Wonderful. Thank you for this forward, Sarah. I have dozens of friends and colleagues who will be very happy to sign this and share it with others. Jane On Sat, 2008-07-12 at 14:34 -0600, Sarah Hoagland wrote: > ------ Forwarded Message > From: Jackie Anderson <[log in to unmask]> > Date: Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:16:26 -0700 (PDT) > To: Jackie Anderson <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Important info and petition.. > > > > "It is part of our task as revolutionary people, people who want > deep-rooted, radical change, to be as whole as it is possible for us to > be. This can only be done if we face the reality of what oppression > really means in our lives, not as abstract systems subject to analysis, > but as an avalanche of traumas leaving a wake of devastation in the > lives of real people who nevertheless remain human, unquenchable, > complex and full of possibility." Aurora Levins Morales, Medicine > Stories > Hello, > > I wanted to share with you this "Call to Action", which Ann Russo & I > developed. It is also attached as a PDF file. > > We both hope that you will share it with your networks and friends, and > sign onto the letter at: > http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-the-false-race-gender-divide. If you > do forward the email, please share > the email address associated with this Call to Action: > calltoaction2008@ gmail.com > > Thanks! > > Melissa Spatz > > > Stop the False Race/Gender Divide: A Call to Action > > We are calling on white progressive women activists and feminists to > join us in challenging the onslaught of reactionary and racist > arguments being put forward in the name of feminism and in defense of > Hillary Clinton. We are saddened and frustrated by the abandonment of > feminist commitments to the freedom and liberation of all women from > all forms of oppression. We stand with all the women who have stepped > up in the past several months to say no to this kind of feminism – > including Barbara Ransby, Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Kimberlé Crenshaw > and Eve Ensler, Zillah Eisenstein, Suzanne Pharr, among others. We are > adding our voices to this dialogue as white women grounded in the > feminist movement and actively engaged in issues impacting women and > girls. > > We strongly disagree with this reactive critique of sexism that has > been grounded in a denial of the ongoing legacies of racism and white > supremacy. The misogyny and sexism directed against Hillary Clinton > are real and must be called out and challenged. However, a critique of > sexism must not be at the expense of addressing racism and other forms > of oppression. The misogyny is deplorable to say the least, and yet it > must not be used as a reason to deny racism, to distance ourselves from > struggles against racism, and/or to perpetrate racism in defense of > "women." > > We need to resist and refuse this exclusive, defensive, and racist > politics if we are serious about coalitional, broad-based, > interconnected women's solidarity movements. For white women, an > exclusive and defensive focus on sexism denies accountability for our > racial privilege. It erases our own complicity in the multiple systems > of oppression that shape our lives, perspectives, and allegiances. We > believe these politics significantly undermine the efforts of many > women – especially women of color – to create feminisms that are > grounded in multiple identities and in struggles against multiple > oppressions. They destroy the possibilities for coalition, alliance, > and solidarity across our differences and inequalities of race, > sexuality, immigration status, gender identity, age, and more. > > Here in Chicago, we have dialogued with white women and women of color > as a way of challenging the racial divides being promoted by some white > feminists and the mainstream media. We feel that as white feminists it > is imperative that we speak out publicly against the racism and > divisiveness that we are seeing. We therefore offer the following > statement of our refusals and commitments. > > We invite you to join us in our efforts. We are calling on white > progressive women to take a stand by signing onto this letter and > distributing it far and wide. We welcome all progressive activists, > including women of color and allies, to sign the letter as well. Add > your signature to http://www.thepetit ionsite.com/ 1/stop-the- > false-race- gender-divide. We will share this letter and signatures > with a variety of feminist, progressive, as well as mainstream media. > > Signed, > Ann Russo & Melissa Spatz > calltoaction2008@ gmail.com > > > ------ End of Forwarded Message