Final exams aren’t the only tests homeless college students face during this time of year. Click here to read about their struggles.
Should food stamp recipients focus on buying cheap food or healthy food? A variety of people weigh in on the New York Times op-ed page. Click here to find out what they think. Then tell us what you think by leaving a comment below.
Maryland’s governor is proposing a temporary $3,000 tac credit for every worker taken off the unemployment rolls next year. Click here for details.
Lambda Rising, the first “gay-oriented” business in Dupont Circle, is closing. Click here to find out why.
Please weigh in on any of these stories in the comments area below. Or, join the conversation on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheWomensFoundation.
Some students in Fairfax County don’t have reliable access to the internet, which is hampering their ability to complete homework assignments. Click here to read about how the digital divide can be found in one of our area’s most affluent counties.
DC Schools Chancellor is accused of trying to squeeze out minority students at a newly renovated middle school. Click here for details.
Need is up but funding is down for legal aid clinics. You can read more by clicking here.
Prince George’s County prosecutor C.T. Wilson, a former foster child, is spending his free time reaching out to, and advocating for, foster kids. Click here to read a Washington Post profile on his efforts.
Got a comment or a story you’d like to see on The Women’s Foundation blog? Comment below, or join the conversation on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheWomensFoundation!
— Homeless shelters in the District that serve women are reaching capacity. Click here for the details in the Washington City Paper.
— Hate crimes are on the rise in D.C. and according to this story from WTOP, gays are targeted more than any other group.
— The Senate has voted to back preventative health care for women. Click here to read about how this could affect you.
— It’s the strongest jobs report since the recession started two years ago: the unemployment rate fell as 11,000 jobs were lost in November. That’s compared to 111,000 lost in October. Click here for more on this story.
If you’ve got comments or thoughts on any of these stories, please post below. Or, join the conversation on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/thewomensfoundation.
— According to new census numbers, among the fifteen most affluent communities, nearly half were located in Virginia and Maryland and in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area. At the top of the list was Loudon County, followed by Fairfax County. Also on the list were Falls Church City, Arlington County, Montgomery County and Fairfax City. For a look at the list and the median incomes, click here.
— Ironically, this Washington Post article is about how the need for emergency shelter in Arlington has “ballooned.”
— Click here to find out how a “PB&J ministry” is helping out Grantee Partner So Others Might Eat.
— And this post from Bidiversity asks whether or not “nice girls” should negotiate on the job. What do you think?
If you’ve got comments or thoughts on any of these stories, please post below. Or, join the conversation on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/thewomensfoundation.
— There’s a documentary coming out about AIDS patients, activists and workers in D.C. Jose Antonia Vargas writes about his involvement in “The Other City.” Click here to read the details.
— Pro-choice, anti- Stupak Amendment activists will be in D.C. today for a National Day of Action. If you can’t make it to the events, you can follow them online. Click here for links to Facebook and Twitter feeds.
— Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton wants D.C. to use its own money for needle exchange programs. You can listen to a WAMU report about it by clicking here.
— Yesterday, CNN aired a story about human trafficking in the U.S. that included an interview with a woman who’d been a modern day slave. To watch the interview and learn more about human trafficking click here.
Got a comment or have an issue about one of these stories? Post below or join the conversation on our Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/TheWomensFoundation.
Here are today’s top stories that concern the Washington Area Women’s Foundation community:
— Views of our Be That Woman video have topped 11,000! If you haven’t seen this touching video yet, go to www.BeThatWoman.org.
— There are very mixed reactions after the announcement that the director of the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services is leaving the District for NYC. This Washington Post article points out that Vincent N. Schiraldi’s “advocacy of less restrictive detention for juvenile offenders was both commended and condemned….”
— A NW D.C. woman said a stranger broked into her apartment near Dupont Circle at 5:30 yesterday morning and raped her. Police are still looking for the suspect and say if people who live in that neighborhood see anything strange they should call 911. Get more details by clicking here.
— Local homeless families will start getting $7.5 million this week to get back into housing or to stay in their homes. D.C. housing officials say the federal stimulus money will help up to 800 households. You can read details by clicking here.
— When your kids have the sniffles do you send them to school or take a day off work? In thisWashington Post Op-Ed column today, Petula Dvorak explores the catch-22 many parents face during the cold and flu season.
— It appears that same-sex marriage will be legalized in D.C. Today, D.C. councilmembers will cast the first of two votes on a bill that would legalize gay marriage. 10 out of the 13 members on the council are sponsoring the bill and Mayor Fenty has said he’ll sign it. You can read the details by clicking here.
Our guide to socially responsible holiday giving continues…
“Cyber Monday” is an even more ridiculous (and inaccurate) name for a day than “Black Friday.” But if you’re caught up in the hype and are doing some online shopping today (during your lunch break, of course!) there are a few sites that will allow you to donate to various funds and organizations while you take care of your holiday shopping.
According to Huffington Post: Your top bet for buying and giving is Good Shop, a site by GoodSearch.com which links to online coupons and gives up to 30% of each purchase you make to the organization or school of your choice. The donation money comes from commission paid by retailers to GoodSearch.com.
Also from HuffPo: Electronics website UncleVic.com is offering to donate $1 for every purchase made on the site through tonight as part of its Penny Pincher Promotion.
Proceeds from today’s sales at CyberMonday.com will go to a scholarship fund.
And you can always give to women and girls in our region by going to Washington Area Women’s Foundation’s giving page. You can even make a donation in honor of someone else. It’s the gift that makes everybody feel good!
Proceeds from this RIJI Green bag go to victims of human trafficking.
Believe it or not, I’ve already started my holiday shopping. I know what you’re thinking: I’ve been suckered by Corporate America with their October Christmas decorations, and their pre-Thanksgiving Christmas carol playing, and their adorable commercials where cheerful people dance around and wish you a “Happy Whatever-you-want-uhk-kuh.” But I remain uninfluenced by the not-so-subtle push to get me to spend money. I’m thinking for myself this year, and buying when inspiration strikes.
I consider myself a pretty decent gift-giver most of the time. I have my off years, though. My dad still hasn’t used the milk frother I gave him three years ago (who wouldn’t want their very own milk frother, though?!). But with the U.S. dollar being a really hot commodity this year (especially in my bank account), I’m looking for the most bang for my buck, which is why I’ve been putting extra thought into my gifts. I want them to remind the recipients of special moments we’ve had together in the past. I want it to bring back a wish or desire they’ve expressed. And I want the gift have meaning on its own, too. I’m trying to buy local. I’m trying to buy sustainable. I’m trying to buy fair trade. And I’m trying to buy items that are going to help someone besides the recipient.
That’s why, this holiday season, I’m going to be featuring goods on the blog that will help women and organizations that assist women and girls. Please do not consider this an explicit Washington Area Women’s Foundation endorsement of a particular product or company. It’ll just be interesting stuff I hear about that you should feel free to check out.
Shop ‘til we stop human trafficking with RIJI Green
According to Polaris Project, nearly 20,000 foreign nationals are trafficked annually in the United States. And nearly a quarter-of-a-million American children are at high risk for trafficking into the sex industry every year.
It’s hard to believe that slavery continues all over the world, from Asia to right here in the DC metro area. To help combat the issue, www.RIJIGreen.com is selling bags, journals, and other gifts made by victims of human trafficking. Money from the sale of each item will go to help these former victims of modern day slavery. RIJI Green hopes to raise $45,000 for International Justice Mission (IJM), a nonprofit that prosecutes trafficking perpetrators, provides aftercare for victims, and promotes justice systems.
Until November 22nd, 50% of the profits from RIJI Green products will go to IJM. 15% of profits will be donated to IJM through the end of the year.
As I hear about more opportunities like this, I’ll continue to post them here, so keep checking back! And if you hear about any yourself, feel free to post in the comments section or email me.
“Be That Woman.” Some people say that like it’s a bad thing. As Cokie Roberts pointed out at last month’s Leadership Luncheon, when people used to say “that woman,” it had a negative connotation to it. Washington Area Women’s Foundation is going to change that, though. At the luncheon, we launched a new campaign that we’re turning into a movement called “Be That Woman.”
So what does “Be That Woman” mean? Well, it’s all about the mission that The Women’s Foundation has always had. It’s about supporting women and their families by offering them opportunities to learn new skills to get better jobs, save money, buy a home, find affordable childcare, or get out of dangerous living situations. It’s about how helping these women not only improves the lives of their families, but improves our society as a whole. It’s about being inspired and inspiring others to help. It’s about the woman who got assistance being so empowered herself, she can go out and change someone else’s life.
You know, there are some ideas that aren’t best described by words, which is why a new video and website are the best ways we could come up with to illustrate what it means to “Be That Woman.”
Take a look at the video:
On the website you’ll find different ways to share the video – which is exactly what we want you to do. While the “Be That Woman” video was created to illustrate what happens here at The Women’s Foundation, it’s reflective of what happens every day in various ways across our society. Each of us has someone in our lives who has been That Woman, and all of us have been That Woman to someone else. It’s something we can all relate to, which is why we can send it out to friends, family, and colleagues around the world. Think of it as an encouragement and a thank you. Please take a look at the website www.BeThatWoman.org. Email the link, paste the embed code on your blog or website, or tell a friend to go to the website. We want everyone to know what we’re doing at The Women’s Foundation. We want to start a movement.
In our opinion, if more people were “that woman,” society would be a lot better off.
*For more details on how the “Be That Woman” video was made, please check out this blog post from RP3 Agency, the firm behind the video.
“With the young girls, you promise them heaven, they’ll follow you to hell.” – Harvey Washington, Convicted Pimp
Those chilling words were spoken to a New York Times reporter by a man serving a four-year sentence in Arizona for pandering (a polite way to say “pimping”).
According to a New York Times series that’s running this week, the number of underage teenagers having sex for money or basic necessities is on the rise. The series traces the increase back to a growing number of runaways who are forced to leave home as the recession puts more pressure on American households.
“Over the past two years, government officials and experts have seen an increasing number of children leave home for life on the streets, including many under 13. Foreclosures, layoffs, rising food and fuel prices and inadequate supplies of low-cost housing have stretched families to the extreme, and those pressures have trickled down to teenagers and preteens.” —New York Times
Survival in the Shadows
The National Runaway Switchboard told the New York Times an increasing number are surviving by selling drugs, panhandling, or engaging in prostitution. And once they take a step into an underworld of crime, it’s extremely difficult to get them off the streets.
“’These kids enter prostitution and they literally disappear,’ said Bradley Myles, deputy director of the Polaris Project, a nonprofit organization based in Washington [DC] that directly serves children involved in prostitution and other trafficking victims.” — New York Times
Close to Home
Solid statistics on just how many young runaways end up involved in prostitution or trafficking don’t exist yet, but according to the FBI, DC is one of the top 14 sites in the country for the sex trafficking of U.S. children. To help combat the problem, DC Councilmember Phil Mendelson introduced anti-trafficking legislation nearly a year ago, but the bill hasn’t been passed yet.
Take Action
That’s why the DC Women’s Agenda and Sasha Bruce Youthwork are giving you an opportunity to learn more about the “Prohibition Against Trafficking Act of 2009.”
“Trafficking is an often overlooked problem in DC, but it’s one that affects countless women and girls,” says Debbie Billet- Roumell, coordinator of the DC Women’s Agenda. “This bill is a step towards changing their situations and ending this tragedy of human trafficking in DC.”
This “lunch and learn” event will be Friday, October 30, 2009 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. at Sasha Bruce Youthwork, located at 741 8th St. SE, Washington, DC. Karen Stauss, Managing Policy and Legal Counsel from the Polaris Project, will speak about the problem of trafficking in the District, the proposed legislation, and what concerned citizens can do to advocate for strong provisions in the proposed bill.
If you’d like more information about the event or the DC Women’s Agenda, please contact Debbie Billet-Roumell at DBRoumell@wowonline.org.
