars be used for
technologies that sustain and support life? Why isn't solar power
subsidized by the government, making it available to the masses? 1
Why aren't our tax dollars being used for energy efficient technologies that do not depend upon fossil fuels?! Why isn't the
automobile industry developing the cars that get 70 - 110 miles per
gallon? Japan has them, Western Europe has them. In fact, Japan has
all sorts of energy efficient appliances-we don't need to fear
violent takeover from another country but we could be taken over
economically.
What has happened to democracy that the people do not have a
say in whether or not an industrial waste landfill is put in our
backyard? In the American Revolution Americans fought for
independence and to establish a new government, but today we have
the very same qualities operating in American government that we
fought to liberate ourselves from; tyranny and the rule of the rich.
Of course, as women, we have never benefited from the "new
government" and "The Rights of Man."
As women we have been denigrated along with the Earth. Our
prepatriarchal ancestors literally worshipped the ground they
walked on, and also Woman, whose biology is inextricably linked
with the cycles of the universe. Matricentered culture's religion
deified the female and was earth-based; when the patriarchies
conquered, Woman and the Earth suffered the most. Now women
and the earth would be relegated to the dominion of man. But, as
Susan Griffin points out; we are Nature. What we do the earth and
to women we ultimately do to ourselves. Oklahoma is one of the last
states to remain environmentally preserved (as it is we already have
4

HERLAND VOICE, FEBRUARY 1992

two cancerous landfills, one in Tulsa and one in Lone Wolf). We
should be looking to cultivate Oklahoma's tourist trade; building up
our small, quaint Western towns, our Wildlife Conservation areas,
our outdoor recreational trade, our Native American and country
art, not cultivate Oklahoma as a dumping ground! We have a fast
diminishing resource; Nature. Our land is rich in paleohistory, the
Wichita Mountains are one of the oldest exposed landmasses and so
on. Oklahoma is a diamond among broken glass and we must fight
to keep greed from stealing this gem, leaving us nothing in the end.
No one can tell me that "industrial" (read; toxic) landfills won't
destroy the resources Oklahoma does have.
The environmental problem will not be solved by more
landfills-that only treats the symptoms. What's needed is large
scale reduction of waste and a unity of Nations embracing the destiny
we share. There is no other solution. As a species we'd better wake
up before we go the way of the dinosaur, and as Oklahomans we'd
better fight against more landfills before our land can no longer
support life.
As a woman and as a feminist I am proud of my alliance with the
•
Earth, and I take up her cause along with my own.

COFFEEHOUSE
°\? SATURDAY, FEB. 22

o

7:00 P.M.

c§i

Come have a cappucino and listen to good music
at Herland on Saturday, February 22. lf you want
to bring an instrument, feel free, as a portion of
the evening will be open mic. Admission is free,
and refreshments will be available for purchase.
See you there.

TELL·IT: AFRICAN
WOMEN WRITING
Call for submissions for TELL-IT: AFRICAN WOMEN
WRITING, an annual which seeks to publish poetry, short stories
and essays with an African outlook from women writers who
reside in Africa or are studying abroad. Deadline for Issue
Number 1 is June 1, 1992. While manuscripts will not be
returned, the authors will be notified by mid-July as to whether
their articles will be published. The authors whose articles are
published will receive two free copies of the journal.
The majority of women who attended the All-African Student
Conference at Oklahoma State University, May 31 - June 2, 1991,
supported the birth of this journal.
Poems will be limited to a maximum of 5 - 10 poems per entry,
and stories and essays will be limited to a maximum of 2000
words. Authors are encouraged to send only unpublished manuscripts in English.
Attention Artists: TELL-IT: AFRICAN WOMEN WRITING
is also seeking original drawings.
Please include 3 or more sentences about yourself so that the
information can be used for author notes .
Submissions should be sent to Wairimu Wanjohi, Editor,
TELL-IT: AFRICAN WOMEN WRITING, P.O. Box 981,
Stillwater, Oklahoma 74076, USA.
•

HERLAND
SPRING RETREAT
Plan now to attend the Herland Spring Retreat
at Robbers Cave State Park, May 15, 16 and
17. Watch the Voice for more information.

NOW NEWS
The Cleveland County Chapter of NOW met on January 4th and
elected its slate of officers. LoReacy Moses was elected president.
Kristy Stewart was elected vice-president, and Robyn Drisko was
elected secretary-treasurer. About 45 people attended the meeting.
As yo u may know, the Oklahoma City NOW chapter is no longer
ac tive. The Cleveland County chapter therefore encourages
interested people throughout central Oklahoma to join our chapter.
We are excited about the response we have already received in
C leveland County. In fact, we wish to thank the "Daily Oklahoman" and its recent anti-NOW editorials for helping get the word
out 1 With Professor Anita Hill's ordeal just behind us, and with a
Supreme Court reconsideration of Roe v. Wade looming on the
horizon, we can't afford to wait.
Come join us! Call LoReacy Moses at 325-9259.
•

CLINIC ESCORTS NEEDED
Cleveland County NOW is organizing Clinic Defense
Teams to escort women into area clinics. If you are
•
interested, contact Sandy or Nancy at 794-6884.

HERLAND GARAGE SALE
Herland plans to be involved in the annual Non-Profit Garage
Sale at the Fairgrounds, April 4, 1992 . This is your opportunity
to do your Spring C leaning, get the stuff hauled out and make a
much needed contribution to Herland. All you need to do is call,
we will make arrangements to pick it up and if needed provide
you with a receipt for estimated value.
Also, help will be needed picking up, moving in/out of the
fairgrounds, pricing items the night before and selling the day of
the sale. If you have a pickup and could be available for a couple
of hours, please call and work out a time either right before the
sale or prior to pick up items from people's homes. Please note all
donations wi ll be accepted, but remember we will be competing
with some major non-profit organizations all over the city so dig
deep into your nice items. Then come on down to the Made In
Oklahoma bu ilding Saturday April 4 and shop your brains out,
nr just say hi.
Also, Wednesday and Thursday (April 1 and 2) from 6pm
-9pm will be the pricing party. Come help price, eat refreshments
and have fun. AND .. . people who help get first choice on buying
items.
If you have any questions, leave a message for Laura at
Herland, 521-9696. She'll get back to you ASAP. Thanks!
•

WOMEN'S RAPE MUSEUM
The January 1992 issue of Off Our Backs has a lengthy article on
a proposal for a Women's Rape Museum; by Carolyn Gage. Her
vision is "A public space where women who were survivors could
come and grieve the collective pain of other women who were
raped. I wanted a learning environment where women and children
could see exhibits about the history of our oppression. I wanted a
library and resource center for women working their way towards
healing and empowerment. I wanted a public, visible monument
that would say, 'This is a war, this is an epidemic, this is a
conspiracy.' "
Gage envisions a multitude of displays and exhibits; films,
photographs, art, a library, quiet spaces, counselors, and other
traditional and non-traditional museum exhibits. To summarize
the exhibits, there would be: The Myths about Rape, the first
exhibit to greet the visitor to the museum; The History of Rape
Laws in America; Historic Rape Resistors; If Someone You Know
Has Been Raped, a list of "do's" and "don'ts" for friends and
family of victims; Reporting Rape: The Legal Steps; Child
Survivors Tell Their Stories, a film with no adult narrative,
focusing on the survivor art of these children; Post-Rape
Syndrome: Steps to Healing; Slavery and Rape; War and Rape;
Incest: Covert and Overt; Famous Women Who Survived; Side
Effects of Rape; Sexual Harassment: On The Job Rape; Cultural
Control of Women, a display of articles used for the oppression of
women, including traditional foot-bindings from China, the
chador and the chastity belt, boned corsets, and high-heeled shoes;
The Burning Time, the persecution and killing of women as
witches; The Battering Cycle; Women and Weapons; Self-Defense
Strategies; Rape in Institutions; Pornography: Teaching Rape;
Compulsory Marriage: Legal Rape; Date Rape; Rape Survivors
Library and Resource Center; Counseling Room; Testimony Book
and Tapes: Women Only, so that women visiting the Museum may
have the opportunity of writing or telling their story on tape in
privacy and leaving it in the archives; The Rape Survivor's
Memorial, a quiet garden area where survivors and their friends
and family can come and pay tribute to the courage of the women
and children who have been raped; this would be the place for
leaving poems, flowers, photographs, and so on, as tributes. There
would also be a place where articles associated with the rape could
be burned, as part of a healing, empowering act for survivors.
Ms. Gage describes early attempts to build and create this vast
project, and how and why those attempts failed. It is a wonderful
vision, and surely it will become a reality in [most of our] lifetimes.
"Off Our Backs" is available for in-store reading at Herland.
Come in if you can and read in greater detail about this bold and
daring vision.
•

RU486 UPDATE
The French company that makes the abortion pill RU486 has
announced that it will launch a major study of the pill's
effectiveness in treating breast cancer in 1992 in Canada. RousselUclaf chose Canada rather than the United States because the legal
status of abortion in this country is so unclear and there is so much
political conflict over the issue, they said. The study will treat
1,000 women who have breast cancer with RU486 (info from Off
Our Backs).
In related news, the Food and Drug Administration has declined
to issue an outright ban on breast implants, but has requested a
temporary moratorium on them until the manufacturers can prove
that they are safe. That sounds reasonable.
•
HERLAND VOICE, FEBRUARY 1992

5

~~----

NEED TO TALK?
NEED COMMUNITY INFORMATION?

LESBIAN ONLY THERAPY GROUP. Wednesday evenings.
Call Jo Soske. M.Ed/ MHR /CAC at 364-5708 .. . .
GOOD NEWS FROM THE GIRL SCOUTS. We have heard
recently about the Boy Scouts hierarchy, which refused to allow
Scouts who are either gay or Atheist. Better news comes from the
Girl Scouts; Girl Scouts spokeswoman Barbara Smith, in commenting on a Girl Scouts statement endorsing personal privacy, said
"We value and respect our volunteers and staff and we don't
investigate into their personal matters. We don't have any policies
that involve the individual's sexual preferences . We don't condone
or permit sexual displays of any sort, either homosexual or
heterosexual . . . .
THE 22ND NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WOMEN
AND THE LAW will take place in Chicago, March 26- 29, 1992.
This national forum for the discussion of legal, social and political
issues which affect women will have workshops, special events,
caucuses, entertainment-the works. For info, contact JulieJusticz
at 312/651-3100 . . ..
THE 7TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S
FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL, to be held March 27 - 30 in
Austin, Texas, is soliciting entries less than one hour long. Deadline
is February 10, which means that time will be really short by the
time this newsletter reaches you, so you will need to call 512 / 4744337 for guidelines for submissions ....
February 28 is the deadline for the SPINSTERS BOOK COMPANY ANNUAL LESBIAN FICTION CONTEST. Entries
must be 200 to 350 pages; write them for complete guidelines at
P.O. Box 410687, San Francisco, CA 94141 .. . .
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Two feminist self-defense instructors at the D.C. Rape Crisis Center are publishing a book on women
who have successfully confronted sexual harassment. Write 1 - 5
English or Spanish pages, or call to give a phone interview, by
March l. Describe yourself briefly, say when and where the
harassment happened, what the harasser said arid did, what you said
and did, how it turned out, and how you felt about it. P.O. Box
21005, Washington, DC 20009; 301/654-0176.

Organizers Plan for Democratic
National Convention
Operation Rescue will be attempting to shut down all the clinics
in New York during the Democratic National Convention, July 7
-11, 1992. They will also be doing actions at the con ven ti on itse 1f.
WHAM! (Women's Health Action and Mobilization) is coord inating escorting, clinic defense, and counter-protest and publicity.
ACT UP /NY will also be a large part of the organizing and activism
for Choice at the Convention.
WHAM! organizers say they will send a clear message to the
nation that we will not stand by in silence while women's rights to
control their bodies are trampled upon. "We will not let this he
another Wichita!"
If you have experience in these areas , or are interested in learning,
WHAM! asks that you contact them ASAP at: 2121713-5966
(leave a message c/o Misha) or write P.O. Box 733, N .Y., NY 10009.
Please pass the word on to other interested parties. If you have
experience with ACT UP as well, please let WHAM! know that
when you call.
•
6

HERLAND VOICE, FEBRUARY 1992

CALL

842-GAYS
Th e Gay & Lesbian

HELPLINE
Hours: 7 p.m. - 1 a.m. Wednesday - Monday

Volunteers Needed: Leave a message with
a cu rrent volunteer if you are interested.

HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES
MISSION STATEMENT
(WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE'RE ABOUT)

Herland Sister Resources envisions and strives toward a
world in which all women live free from oppression.
Herland supports and includes all women who experience
oppression. Lesbians as a group have a deep experience of the
general oppressive climate of this world. A lthough Herland is
not restricted to lesbians, we have a strong lesbian focus. We
are a womanist organization, supporting women in their
jo urney toward self-definition and self-determination, and
recognizing that each woman has her own pace of growth and
enlightenment.
Herland is a non-profit volunteer organization. We publish
a newsletter, operate a bookstore and lending library, and .
provide . musical and cultural events for education and
entertainment. We offer a safe place for women to meet and
exchange ideas, feelings, hopes and fears and to learn about
themselves and each other.
The only requirement for involvement in Herland is a
desire for women to be free of the restraints of oppression.

DO YOU ENJOY RECEIVING
THE VOICE EVERY MONTH?
If the Voice is important to you, please use the form below and
the enclosed envelope to send a contribution to support its
p ublication and distribution.
The Voice is published entirely with volunteer labor, but we
still must pay for printing and mailing. It costs Herland about 50
cents to get your copy to you each month.
Your contribution of at least $6 wi ll cover the costs of your
subscription. Please consider including a little extra to help
provide the Vo ice to o thers.
Thank you.

YES. I am sending a contribution to Herland to help keep our
Voice in the mail.
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0 Other _ _ __

NAME _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

~

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ADDR ESS _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __

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ebruziry 1992
Frederick Douglass, February 12, 1817 - 1895 ; US escaped slave, abolitionist
orator. He established his own newspaper, ''North Star", in Rochester, New
York. He held various federal posts and was US minister to Haiti 1889 - 1891.
&

Tuesda~1

Wednesday Thursda~1

Friday

1

Elizabeth Blackwell, February 3, 1821 - 1910 ; First American woman doctor of medicine - i.e.,
first American woman to reclaim the right of healing.
Rebuffed at first by the authorities
and l ater ostracized by her fellow students, she went on to gain her degree, with the highest
grades for her year,in 1949. After study in Europe, she returned to the US in 1857 and opened
first a hospital run by women, and later a medical school for women, in New York City.
-~~-~~-~

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6

4
Elizabelh
Blad;well
l82l - jgjO

*

~iss

Hotel Rohernia
9:00 p.rn. ;·1

$5

**Call f'Or
Reservalions

Cleveland
County NOi,J

Hotel Bohemia

2 P~1.
Norman Public:.

9 pm

,-

$ ·3
**Call for
Reservations

12

13

Freder·icl\
Douglass
1817 .. 1895
Abraham
Lincoln

DAY

CONCERT

Marv

j

Reynolds &
Louise Did\

Coyote Club
9prn ·- j arn

18

Herland
Discussion
Group

7

PRESIDENT'S
01\Y

MEETING

HOLIDAY

4:30

23

24

19

20

21 Tomorrow.
Feb 22.

Edna St.
Vincent
11illay·s
Birthday;
l892 - l950

P.ll'i.

Tonii:,lht:
Conciousness
Raisinp I)

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25

26

27

28

PeeeY

,Johnson
& Harv

Reynolds

W.E.8 . lhtBOIS
1868 - 196.]

Tof!e\..herllt

at the
(oyole Club
9

SilPnt Vigil for peace in Central America.

.i-

j

Library,
Lowry Room

5
J
... •

l~ALENTINE'S

182l - 1920

17

8

a:own To

You - House
Party;

r-

Gertrude
Stein
1874 - 1946

10

BOARD

f

CONCERT
Gail Heil &

Bob Bovee

every FRIDAY
at Berland,
at 7:oo p.m.
.::{

•,

Groundhop
Day

CoDA Meeting

--~~~-~~--.---~--~~~-,.~~~~~~-,.~~~~~~--,,-=-~~--f-<..._~--t-=-~~~~~__,

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Sat..urday

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·. Janis

Gallomay

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al P.O.E. T.S
in Norman
8 - Ii p.rn.

J·
6~AHOl1A

NOW
StateCouncil
~leeting

11:00 a.m.

*

Coffee House

al Herland
7 pm

J-

~!=101

GRAS &__,I
Miss Brown I- ~
To You
d

Hotel Bohemia
~

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' '"*Call
$3 for
Reservations

On the steps of the Federal Building, NW 4th & Robinson, OKC; each Wednesday at Noon.

HERLi\ND SISTER RESOURCES INC.
2312 N\\<1 39lh Street.
Oklahoma City, Ol<lahoma 73H2

405/521-9696
Hours: Sat.urda~'S 10 - 6; Sunda~1 s 1 - 6.

,.'"t:ali
~28-0020

for Hotel
Bohemia

Reservations

~--------

NonProfit Org.
US. Postage

PAID
Oklahom a City, Okla.
Permit No. 861

2312 N.W. 39th Street
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73112
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
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