HerlandVoice-1984-11_ocr.pdf
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h rland newsletter
November 1984
a publication of Herland Sister Resources , 1630 N.W. 19th OKC, OK 73106
HERLAND NEWS
MESSAGE FROM NOVEMBER'S GUEST EDITOR
Herland News is front page this month
Sisters and Friends . She is expanding .
Community support is building and so are
we . The Bookstore has becom~ Herland Sister
Resources , a primary center supporting
Women in times of creativity and stress .
Now, not only do the Women and Men of OKC
and its surrounding communities have a
Woman centered source of information, they
also h~ve a counselor (Cassia Mealor) and
a new collective of women dedicated to
opening the flower of WomanVision before
the eyes of OKC .Such events as poetry
readings, films, workshps, and women ' s
music concerts will continue. Plus, we hope
to
have a Herland calendar ready for
you by Christmas time, designed and
photographed by Jana Birchum, a nationally
known photographer .
This month's Herland Newsletter has been organized around two themes: Domestic Violence
and Native American Women's Resources. These
two themes may seem unrelated, and in most
ways they are, but there is a connection.
In this, and so many other ways, we now
dedicate the new Sister Resources by listening to the words of her founder , Barbara
Cleveland , as she hands Herland to the
collective and an ever growing community
of supporters and friends:
Dear Sisters and Friends of Herland,
For two and a half years I've worked toward a dream : making a bookstore
a center for the women's community .
Its been an interesting time, full of excitements and disappointments . But through
it all, we've continually moved forward .
As you may know, October was the month for
Domestic Violence Awareness, and we have seen
a long series of conferences, rallies, marches
and television programs geared to educating
the public. During one such conference, Searching For Solutions, coordinated by our own
Elaine Barton, I was womanning Herland's booth,
and overheard two Native American women talking .
They mentioned the general I ack of l i tera tu re
on Native American Women's lives. This statement oiled the gears in my mind and I immediately began to wonder just what was available.
Hhat I found ·:-i s here-by shared with you this
month . And td finish making the connection
between DV and Native American Resources, just
read this q~qte from Agnes Whistling Elk ,
whose wisdom points the way to an understanding
of a bas fc imbalance in our culture and our
minds wh~ch lies at the root of violence:
"It is law that all things must be born in
woman , even things invented by men . All the
stars were born from the void , and the void
is woman . Creation invented the male to
balance that . Agnes said that men have taken
the void and said it was theirs , and that
as a result our Mother Earth is now in a
state of great imbalance . 11
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN PROTESTED
Herland will continually move forward, but
not under my ownership. She will be taken
over in January by a Feminist collective .
I do not foresee any changes, except for
the better. Please continue to support
their efforts . Oh, and thanks for a very
enlightening past two and a half years .
Barbara Cleveland
"Women don't have to be victims, we're not powerless . ~Je 1 re angry about rape and we 1 re doing
something about it. '1
What OU student Mary Long and approximately 40
other women and men did about rape Thursday
night (Nov . 8) was "Take Back the Night,'' a
march and rally .
Long has been taking part in "Take Back the
Night" since 1981. This year, she was one of
the leaders of the event, which was put on
by OU ' s Women's Studies Student Association
in Norman .
The women walked together through Campus
Corner to protest not being able to safely
walk alone at night .
"(We're) here to make a problem that is
hidden vi sua 1," Long said . ''Women are so
used to being afraid that they don ' t even
think about it .
"They're not safe on the streets , so they
stay off them . It really promotes ... a feel ing of powerlessness . "
"I don ' t know if you can directly correlate
this (the march) to ... rape going down , " ·
Long said, but the positive , long- term
effect of this is that people see women in
an empowered role, they don't see women as
victims and as passive . 11
11
Men and women gathered in the parking lot
between Pontan~lli ' s and Harolds o~ (OU ' s)
Camp~s Corner around 9p .m.
Leeann Ma~row,
an OU employee who participated in the
rally for the first time came on the
spur of the moment, after talking with
her roomate about a woman who lived down
the block from them that was raped last
week .
The women and men listened to speakers ,
singers and poetry readers , all protesting
vlolence against ~omen .
·
The crowds cheers for the speakers brought
men and w.omen out of the bars on Campus
Corner to see what was going on . Then ·
the protesters began marching , waving antirape banners and ~inging .
·
Not all spectators were sympathetic to the
marchers . Two midc;lle-'aged men in business
suits standing in a dirk alley leading out
of two Campus Corner strip joints stood
with their hands in their pockets and
watched the line of wemen yelling slogans
go by .
"Maybe we should join them" one said . 11 Man,
1 1 11 give the bitches something to yell
about : " bi.s friend answered . '·
(~y Ellen Knickmeyer tn The Oklahoma Daily ,
Nov . g, 1984 , p. l l.
1
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FLORIDA VICTORY AGAINST MARITAL RAPE
MIAMI, FL - - This September 17, William Rider
became the first man i n American history to be
sentenced to prison for raping his wife while
they were still living together . Rider, who
was found guilty on two counts of rape and one
count of kidnapping, was sentenced to fourteen
years in jail .
According to figures cited by Robin Kovat in
the Guardian, feminists stil I have a long way
to go before legal protection against rape is
extended to all married women . At least 37
states sti 11 have a •imari ta 1 rape exemption"
based on the assumption that a woman who marries grants her husband the right to unlimited
sexual access , even by rape . What is more , a
woman need not take out a marriage license to
legally grant a man the right to rape her: in
twelve states it is enough that she live with
him . Joanne Schulman, an attorney for the
National Center for Women and Family Law,
told the Guardian that five states "have even
provided partial exemption to 'voluntary social
companions,' thereby to an extent legalizing
' date rape . ' The effect of the exemption is
that if a woman lives with a man or agrees to
have intercourse once, or in some states if she
goes out on a date, she has lost the protection
of the crimi n,a 1 1aws."
As the Ride\ case demonstrates, however, progress is being made . Beginning with Oregon in
1978, ei~ht states have moved to absolutely
deny menf the legal right to rape their wives .
Ten mor ~ offer married women limited protection
against legalized rape . District attorneys are
still unwilling to prosecute any but the most
extreme cases, The National Clearinghouse on
Marital Rape reported to the Guardian , but there
have been 147 arrests for marital rape since
1982, and the conviction rate so far has been
extremely high .
info . from upi, the Guardian as printed in
Off Our Backs , Nov . 1984 , p. 7.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
i am the fire of time.
the endless pillar
that has withstood death.
the support of an invincible nation .
i am the stars that have guided
lost men .
i am the mother of ten thousand
dying children.
i am the fire of time .
i am an indian woman!
Niki Paulzine in I Am The Fire
of Time: Voices of Native American women .
RESOURCES FOR NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN
Produced by the U.S. Department of Education .
177 pages .
All of these can be found in the
Women's Studies Library , Room 530
Physical Sciences Center , 601 Elm,
Norman, OK; or ordered via Herland
Sister Resources in OKC :
OHOYO IKHANA : A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF AMERICAN
INDIAN-ALASKA NATIVE CURRICULUM MATERIALS
by the Ohoyo Resource Center, 1982 and the
U.S. Department of Education . 261 pages .
THE TEN GRANDMOTHERS by Alice Marriott
A monument of folklore, a fascinating
collection of modern Indian stories, an
impressive contribution ... Seldom have
I come upon anythings so interesting ...
Cleveland Plain Dealer . 306 pag~s,
calendars, map, Paperback , $9.95.
University of Oklahoma Press .
11
MANY TENDER TIES: WOMEN IN FUR-TRADE
SOCIETY, 1670-1870 . by Sylvia Van
Kirk . 11 The essential and hitherto neg1ected role of women in fur trade society of the Canadian west is the sub.:.
ject of this masterful treatment . .. ·
An important contribution to Indian,
fur trade, women's and Canadian studies . 11
314 pages, 48 illus ., map , paper, $9 : 95 .
University of Oklahoma Press .
SARAH WINNEMUCCA OF THE NORTHERN PIAUTES
by Gae Whitney Canfield . "A compelling
story of a remarkable woman ... This is
the first full-scale biography of ~n
activist at home in two cultur es 11 •
Publishers Weekly . 336 pages, 36 illus.
&19 . 95 . University of Oklahoma Press .
I AM THE FIRE OF TIME : THE VOICES OF
NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN, edited by Jane
B. Katz . Dutton , 6. 95 , c. 1977 .
ISBN: 0-525 -47475- 7. . . . 11 the first
collection of Native American women 1 s
voices . I Am the Fire of Time contains
90 examples of songs , poetry, prose ,
prayer, narrati ve , and oral history .11 .
from the book jacket .
NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN :A BIBLIOGRAPHY
compiled by Rayna Green , Editedby
Ohoyo Resou rce Center Staff , Owanah
Anderson, Director. Produced by the
U.S. Department of Education , c .
1981 . 107 pages . INVALUABLE .
WORDS OF TODAY 1 S AMERICAN INDIAN WOMEN :
A FIRST COLLECTION OF ORATORY BY AMERICAN
INDIAN/ALASKA NATIVE WOMEN . Addresses from
the 1981 Ohoyo Resource Center Conference
on Educational Equity Awareness in Tahle quah Oklahoma ; and other selected speeches .
Compiled by Ohoyo Resource Center Staff .
OHOYO ONE THOUSAND : A RESOURCE GUIDE OF
AMERICAN INDIAN ALASKA NATIVE WOMEN, 1982
by U.S. Department of Education and Ohoyo
Resource Center . 290 pages .
INDIAN WOMEN CHIEFS, by Carolyn Thomas Foreman
Un iversity of Okl ahoma Press, 1954 . 86 pages .
Biographies of some of the great Indian women
leaders .
THIS BRIDGE CALLED MY BACK : WRITINGS BY RADICAL
WOMEN OF COLOR , Editors : Cherrie Moraga and
Gloria Anzaluda , Foreward: Toni Cade Bambara .
Persephone Press, c . 1981. This collection,
containing prose, poetry, personal narrative
and analysis intends to reflect and uncompromi sed definition of feminism by women of
color : Afro-American, Asian American, Latina,
and Native American, in the United States.
. from the jacket back .
SOME PERIODICALS FREQUENTLY GIVING SPACE TO
NATIVE AMERI(AN WOMEN WRITERS/THINKERS :
13th MOON ..
CONDITIONS .
CALYX, e~specially the Spring 1984 issue
which f ~atures the work of Native American
and Lat fn a Women .
SIGNS .
TRIVIA
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
EVENT OF INTEREST TO ALL
HOMECOMING DANCE 2: 00p .m. November 17, 1984
Norman , Oklahoma (Arts & Crafts Booths available) . This is the annual benefit for the
American Indian Student Association at the
University of Oklahoma . It will take place at
the Lloyd Noble Center, Highway 9 at Jenkins
exit . Head Man Dancer : Tim Ramsey , Cheyenne;
Head Woman Dancer: Bunty Anquoe,Kiowa; Head
Singer : Joe Fish Dupointe,Kiowa ; Emcee:Hammond
Motah, Comahche ;Arena Director :James Powell .
OPEN DRUM - ALL SINGERS WELCOME . Gourd Dance ,
2: 00 p.m, All Gourd Dancers Welcome . Supper
ser ved, 5: 30 p.m. Gr and Entry : 7:00p .m.
War Dance - Socia l Dancing - Two-step . For more
information Contact : Stephanie Wickliffe,AISA
President : 325-4965 ; Kyle Taylor, Indian Cultural Center : 325- 2951 or Glenn Solomon,
Sponsor , 325-3163 .
Teresa Long - Guest Editor
Herland Sister Resources - Publisher
EXPRESSION OF SURVIVAL
CONFERENCE - PROMOTING ALTERNATIVES :
Michele Gorcey and Peggy Sanders of Tuc son , Arizona are looking for writings ,
stories, journal entries , poetry , or
drawings related to personal experiences
of sexual assault, molest , incest , rape,
or any other type of sexual abuse for what
is called The Book Project .
Promoting Alternatives : Grassroots Media &
Social Change wi ll be held at State U. of
New Yo r k it Albany on Jan . 18- 20 . There ' ll
be separate workshops on the use of media in
spec i f i c movements , using film for outreach
and more on film . The conference wil I be
limited to 200 with aid for low- income individuals and organizations . Call (212) 6L00877 for details . . . WEEKEND WORKSHOP FOR WOMEN
SURVIVORS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE and a day-long
TRAINING SEMINAR FOR PEOPLE WORKING WITH
SURVIVORS will be held in Washington , D.C. with
El len Bass , editor of I NEVER TOLD ANYONE
leading. The dates are Dec . 1 & 2 for the first
workshop and Nov . 30th for the second . Call
(202) 328- 0897 for information or writ~
Survivors, P. O. Box 43243, Washington , D.C.
20010 .
Gorcey and Sanders are wanting the wor ks
to publish in Rebirth of Power : Overcoming the Effects of Sexual Abuse Through
the Experience of Others . The book will
examine the powerful consequences of
sexual abuse and the ways many have overcome its effects .
It is well known that habitual si l ence
perpetuates the myths and obscures the
realities of these issues . Go rcey and
Sanders are attempting to break this si lence by collecting ~ny mater i al describing the experience of sexual abuse ,
the aftermath of that experience , and the
process of healing and r ecovery .
All information- will be kept confidential .
When your material is received by Gorcey
and Sanders , you will be contacted to
acknowledge receipt of the work . Don't
forget to include your name and an ad dress &/or phone so you can be reached .
The deadline fo r send i ng work is through
Janua ryy 1985 . _
Send submissions to :
THE BOOK PROJECT
c/o Michele Gorcey and Peggy Sander s
P. O. Box 43055
Tucson , AZ 85733
If you have any questions , call Roni at
(60~) 624- 7273 between 9 a .m. and 5 p.m.
(from W
.omen ' s Resource Newsletter , Nov .
1984) .
WERE YOU SEXUALLY HARASSED IN HIGH
SCHOOL OR COLLEGE?
feminist researcher working to prevent sex ual harassment in -education wants to hear
you r story . Send it (o r a request for fur ther information) to: P. O. Box 7703, Ann
Ar bor, MI 48107 . Retu r n address or phone
helpful for additional research contact .
Al l information kept strictly confidential .
11
11
SEMINAR
Child Sexual Abuse: Victims & Offenders
Investigation & Assessment - Thursday, Jan .
24, 1985 . Management &Treatment - Friday ,
Jan , .1985. These workshops are by A. Nicholas
Groth, Ph . D. and Suzanne M. Sgroi, M. D. and
examine the sexual abuse of children in regard
to the dynam i cs of the offender and the impact
on the victim from a clinical perspective and
will address issues of identification , in vestigation~ validation , intervention , dispositio~~ ~nd treatment .
(
The Semi~ar is in Austin, Texas at the John
Winters ;Human Services Center, First F"loor
Ballroom , Corner of 5lst and Lamar .
For more information, or to register, write
Sue James, Forensic Mental Health Associates,
442 Everest , Cedar Hi 11, Texas 75104 .
WORKSHOP
Psychotherapy With Adult Victims of Incest
This is a one day workshop for professionals
interested in the diagnosis and treatment of
the persisting negative effects of incest in
the personality, experience and behavior of
adult women . It is sponsored by Clinical
Psychology Consultants, Inc., 3017 Browne Stone
Road, OKC , OK 73120 .
For further information , contact : Jane Temerlin,
405-751-2772 .
BOOK
SKILLS FOR VIOLENCE-FREE RELATIONSHIPS,
written by Barrie Levy for The Southern
California Coalition on Battered Women
in conjunction with The Junior League
of Los Angeles . This books is an approach to domestic violence prevention
education for junior & Senior high aged
youth. It is designed for teachers
and other educators, shelter workers,
and youth advocates . These educational
materials provide background information
and activities that will stimulate
teenagers to confront pervasive mis information about battering in intimate
relationships. The materials offer techniques for engaging youth in thoughtprovoking discussions of ways to cope,
communicate and resolve conflicts in
relationships so that violence is un1 ikely. This curriculum explains what is
known about the problem of battered women
and why this abuse occurs, and teaches
skills we can all develop to make it less
l i kely that any of us will be abused or
abuse womeone we love . This book is.highly recommended and can be ordered
through the bookstore .
OKLAHOMA COALITION ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
AND SEXUAL ASSAULT - ACTIVE MEMBERS
STATEWIDE
CHICKASHA
WOMEN 1 S SERVICE CENTER OF CHICKASHA
P.O. Box 1539
Chickasha, OK 73018
Crisis Line: 405-222-1818
ADA
ADA SERVICES FOR BATTERED WOMEN
P. O. Box 2274
Ada, OK 74820
Crisis/Business : 405-436-3504
ALTUS
ACMI HOUSE
P.O . Box 397
Altus, OK 73521
Crisis : 405 ~ 482-3800
BARTLESVILLE
WOMEN & CHILDREN IN CRISIS
P.O. Box 2016
Bartlesville, OK 74005
Business : 918-336-1188
CLINTON
A.C.T. I .O. N. ASSOCIATES, INC .
P.O . Box 1534
800 Avant
Clinton , OK 73601
Crisis : 405- 323-2604
ENID
OPTION HOUSE
525 South Quincy
Enid, OK 73701
Shelter : 405-234-7644
LAWTON
NEW DIRECTIONS
P.O. Box 1684
Lawton, OK 73501
Shelter: 405-353-2647
MIAMI
COMMUNITY CRISIS CENTER, INC.
Seven S. Main
Miami, OK 74354
Crisis: 918-542-1001
NORMAN
NORMAN SHELTER FOR BATTERED WOMEN
P.O .Box 5089
Norman, OK 73070
Crisis: 405-360-0590
Shelter: 405; 360-0306
OKLAHOMA CITY
YWCA CRISIS INTERVENTION SERVICES
129. N.~. Fifth Street
OKC, UK fl 3i0L
Shelter ?. 405-528-5558
Crisis: 1 405-528-5508
Rape: 405-524-7L73
STILLWATER
STILLWATER DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SER.,INC.
P.O. Box 1059
Stillwater, OK 74074
Crisis : 405- 624-3020 or 405-624-3028
TAHLEQUAH/MUSKOGEE
HELP-IN-CRISIS, INC.
P.O. Box 1975
Tahlequah, OK 74464
Crisis: 918-456-4357
TULSA
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INTERVENTION SERVICES
1331 E. 15th Street
Tulsa, OK 74119
Crisis: 918-585-3143
Shelter: 918-584-0096
TULSA
CALL RAPE, INC .
P.O. Box 47007
Cr i sis : 918-744-7273
WOODWARD
WOODWARD DOMESTIC CRISIS SERVICES,INC .
124 Colorado
Woodward, OK 73801
Crisis : 405-256-8712
WOMEN :LEARNING TO LEAD
Women: Learning to Lead , a semina r for office
professiona l s, technical professionals,supervi sors and managers, will be presented Dec .
14 by Pam Shockley , Ph .D. , and Constance
Staley , Ph .D. at the University of Oklahoma .
The seminar wi 11 be an opportunity to exp ·1ore,
to exchange, to learn about what has trad itionally been labeled male territory . The
workshop will be from 9 a .m. to 4:30 p.m at
the Oklahoma Center for Continuing Education,
Forum Building, Conference Room A, the Uni versity of Oklahoma, Norman .
11
11
THE GUEST EDITOR SPEAKS AGAIN
It is not in a spirit of gloom, but of
hope that the information in November's
Newsletter has been selected . It is only
by knowing, by understanding, by analyzing
that we can effect a change in whatever
situation we find ourselves .
As women today , we find ourselves in a
world in which our bodies are targeted for
violence by public sanctions such as laws ,
movies , magazines, (see Hustler, etc . )
religion , custom, tradition . If we are to
transform this mountain of purient refuse
into daisies someday, we must open our
minds to these terrible truths, step out
into the light and plant the seeds of our
openness to understand, and believe like
hell that future generations will see the
flowers of these, our healing actions .
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
FREEHAND :
GRAPHERS
FOR WOMEN WRITERS AND PHOTO-
Study in an environment of disciplined and
unrestrained lust for ar t and f r eedom .
Poetry, prose , feminist and political
theory , photography , bookmaking, bodywork , meditation and performance .
Resident faculty : Broumas , Miller , Roth ,
Speicher, Vold; Visiting Artists . P. O.
Box 806- 0, Provincetown, MA 02657,
( 617)487 - 3579 .
WOMEN ' S SCHOLARSHIPS
Women who want to enter or reenter the
labor market or upgrade their skills are
eligible for 42 $1,500 fellowships to
pay for training costs . Preference is given
to women over 30 years of age who ar~ heads
of households or who have dependents and
are completing undergraduate programs or
entering vocational or technical tra i ning .
Fellowships are offered by the Soropt imist
Inter national of the Ame r icas . For mo r e in formation ca l l 325- 5869 . Deadli ne fo r applications is Dec . 15, 1984 .
Some of the topics of the seminar will be re defining leadership, profiling leadership ,
envisioning change , influencing others and
deve.loping a leadership style that works .
The fee for the seminar is $125 and includes
course fee and materials, refreshment breaks
and lunch .
For information on enrolling in the seminar ,
contact Mickie Yeager at 405-325-1931.
WOMEN 1 S WEDNESDAY NIGHT
. . . a time out from work . .. from family .. . from
the usual routine ... FOCUS : Self Esteem . . .
is not a therapy group ... is atime and place
for women t6 talk about a common conern ...
SPEAKING:<FQR OURSELVES .. . SELF ESTEEM .. .
Time : 5:§3.0 - 6: 30 Wednesday nights ... Place :
5500 N. Mestern, suite 102, OKC .. . Fee : $20 .00
per mon i h... call : Pat Walke at 848-0050 .. .
suggested reading: Women &Self esteem by
Linda Tschirhart Sanford and Mary Ellen Donovan.
Group begins January 9, 1985 and ends March
27' 1985 .
WOMEN'S RESOURCE CENTER 10th ANNIVERSARY PLANS
The Women ' s Resource Center will be celebrating
10 years of service to the Norman community beginning Jan . 1985 . Because WRC is one of the
oldest diversified women ' s centers operating
continuously in the United Staes , the celebration will be an important one .
WRC has planned a wide range of events to cele brate the special anniversay . The theme for the
year long celebration will be Women Celebrate ..
Events planned include a women's art show,
women ' s theatre production,women's concert,seminars and lectures focusing on women in politics
in education , women ' s contribution to medicine
and others . WRC is hoping to work with other
women ' s organizations in collaborative effort
11
••
11
•
so that the special events will truly express the spirit of all women.
Chair for the 10th Anniversary celebration
is Joan O'Brien, former Vice-president
of the Board of Directors of the WRC .
WRC is inviting persons wishing to
work on the 10th Anniversary Celebration
to call the WRC at 364- 9424 .
OTHER NEWS
Supreme Court Weigh~ Teacher's Right To
Speak About Gays
WASHINGTON, DC - - Oklahoma teachers, who
have been banned from 11 advocating . . encouraging or promoting public Dr private
homosexual activity '' if their actions
could "come to the attention of school
children or school emp .loyees, must now
turn to the Supreme Court to discover the
limits of their freedom of speech .
replace her court-appointed lawyer with
lawyer Marjorie Cohen, a woman with a great
deal of experience in this type of case . She
win argue that the murder was 11 a justifiable
response to a life-threatening situation,"
according to Abbe Weinstein, chairperson of the
KNDC Fundraising Committee . If Norman is convicted on the present charge, she will face a
life sentence in jail. The trial date is set
for December 10.
The real crime of the case is not this woman's
act of self-defense but, in the words of Abbe
Weinstein, the fact that "she's being prosecuted and so many rapists aren't. 11
The Defense Committee is still in desperate
need of financial contributions . If you would
like to donate, organize fund-raising, or
offer an organizational endorseme~t, please
write to : Karen Norman Defense Committee,
P.O. Box 3312, Highland Park, MI . 48203.
info from Washington Post as printed in
During its first day in session for
Off Our Backs, November 1984, p. 8. · by kr .
1984, the Supreme Court agreed to hear
Board of Education v. The National Gay
. PREGNANCY NO DISHONOR
Task Force, its first gay rights case in
years, and one of a number of First Amend SPRINGFIELD, IL -- Two and a half years ago,
ment cases . The Oklahoma City Board of
after Brown County High School officials disEducation claims that teachers ' right to
covered that / one of their senior students was
freedom of speech is ''not absolute and may
pregnant, they expelled her from the National
be subjected to certain restr ictions . 11 Such Honor Society . She got her diploma, had her
restrictions are aimed, it says, at al baby, and \f.ient to court. I worked ten, el even
lowing a school system to eliminate teach years to; get where I was . . . ! worked hard.They
ers who are "unfi L" The Board of Education let me have membership in the National Honor
lost its last round, in Oklahoma ' s 10th
Society J. and they took it away from me . I just
Circuit Court of Appeals . How it will
didn ' t think it was right for the reason they
fare in the fncreasingly conservative
did it . 11
Supreme Court remains to be seen .
by tal in OFF OUR BACKS , Nov . 1984 , p 6;
Her judge agreed . U. S. District Court Judge J .
info from th~ Washington Post .
Waldo Ackermann recently ruled that Brown
County graduate Loretta Wort must be reinstated
ARE WOMEN ALLOWED SELF- DEFENSE?
in the National Honor Society . Rejecting the
school district's attempt to prove that reA woman's right to self-defense is once
~oving Wort had contributed to her fellow
again being challenged as Karen Norman
students' "moral development, 11 A\ckermann found
stands trial for the murder of her rapist .
that Wort ' s expulsion had violated federal
Raped in her own house , her two children
laws prohibiting discrimination against pregasleep in the next room, Norma stabbed the
nant women and constitutional guarantees of
attacker,who had several times threatened
equal prote~tion .
to kill her. After reporting the incident
to the police, Norman was arrested,charg,...
info from upi, as printed in Off Our Backs,
ed with first degree murder, and jailed
November 1984, p. 8, by ruth trevarrow .
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
for a month before bail could be raised .
STOCK REDUCTION SALE. EVERYTHING MUST GO .
Though she has no funds of her own,Norman
GOOD BARGAINS FOR SOLSTICE AND CHRISTMAS.
has recently been able, through donations
HERLAND IS PHASING OUT HER CURRENT STOCK SO AS
to the Karen Norman Defense Committee,to
TO FACILITATE THE CHANGE TO COLLECTIVE MANAGEMENT . ~ANY ITEMS REDUCED 15 to 30%. SALE BEGINS
NOV . 24 AND CONTINUES THROUGH DEC . 30 . HURRY!!!
11
WOMEN FOR GUATEMALA
This will be a monthly report on the learning~ of a new group here in Oklahoma. That
new group is Women For Guatemala.The group
is a chapter of National Women For Guatemala and exists to educate the people of the
United States about the lives of the women
of this small Central American country.
Here in Oklahoma Sister Leona Luecke of the
Benedictine Peace House in OKC is our coordinator.
At the last meeting we learned of several
newsletters pertaining to Guatemala and its
women. One of the most interesting and informative is Ch' Abuj Ri Ixoc,or, The Voice
of the Women. This newsletter is printed and
distributed by the Washington D.C . Chapter
of Women for Guatemala, but contains first
hand reports from, not only observers, but
from Guatemalan women themselves. Here is
an example of such a personal account, found
in Ch' Abuj Ri Ixoc, No.2, 1984 , p.8:
Elections Day: Emelina's Testimony
I am an Indian woman from the Cakchiquel region. I had to leave my hometown in order to
earn some money and go to school, the two
things I had wanted to do since I was little.
The authorities obliged me to vote because
otherwise I could have had many problems and
also, it is very dangerous not to do so.
I was supposed to go to the polls located at
Parque de la Industria, where most young
people between eighteen and thirty-five years
of age vote. For me, that was the first time
I had voted. Those were the elections in 1982.
At the park, all around it and at the entrance
of every room, there were many soldiers.They
seemed nervous and uneasy. That caused confusion in the people that were lined up . I
felt it, too .
Doors opened at eight o'clock, a.m. People
began to go in. All of a sudden we heard
some gunshots.We ran putside screaming.
Th e so ldier s sa id they had shot in order to
maintain order.We finally went back in
where we were supposed to vote. We again
formed a line and once again heard shots.
We looked around and saw a wounded man falling. We all wanted to leave but nobody did
because that would have meant losing our jobs.
So we went back, formed the line, voted and
left as quickly as poss ible . At home we
thanked God every time any one of us came
back alive.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The testimonies in Ch ' Abuj Ri Ixoc come from
many women's lives and experiences. This one
is only an example, but one , that at this
election time, caught my eye.These women
live in an atmosphere of open, unashamed violence. Freedom , there, lives in defeat before
.the gun. Yet their system is defined and supported by ours as Democracy. Our government
aids their government, our businesses use
their resources, employ their people, profit
from their presence in this tiny country.
Their lives and ours are intertwined in such
ways that can we afford not to look deeply
into their fates for ours?
Thi s question and others can be thought abo ut
and discussed with Women For Guatemala at
their weekly meetings. These occur on Monday's
at 3:00 p.m. at 2920 N. Robinson. (The Benedictine Peace Hou se ) For more information on
this new group, call Sister Leona at 5L4-5577.
And for more information on Ch' Abuj Ri I xoc,
write Women ~ or Guatemala, P.O. Box 534Ll,
Washington, b.C. 20009.
' ;
DECISION. IN OREGON CASE OF NEARING V. WEAVER
WILL IN¢REASE SAFETY AND SECURE RIGHTS OF
BATTEREID WOMEN
A decision of interest to the legal services
community was handed down on Oct. 4 , 19 83 in
the Oregon case of Nearing v. Weaver. This
decision by the Oregon Supreme Court holds
that pol ice officers who knowingly fail to
enforce court orders by failing to arrest and
take tnto custody perpetrators of dome st i c
violence are potentially liabl e for the resulting psychic an d physical harm to the intended beneficiaries of the order.
The widespread refusal or failure of offi cers
to arrest persons who commit acts of dome s tic
violence led to a tightening of the law covering these matters culminating in the Abuse
Prevention Act passed by the Oregon legislature
in 1977. (Okl ahoma needs such a law) Thi s act
strengthened the legal protections of battered
women by a mandatory provision for the warrantle ss arrest upon probable cause of persons be1 ieved to have violated a restraining order.
(from Th e Women's Advocate, Vol.V, No.l, Jan .
1984 , p. 3.
Part of Herland Newsletter : Nov. 1984