HerlandVoice-2015-09-v33-no03_ocr.pdf
- Title
- HerlandVoice-2015-09-v33-no03_ocr.pdf
- extracted text
-
WHAT’S INSIDE
Fall Retreat 2
What’s Happening 3
Research Studies 4
Elder Job Training 4
Yes All Daughters 5
Call for Poetry 5
VOICE
herland
VOLUME 33 No 3 FALL 2015
BEYOND BARS—Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma
Yes, we know the statistics. Oklahoma
does incarcerate more women per capita
than any other state and at twice the national rate. About 80 percent of female
offenders are mothers and are serving time
for non-violent, drug related crimes. The
War on Drugs has taken its toll on Oklahoma women and the collateral damage are
the children.
Across the country, more than 1.5 million
children—half of them under age 10—
have a parent behind bars. Children with
at least one incarcerated parent are five
times more likely to go to prison at some
point in their life.
When a mother is taken from a family the
ripple effects are felt by everyone and
there is an added burden to her extended
family, friends and community members.
The lack of stability shifts itself outward.
To a large extent, the women in prison are
head of household and are responsible for
supporting, nurturing, and educating their
children. What happens to these mothers
affects future generations and society at
large.
One group working to mend the damage
done to families and stop the cycle of incarceration is the Beyond Bars Program of
Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma. First begun in Baltimore in 1992, at least 30 councils nationwide now offer the program designed to foster healthy, lasting relationships between daughters and their incarcerated mothers.
(Continued page 3)
Herland Sister Resources 2312 NW 39th St Oklahoma City 73112
405.521.9696 www.herlandsisters.org herland@herlandsisters.org
Regular hours 2nd and 4th Saturdays from 1-5 pm
Save the Date:
Nov 6-8 Fall Retreat
With the weather starting to change,
it’s feeling more and more like it’s
time for another Herland Retreat!
Be sure to Save The Date - Herland’s
Fall Retreat will be November 6th –
8th, at Lake Eufaula State Park, in
Eufaula, OK. A registration form and
many more details will be in the next
Voice newsletter. We’re planning
some Really Great Workshops and
Food, and Oklahoma City’s own “3
Shades of GRAY” will keep us movin’
2312 NW 39th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73112
(405) 521-9696, herland@herlandsisters.org,
www.herlandsisters.org
Herland Sister Resources
Serving the women’s community since 1985!
We hope you are enjoying this issue of the Herland Voice. To continue on our
hardcopy mailing list, or to be switched to the email version of the Voice, all you
need to do is return the form below. There are various donation options and all
donations are tax-deductible.
To make sure you receive the next copy of the Voice, simply return the coupon
below. Hope to hear from you soon!
Please keep me on the hardcopy mailing list.
Please switch me to the e-mail version of the Voice.
NAME ________________________________________________________________________
& groovin’ during the Saturday night
concert. You’ll hear great vocals,
guitar, bass, mandolin, and fiddle!
You will love their sound!
If there is something specific you’d
like to see or do at this retreat, just
call (405) 550-2312 and we’ll work
on it. Herland needs your support,
and now is a GREAT time to start
gathering items to donate for the
Silent Auction, which helps keep
Herland going. We hope to see you
all in November!
ADDRESS _____________________________________________________________________
CITY ___________________________________________ STATE _______ ZIP ____________
E-MAIL ________________________________________________________________________
Here’s my donation of $ __________ to help keep Herland alive and well.
(The suggested donation is $25 a year – more if you can, less if you can’t.)
Enclosed is my check payable to Herland in the amount of $ ___________.
Send to Herland, 2312 NW 39th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73112.
You can also donate securely online with a credit card or PayPal account by
simply going to our website (www.herlandsisters.org) and clicking on “Donate”
in the menu bar.
The Herland Voice is a publication of Herland Sister Resources, 2312 NW 39th,
OKC, OK 73112. Our center is open the
second and fourth Saturdays from 1-5
pm. Call us at (405) 521-9696 or email us
at herland@herlandsisters.org. Visit us on
the web at www.herlandsisters.org.
What’s Happening
SUPPER CLUB
5:30 pm, Saturday, Sept 12
Belle Isle Brewery, 50 Penn Place
(NW Expy & Penn)
AIDS WALK BOWLING
3 pm, Sunday, Sept 13
Red Pin in Bricktown
AIDS WALK OKC
Sunday, Sept 20
Myriad Botanical Gardens
HEALTH INITIATIVE
3 pm, Saturday, Oct 10
South River Trail Walk
Park at Agnew lot on south side
of river. Gentle walk suitable for
all levels.
SUPPER CLUB
5:30 pm, Saturday, Oct 10
Bleu Garten, 301 NW 10th St
HERLAND RETREAT
Nov. 6-8 Lake Eufaula State Park
HEALTH INITIATIVE
3 pm, Saturday, Nov 14
Topic: Eating Disorders
SAVE THE DATE—October
23, 2015
Freedom Oklahoma's Platinum Gala is just around the
corner. It will be an amazing
evening of celebration and
revelry at the historic Skirvin
Hotel, in downtown Oklahoma City. Sponsorships are
open now, and tickets will go
on sale soon, so mark your
calendars! Follow them on
Facebook to get updates.
Beyond Bars
(Continued from page 1)
Daughters in the program are given support to believe in themselves and take charge of
their own lives, regardless of circumstances. The girls learn leadership skills and get help
developing healthy behaviors. For more information, see www.gseok.org.
ReMerge
One program that works to divert women from incarceration is ReMerge of Oklahoma
County. This program is an alternative to prison for pregnant women and mothers facing
incarceration for nonviolent offenses.
Women in the program receive treatment for trauma and addiction, housing, transportation, parenting support, and job training. The program serves 50 women at any given
time and candidates are recommended by OK County D.A.’s office, public defender’s office, or county judges.
For more information on the ReMerge program, see remergeok.org.
Incarceration Rate of Women
# of women incarcerated per 100,000
Mothers and daughters meet once a month and interact through planned Girl Scout
meetings that provide opportunities to strengthen their relationships. Beyond Bars works
with the mothers to help them learn life skills and how to be a more nurturing parent.
130
67
United
States
Oklahoma
Research Studies
A team of LGBTQ researchers from Smith College are studying
families who used known donors to conceive. They are looking for
lesbian, bisexual, and queer mothers, single or partnered, who have
conceived children using a known donor to participate in this study.
They are interested in your choices, negotiations, struggles, relationships, and joys. Popular narratives surrounding known donor
families aren’t always accurate, and they are interested in hearing
your story and painting a real picture of known donor families.
The research team wants to interview any and all moms, mamas,
babas, partners, donors, co-parents, abuelas, dads, grandpas, and
extended family members of children conceived through the use of
a known donor (not all at the same time!). Only one participant is
needed, but they’re eager to hear multiple perspectives whenever
possible. They are especially interested in talking with families of
color and families with older children.
Interviews will last approximately two hours and can take place either in person or via phone or Skype/FaceTime. Your participation
and the content of your interview will remain confidential and they
will never release any identifying information about you or any of
your family members.
Participants will be entered into a random drawing to win a $100
Amazon gift card. To sign up, please enter your contact information here: http://www.knowndonorproject.com/want-to-getinvolved-.html. If you have any questions or concerns, please email
knowndonorproject@smith.edu.
Job Training for Indian Elders
If you are at least 55 years old (there is no upper age limit), unemployed, and a member of a low-income family, the National Indian
Council on Aging (NICOA) offers federally assisted job training
through a Dept of Labor program called the Senior Community
Service Employment Program (SCSEP).
Participants work part-time for non-profits but are paid by the
NICOA SCSEP program. The type of work varies depending on
the skill level of the individual and the needs of the organization.
Some examples include teacher aides, literacy aides, clerical assistants, library aides, day care assistants, maintenance assistants.
The goal is to develop skills of the elders so that they can transition
into non-subsidized paid employment after completion of the program.
Although NICOA has a special purpose in working with American
Indian elders, it is not required that applicants be Native American
to participate in SCSEP. For more information visit nicoa.org.
A research team from Oklahoma State University is working to advocate for and learn more about things that contribute to the
health and well-being of Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender and/
or Queer (LGBTQ) adults aged 50 or over. This study is has two
specific purposes: 1) to learn more about whether the measures in
this study, which have been used with younger adults who identify
as LGBTQ, are also valid for individuals aged 50 or older; and 2) to
look at the relationship between these measures and a measure of
health and well-being.
If you identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender and/or
Queer and are age 50 or over, you are invited to participate in a
study about factors related to the health and well-being of LGBTQ
adults aged 50 and older in Oklahoma. .
If you are interested in learning more about this study, please go to
the following link, http://tinyurl.com/qdt4s8l. On the web link, you
are provided more information about the study, and directed to
where you can give your consent and complete the survey
measures. Alternately, you may email or call Dr. Sue C. Jacobs
(sue.c.jacobs@okstate.edu; 405-744-9895) for more information
about the study and/or to have one of the researchers assist you in
answering the research questions by entering them into a computer.
Any answers or personal information you provide will be anonymous as you will not provide your name. If you have questions
about your rights as a research volunteer, you may contact the IRB
Office at 223 Scott Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078, 405-744-3377 or
irb@okstate.edu
Yes All Daughters
By Cindy L.
bullying issue did not adequately address sexual assault and the
response to victims. Instead of requiring that it be mandatory for
the committees to make recommendations to the principals, it
On November 5, 2014, Stacey Wright’s niece came to her and
states
that the comconfided that a girl she knew at Norman High School (NHS) had
mittees
“may” make
been sexually assaulted by a football player that September. She
said that the girl and two other alleged victims had also been con- these recommendations. This is only a
tinually bullied by the assailant’s friend since the incident and the
partial victory.
school officials did not respond appropriately.
With only two weeks of planning and execution, Wright’s knitting
circle joined together with some NHS students, calling the group
YES ALL DAUGHTERS, and organized a peaceful demonstration on
November 24th in front of the school. The campaign went viral,
overtaking social media platforms. Over 1,000 students, teachers,
parents, and supporters gathered on the sidewalk outside the
school to protest the mistreatment of the victims and lack of action
by the school administration.
Out of this campaign, YES ALL DAUGHTERS was born as an advocacy group standing with, and for, victims of sexual assault, rape,
and bullying. As a result of the protest, Norman High School established a Sexual Assault Task Force and the position of student
advocacy coordinator to help prevent sexual assault and respond
appropriately when a sexual assault occurs. The student rapist was
arrested in December and pled no contest to
one rape charge. He will serve about 15
months in prison of the 10-year sentence.
#YESALL
DAUGHTERS
Yes All Daughters is
currently working on
federal legislation
called the “Teach Safe
Relationships Act”
which promotes education on safe relationships and addresses how incidences of sexual assault are reported and tracked.
Yes All Daughters has now become internationally known and is
exploring how to proceed in the future, possibly as a non-profit
advocacy group. They were honored by the Oklahoma Universal
Human Rights Alliance with its 2014 Human Right Award.
Claudia Griffith, Democratic Representative
for District 45, contacted Wright and the
group about legislation to address prevention of sexual assault and the response to
victims of sexual assault in schools. Although
the legislation was proposed in February
2015 it was not put on the agenda to be
heard in committee.
Wright’s group then used the website
change.org to create a petition which resulted in this legislation being passed by the
House overwhelmingly 95 to 1. The legislation was then added to HB 1684, also known
as Erin’s Law, which was passed and requires
schools to establish a sexual abuse prevention program. However, because of the
wording of this part of the law the Safe
School Committees designed to address the
Poetry Submissions for Voice
We want your words/poems/stories for our next edition of the Herland Voice! Any style, including
contemporary or experimental are welcome. Please send submissions and any questions to:
herland@herlandsisters.org. Deadline is October 26, 2015.
Herland
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Oklahoma City, OK
Permit No. 861
Sister Resources
2312 NW 39th St Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Return Service Requested
Sandy Ingraham, J.D., M.S.W.
Attorney-at-Law
Ingraham & Associates, PLLC
Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts, Probate, Adoption, Contracts
333629 E Kickapoo Valley Rd
McLoud, OK 74851
Ofc (405) 964-2072
SandyJoIngraham@gmail.com
Part of Herland Voice : v.33: no.3(2015)