CWLU Herstory Blog

In September of 2004 I lost a dear friend when Ruth Surgal died suddenly after attending a feminist conference. Ruth had been a leader of the Abortion Counseling Service of Women's Liberation, better known as Jane. You can read more about Jane on this website.

I was asked to speak at Ruth's funeral service, so today I'll share with you what I said on that sad day.

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I’m Estelle Carol from the CWLU Herstory Project. We are a network of people who are documenting the history of the women’s liberation movement in Chicago, the movement that Ruth Surgal worked so hard to advance. Ruth and I were both members of the Chicago Women’s Liberation Union in the 1970’s. This was a city-wide organization made up of many diverse projects and groups.

We didn’t know each other in those days. In a way, that it is a testament to the size and strength of the women’s liberation movement of that time. There were just too many of us to know one another personally.

Ruth was one of the leaders of the Abortion Counseling Service of Women’s Liberation, better known as “Jane”. At a time before Roe vrs. Wade, when abortion was illegal, Jane performed over 11,000 abortions. Jane became legendary on the streets of Chicago for the quality of it’s care and the dedication of its members.

Do have some cool NOW stories to tell?

Would you like to sweep up the shards from that glass ceiling you broke and tell the world how you did it? How about that time you went to the big feminist demonstration and you were sure that the next day the walls of discrimination would come tumbling down? OK, maybe they just crumbled a little, but it sure felt good didn't it? What was your "Aha!" moment when you realized that being female was more than just sugar and spice and everything nice? How about the box of old leaflets and NOW chapter notes that you just can't throw away, but is starting to smell a little funny in your basement?

The NOW Oral History Project wants you.

Call for contributions for an edited essay collection on Marjane Satrapi’s works (film, literature, and art).

Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel, Persepolis, was an instant success in France and the U.S. It has garnered numerous book prizes, and the animated film version was awarded the Grand Prize of the Jury at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. Satrapi's other texts, including children's books, have been translated into numerous languages and published worldwide.

The proposed collection aims to examine Satrapi's works as literature, art, film and cultural phenomena, bringing diverse ideological and theoretical perspectives to bear on the intellectual and political issues that they raise.

Interdisciplinary essays as well as analyses rooted in disciplinary approaches are invited,including but not limited to the following topics:

• interplays of intimate/public politics,
• genre (graphic novel, comedy, film, autobiography, children’s literature, etc.),
• relation of text and graphics,
• representations of East and West,
• teaching approaches,
• audiences (local and global),
• immigration, boundaries, and border crossings (physical, cultural, psychological, and spiritual),
• intersections of gender, sexuality, class, age, and nationality,
• censorship,
• imprisonment, detention, and/or containment,
• Iranian cultures, history, and politics,
• U.S. foreign policies and their affect on Iran,
• Iran’s foreign policies and their local/global effects,
• resistance to and collusion with norms governing micro- and macro- social institutions,
• translation,
• hospitality and food, and
• drug use and addictions.

 

Non-U.S. based scholars are strongly encouraged to submit proposals. Whenever possible, assistance with translation and formatting conventions will be provided.

By August 31, 2008 (or before) submit double-spaced, two-page abstracts to

An Our Bodies Ourselves intern, Margaret Spilman, has produced a DVD on the history of the Boston Women's Health Book Collective and Our Bodies Ourselves. Margaret searched through reams of old videotapes from archives and taped new interviews to create a film that highlights the work and achievements of the BWHBC.

Our Bodies Ourselves grew from a local Boston women's health booklet into a global effort with multiple translations already accomplished and more on the way.

You can watch below or download the video here .

 

The first annual "Jane Addams Day" will be celebrated all across Illinois on December 10, 2007. AAUW-Illinois is leading the charge and Women & Children First is their official Jane Addams Day bookstore! Visit to the AAUW-Illinois webpage to read their press release, find local events and read background materials.

Then check out the Women and Children First suggested book list. There are book suggestions for all ages and levels of interest: children and teens, novices and scholars.

 

Among many achievements, Jane Addams was:

• A founder and the first president of the Women's International League for
  Peace and Freedom
• A founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
• A founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
• The first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize