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Ain't I A Woman? newspapers, June 1970-July 1971

1970-06-26 "Ain't I a Woman?" Page 8

Getting It Together

History and direction of the feminist movement was the basis for panels and workshops at the Southern Female Liberation Meeting at Mt. Beulah, Mississippi, May 8, 9, 10.
   Approximately 300 women attended the conference, sponsored by the Southern Female Rights Union. Twenty-four hour day care was volunteered by several men.
   We left Iowa City with great expectations, neither of us ever having been in the South before. Our 28-hour bus ride went surprisingly fast, as we spent time getting to know each other and sharing love as only sisters do.
   Mt. Beulah, just outside Edwards, is a plantation-like cluster of buildings financed by Carpetbaggers to prepare ex-slaves for their economic exploitation.
   We arrived weary, but were soon effected by the contagious anticipation of the next two days. The literature table, set up throughout the conference, kept our interest for some time. Hilary Langhorst sang after we'd retired.
   Beginning with breakfast Saturday we sampled real southern food. Grits, cornbread, black-eyed peas and fried chicken tasted better to us there, prepared by experienced female cooks.
   Saturday was full of informative talks that kept us taking notes. Evelyn Reed, Socialist-Worker's Party scholar, and Virginia Collins, from Republic of New Africa, spoke on the hidden history of women.
   Evelyn Reed traced the history of the family as we know it today. Basically her speech demonstrated through scientific Marxist analysis the economic and social exploitative nature of the marriage institution.
   Virginia Collins, with a charismatic aura, spoke on women's oppression from a black perspective. She emphasized the importance of taking someone's complete frame of reference into consideration when speaking to them. She recognized the problems of black women as more class than skin problems. She also feels that because of black men's intense desire to mimic white men, black women are more oppressed than their white sisters.

our ad policy
   The Woman as Consumer is one of the most evil of the sexual stereotypes laid upon women. Most advertisement plays upon this stereotype, reinforcing it at the same time. The old cry of "Buy, Buy, Buy" must be replaced by advertisement that limits [itl] advertisement that limits itself to a simple statement of what is offered to the public. We join other women's liberation publications in accepting only non-exploitative advertisements.
   Ads are limited to a maximum length of 2". Each ad costs $5.00 each time it is run. All advertisement must be paid for in advance. We reserve the right to reject any ad.
THE FEMALE STATE
(We Choose Personhood)
Issue #4 o
A Journal of Liberation
#1 Untitled   $1.00
#2 No More Fun And Games   $1.00
#3 No More Fun and Games   $1.00
#4 The Female State   $1.00
Female Liberation, 371 Somerville Ave 
Somerville, Massachusetts, 02143

   After dinner we heard brief synopses of the workshops for the afternoon. Martha Atkins spoke on earlier feminist movements and expressed hope that today's movement could learn from the past mistakes.
   Joreen traced the history of women's roles in western society from an economist's viewpoint. Hilary Langhorst described roots of female oppression in the structure of Christianity and its Ideology.
  Virginia Collins expanded on her earlier talk, re-emphasizing the frame of reference idea, and how teachers can learn from people they're teaching.
   Roxanne Dunbar spoke on the myth of southern womanhood and its affect on our southern movement. She explained how material power differences keep white and black women from working together,
   Saturday evening we heard a panel discussion on how to build the female liberation movement. Roxanne spoke of her efforts at mass education. Judith Brown explained how Gainsville, Fla. women use consciousness-raising to formulate all theories and actions. Linda Seese told of her experiences living in a  women's collective.
   Dana Densmore, Boston, talked about each of us doing what's comfortable: finding the best way of expressing what we feel. Virginia spoke on organizing women in terms of their own situation. Joreen expanded this idea, suggesting we try to reach women with similar backgrounds before trying to overcome class differences.
   A discussion of the pros and cons of heter- or homogeneous groups, and problems in developing class consciousness ensued. "Softskin" was shown after the discussion.
   We thought it ironic that around church time on Mother's Day the sisters gathered for a new kind of movement service: worship of physical fitness for self-defense. Sisters from Boston demonstrated Taw Kwon Do, a Korean form of karate.
   After dinner Roxanne commented on the topics to be covered in the afternoon workshops. She expressed her views on the different kind of oppres-

Tired of Male stereotypes
Male fantasies, Male power structures
Subscribe to APHRA
First feminist literary magazine.
Now Ready--Spring Issue
The Woman as Artist:
Drama, fiction, poetry,
criticism, sculpture.
One year's subscription (4 issues)
$3.50. Single issues $1.00. Send check or money order to APHRA  Box 355, Springtown, Pa. 18081

"The development of socialist ideas cannot be separated from the development of a class-conscious socialist movement."

SOCIALIST REVOLUTION
Agenda Publishing Company
1445 Stockton Street
San Francisco, California, 94133
Single Issue  $1.50
Subscription (6 Issues)  $6.00

sion poor women have and child care as a need of middle class women. She related the problem of elitism to middle class women who can't accept leadership from those who may know more about certain aspects of our movement. She expressed fear of being coopted by abortion reform, especially in its potential lethalness against those the government would like to eliminate.
   Trying to learn as much as we could we attended several workshops. In the homosexuality one we discussed the very un-stereotyped lesbian relationships that are beginning to evolve out of the movement. We also discussed the fear "straight" sisters often feel toward lesbians, and the advantage of forming separate gay groups within WL.
   In the workshop on divisions among women, Judith Brown endorsed consciousness-raising as a project conducive to sisterhood and well worth the struggle to draw general conclusions from personal, isolated experiences.
   Two elitism, democracy and leadership workshops were combined with one on the needs of poor women. During the discussion a disagreement arose on the importance of elitism in the feminist movement. The way the conference was set up and the fact that a few women led the workshops was criticized. The disagreement ended when some women left the meeting. A discussion followed on the validity of each woman's experience and the need to listen and criticize our ideas carefully.
Virginia dealt with questions of feminist politics. Hilary expounded on her year-long effort to develop a program of community-controlled public childcare centers. Tae Kwon Do students related women's physical weakness to sexism. Martha Atkins explored the need to redefine our concepts of sexuality and love to help retain our necessary autonomous women’s movement.
   From speaking with southern women, we began to see what different obstacles these women face in organizing their sisters. Christianity is one of the biggest barriers because of its strong basis and history in their culture. Also, chivalry is not dead, but a stifling, condescending, protective attitude most southern males still champion.
   By the end of the afternoon almost everyone had left for home. Those of us remaining were feeling good toward each other and hated to leave. On the steps of the eating hall those of us who didn’t participate witnessed a massacre of long locks and the emergence of new, proud, practical, healthy -looking short-haired women. We laughed a lot, shared a lot and soon left for home with a renewed vigor and collective strength with our sisters across the nation.  Lori and Abbie

   [hand drawn cartoon] It’s QUACKMAN!
   “The first oppression that appears in history coincides with the development of the antagonism between man & woman in monogamous marriage, and the first class oppression coincides with that of the female sex by the male.”—Engels
   Right on!
   QUACK QUACK –LAY LAU-SCREW SCREW-CHICK CHICK

8  June 26, 1970   [image of arm]Ain’t I?

Saving...

Getting It Together History and direction of the feminist movement was the basis for panels and workshops at the Southern Female Liberation Meeting at Mt. Beulah, Mississippi, May 8, 9, 10. Approximately 300 women attended the conference, sponsored by the Southern Female Rights Union. Twenty-four hour day care was volunteered by several men. We left Iowa City with great expectations, neither of us ever having been in the South before. Our 28-hour bus ride went surprisingly fast, as we spent time getting to know each other and sharing love as only sisters do. Mt. Beulah, just outside Edwards, is a plantation-like cluster of buildings financed by Carpetbaggers to prepare ex-slaves for their economic exploitation. We arrived weary, but were soon effected by the contagious anticipation of the next two days. The literature table, set up throughout the conference, kept our interest for some time. Hilary Langhorst sang after we'd retired. Beginning with breakfast Saturday we sampled real southern food. Grits, cornbread, black-eyed peas and fried chicken tasted better to us there, prepared by experienced female cooks. Saturday was full of informative talks that kept us taking notes. Evelyn Reed, Socialist-Worker's Party scholar, and Virginia Collins, from Republic of New Africa, spoke on the hidden history of women. Evelyn Reed traced the history of the family as we know it today. Basically her speech demonstrated through scientific Marxist analysis the economic and social exploitative nature of the marriage institution. Virginia Collins, with a charismatic aura, spoke on women's oppression from a black perspective. She emphasized the importance of taking someone's complete frame of reference into consideration when speaking to them. She recognized the problems of black women as more class than skin problems. She also feels that because of black men's intense desire to mimic white men, black women are more oppressed than their white sisters. our ad policy The Woman as Consumer is one of the most evil of the sexual stereotypes laid upon women. Most advertisement plays upon this stereotype, reinforcing it at the same time. The old cry of "Buy, Buy, Buy" must be replaced by advertisement that limits [itl] advertisement that limits itself to a simple statement of what is offered to the public. We join other women's liberation publications in accepting only non-exploitative advertisements. Ads are limited to a maximum length of 2". Each ad costs $5.00 each time it is run. All advertisement must be paid for in advance. We reserve the right to reject any ad. THE FEMALE STATE (We Choose Personhood) Issue #4 o A Journal of Liberation #1 Untitled $1.00 #2 No More Fun And Games $1.00 #3 No More Fun and Games $1.00 #4 The Female State $1.00 Female Liberation, 371 Somerville Ave Somerville, Massachusetts, 02143 After dinner we heard brief synopses of the workshops for the afternoon. Martha Atkins spoke on earlier feminist movements and expressed hope that today's movement could learn from the past mistakes. Joreen traced the history of women's roles in western society from an economist's viewpoint. Hilary Langhorst described roots of female oppression in the structure of Christianity and its Ideology. Virginia Collins expanded on her earlier talk, re-emphasizing the frame of reference idea, and how teachers can learn from people they're teaching. Roxanne Dunbar spoke on the myth of southern womanhood and its affect on our southern movement. She explained how material power differences keep white and black women from working together, Saturday evening we heard a panel discussion on how to build the female liberation movement. Roxanne spoke of her efforts at mass education. Judith Brown explained how Gainsville, Fla. women use consciousness-raising to formulate all theories and actions. Linda Seese told of her experiences living in a women's collective. Dana Densmore, Boston, talked about each of us doing what's comfortable: finding the best way of expressing what we feel. Virginia spoke on organizing women in terms of their own situation. Joreen expanded this idea, suggesting we try to reach women with similar backgrounds before trying to overcome class differences. A discussion of the pros and cons of heter- or homogeneous groups, and problems in developing class consciousness ensued. "Softskin" was shown after the discussion. We thought it ironic that around church time on Mother's Day the sisters gathered for a new kind of movement service: worship of physical fitness for self-defense. Sisters from Boston demonstrated Taw Kwon Do, a Korean form of karate. After dinner Roxanne commented on the topics to be covered in the afternoon workshops. She expressed her views on the different kind of oppres- Tired of Male stereotypes Male fantasies, Male power structures Subscribe to APHRA First feminist literary magazine. Now Ready--Spring Issue The Woman as Artist: Drama, fiction, poetry, criticism, sculpture. One year's subscription (4 issues) $3.50. Single issues $1.00. Send check or money order to APHRA Box 355, Springtown, Pa. 18081 "The development of socialist ideas cannot be separated from the development of a class-conscious socialist movement." SOCIALIST REVOLUTION Agenda Publishing Company 1445 Stockton Street San Francisco, California, 94133 Single Issue $1.50 Subscription (6 Issues) $6.00 sion poor women have and child care as a need of middle class women. She related the problem of elitism to middle class women who can't accept leadership from those who may know more about certain aspects of our movement. She expressed fear of being coopted by abortion reform, especially in its potential lethalness against those the government would like to eliminate. Trying to learn as much as we could we attended several workshops. In the homosexuality one we discussed the very un-stereotyped lesbian relationships that are beginning to evolve out of the movement. We also discussed the fear "straight" sisters often feel toward lesbians, and the advantage of forming separate gay groups within WL. In the workshop on divisions among women, Judith Brown endorsed consciousness-raising as a project conducive to sisterhood and well worth the struggle to draw general conclusions from personal, isolated experiences. Two elitism, democracy and leadership workshops were combined with one on the needs of poor women. During the discussion a disagreement arose on the importance of elitism in the feminist movement. The way the conference was set up and the fact that a few women led the workshops was criticized. The disagreement ended when some women left the meeting. A discussion followed on the validity of each woman's experience and the need to listen and criticize our ideas carefully. Virginia dealt with questions of feminist politics. Hilary expounded on her year-long effort to develop a program of community-controlled public childcare centers. Tae Kwon Do students related women's physical weakness to sexism. Martha Atkins explored the need to redefine our concepts of sexuality and love to help retain our necessary autonomous women’s movement. From speaking with southern women, we began to see what different obstacles these women face in organizing their sisters. Christianity is one of the biggest barriers because of its strong basis and history in their culture. Also, chivalry is not dead, but a stifling, condescending, protective attitude most southern males still champion. By the end of the afternoon almost everyone had left for home. Those of us remaining were feeling good toward each other and hated to leave. On the steps of the eating hall those of us who didn’t participate witnessed a massacre of long locks and the emergence of new, proud, practical, healthy -looking short-haired women. We laughed a lot, shared a lot and soon left for home with a renewed vigor and collective strength with our sisters across the nation. Lori and Abbie [hand drawn cartoon] It’s QUACKMAN! “The first oppression that appears in history coincides with the development of the antagonism between man & woman in monogamous marriage, and the first class oppression coincides with that of the female sex by the male.”—Engels Right on! QUACK QUACK –LAY LAU-SCREW SCREW-CHICK CHICK 8 June 26, 1970 [image of arm]Ain’t I?