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Congratulations to this year's Barbara Wade Salm Scholoarship recipients! Click here to learn about our winners.
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I Heart Consensual Sex campaign. Click on the link
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From Our President
The month of May brings to life Mother’s Day and I’m remembering my mother who passed away on May 8th last year. Although I was estranged from my family because of my sexuality I still went home once in a while to visit with my mother and brothers. It’s always like stepping back in time to a childhood full of angst and violence. I was there when she passed away and she looked very peaceful. I hugged her and whispered, “Thanks for having me.” I knew that she was free of her pain body, which suffered tremendous abuse from my raging, alcoholic father. I would like to dedicate this column to Bernadette, my mother. We celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 11 and I will celebrate with you because I believe we are all mothers and sisters united in the common goal of peace, happiness and a future for our children free of violence.
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I am a Hillary supporter and I believe she will win the nomination and be the first woman President in the U.S. A perfect ticket would be Hillary and Obama to repair the damage of the Bush administration. It will take many years to pick up the pieces and restructure the policies of this blatant corruption of our system. Has it always been corrupt? Yes! Get out and support Hillary - I believe it’s about WOMEN!
On May 27, 1977 Janet Guthrie was the first woman racecar driver to qualify for the Indy 500. Last week Danica Patrick became the first female to win the Indy Japan 300.
The 26 year old won in her 50th career start. May is also Asian Heritage Month and on May 10th 1870, Victoria Woodhull became the first woman candidate for president. Amelia Earhart flies the Pacific Ocean solo on May 22, 1932. Oh, I forgot May 6th is International Diet Day, ugh!
May 28, 1963 the Equal Pay Act was passed and we still are fighting for equal pay. Lilly Ledbetter was almost 60 years old and on the verge of retiring when she first caught on that she was being shortchanged at work by what her lawyer called a "good old boys" network. An anonymous letter turned up out of the blue and revealed to Ledbetter she was making substantially less money than male co-workers at the Goodyear tire plant where she worked. A federal jury would later find she was owed almost $225,000 in back pay over her 19-year career. She filed a lawsuit and it went as far as the Supreme Court where they stated that she was too late in filing the claim. She won it was repealed and it lost in the court.
This is such blatant discrimination towards women and we still suffer under the “glass ceiling” with women representing only 5.3% of positions of authority at Fortune 500 companies. We still have not achieved pay equity and the average white woman makes $.77 for every dollar by a white man. The comparison for Black and Latina women is even worse, $.64 and $.53 on the dollar. The assumption that business can get away with paying women less for the same work as men is insulting and contributes to the feminization of poverty at worst.
Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland) invoked Abigail Adams. She explained that Lily represents 150 million who list pay equity as their number one issue. Finally she said, “Tell everyone about this ignominious decision as it is a call to arms;
1) Put on your lipstick
2) Square your shoulders
3) Suit up. We’ve got a hell of a fight coming but we are ready, THE REVOLUTION STARTS TONIGHT.”
This is what NOW is all about, we are a political action organization, we fight for women’s rights, we stand up and speak out, we help get woman elected, we are women and we are strong! WE CAN DO IT!
Let’s celebrate May together and don’t forget to call your mother.
Love, Melinda
President, PSNOW
