CWS at University of York Announces A Carnival of Feminist Cultural Activism

Carol Ann Duffy Reading, Questions and Book Signing in Lincoln

Afghan feminists fighting from under the burqa

A really interesting read about how feminists in Afghanistan are going undercover with the help of, what is sometimes seen by them, as the very symbol of female oppression. Puts British feminism into perspective when you think that we are largely concerned with whether change is taking place and Afghan feminists are concerned firstly with how they will actually get to the point of vocalising their thoughts.

Bristol Feminist Network are getting ready to march through the streets of Bristol once again to raise money and awareness about the safety of women on the streets.

Reclaim the Night will start in College Green at 5pm with a vigil of remembrance. At 6pm the drums will sound and we will begin our march through Bristol until 8pm, with a woman only section leading the march. There will be a rally of speakers at the Island in Broadmead from 8.30, followed by music from Lipstick on Your Collar and Natalie Bennett until 2am. Donations and proceeds from the club night will be given to a local victim support organisations. And once the night is over, we will continue to fight for victims of survivors of sexual violence, and for women everywhere to be free from violence.

Follow the LINK to help Bristol Feminist Network, Increase support for victims and survivors of sexual violence; Encourage better around violence against women and secure justice for victims and survivors of sexaual violence.

Don’t let the punk cds fool you, I like my easy listening too and the chilled-out, stripped back nature of this compilation was right up my street. Beautiful Star: The Songs of Odetta, curated and released by Wears The Trousers, is a tribute to Odetta Holmes (1930-2008); an American musician and human rights activist. Holmes was named the “Queen of American folk music” by Martin Luther King Jr in 1961 and her music encompassed not just folk, but blues, jazz and spirituals – a range of styles represented so well by the artists in this tribute. The 16 tracks featured are each unique, yet what unites them is a ‘realness’; each track has feeling and a sense of genuineness in the words, the music and the voices. And the diversity of tracks compliment one another perfectly. From the pared-down, country-esque Gemma Ray on ‘900 Miles’ to the husky, sultry tones on ‘What A Friend We Have’ from Katey Brooks to the frankly amazing Sandy Dillon on Can’t Afford To Lose My Man’; a rasped genius of a singer that makes you think of a care-free Macy Gray gone wild (why haven’t we heard more about this woman?!). Each track was thoroughly enjoyed and the compilation did not disappoint, plus all profits from sales of the album will be split evenly between the Fawcett Society and The Women’s Resource Centre. What more could you ask for?

Track Listing

LINDA DRAPER, ‘Sail Away Ladies’
ANE BRUN, ‘If I Had A Ribbon Bow’
GEMMA RAY, ‘900 Miles’
ANAÏS MITCHELL, ‘All My Trials’
HAUNTED STEREO, ‘Santy Anno’
MADAM, ‘Waterboy’
SANDY DILLON, ‘Can’t Afford To Lose My Man’ [live]
ORA COGAN, ‘Motherless Child’
JOSEPHINE ONIYAMA, ‘The Gallows Pole’
PEPI GINSBERG, ‘Beautiful Star’
SOCIETY OF IMAGINARY FRIENDS, ‘Another Man Done Gone’
MARISSA NADLER, ‘All My Trials’
KELLI ALI, ‘All The Pretty Little Horses’
KATEY BROOKS, ‘What A Friend We Have’
LIZ DURRETT, ‘Chilly Winds’
ARBOREA, ‘This Little Light Of Mine

A limited number of physical copies of Beautiful Star: The Songs Of Odetta will be made available directly through the Wears The Trousers website, to pre-order here.

They’ve made resources available to boost your knowledge, and provided you a step into writing to your MP to ask for change, hot on the No Recourse For Public funds mass lobby I expect you all to be eager to get penning letters.

But for starters, watch this short video they’ve produced where women seeking asylum can tell you of their experiences, of the disparities in care, and lack of sensitivity meted out to over 7,000 women in the UK.

Every single woman from Asylum Aid on Vimeo.

“We are campaigning for the Welsh Assembly Government to improve their policies to tackle violence against women in Wales. 2 women a week are still dying of domestic abuse alone in Wales, and the rape conviction rate remains a shocking 8% in Wales.

Please visit our Facebook group – lots more info there: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=162717965118&ref=mf

Most importantly – PLEASE email the following letter to the Social Justice Minister, Brian Gibbons AM.

Spread the word! Thanks so much!”
______________

SEND LETTER TO: brian.gibbons@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Dear Minister

RE: INTEGRATED STRATEGY TO TACKLE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

The level of violence against women in Wales still remains very high, with one in four women suffering some from violence during their lifetime.

Though the Welsh Assembly Government has made good progress on tackling some elements of violence against women, there is no integrated, cross-governmental strategy to protect women from violence.

I am calling on you to redouble your efforts to tackle violence against women in all its forms, and ensure that the women in Wales are not less protected than women in other parts of the UK.

Only a strategy and action plan led by the Welsh Assembly Government will be able to bring together the disparate strands of public services and investment will tackle violence against women and fulfil the UN CEDAW obligations.

Violence against women blights thousands of lives in Wales each year, and its time for a whole-government approach to protect women.

Yours sincerely

[NAME]

Fatal Promises looks at part of the enormous human trafficking trade that takes women and men from the Ukraine under false pretenses and lands them in dangerous labor practices on illegal boats without food, or trapped in forms of sex work controlled by violent “caretakers”

For many, it is a story heard before, but until it ends it is worth hearing over and over again. Though not form the school of slick documentary making that in vogue issues like climate change and fair trade seem to come packaged in, Fatal Promises is as raw and blunt aesthetically as it is in content. But the blunt presentation helps the films core message’s, the brisk and broad education, shine clearly as communicated by personal testimony, facts from NGO’s and clips from activists and conferences.

Emma Thompson and director, Kat Rohrer gave context and further learning to a small and eager crowd at the Cinema Village in New York on Saturday 12th September.

Six more clips here

Charlotte

Join the facebook group or email lauraannway@googlemail.com to express interest.

Laura