Fw: now-action-list URGENT CORRECTION: Women's Equality Summit Postponed

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----- Original Message -----

From: " National Organization for Women " <now@...>

<now-action-list@...>

Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2001 9:47 AM

Subject: now-action-list URGENT CORRECTION: Women's Equality Summit

Postponed

> Please feel free to forward the following to activists:

>

> From the National Organization for Women Action Center:

>

> CORRECTED ACTION ALERT - Please Forward to Anyone Who May Have Received

the

> Previous Alert

> Women's Equality Summit Postponed

> September 19, 2001

>

> The Women's Equality Summit and Congressional Action Day (WESCAD),

> sponsored by the National Council of Women's Organizations (NCWO) and

> previously scheduled for September 24-25 in Washington, D.C., has been

> postponed until Spring. Planners for the summit regretfully concluded that

> because of the tragic events of September 11th a postponement of the

> two-day training and Congressional information sessions was best.

>

> The National Organization for Women (NOW) is a member organization of the

> NCWO. NOW and NCWO leaders extend their condolences family and friends of

> those lost or injured in the incidents in New York, Washington, D.C. and

> Pennsylvania.

>

> WESCAD is designed to share information on current issues before Congress

> and to train feminist activists in working with their elected

> representatives. Workshops were planned to discuss pending nominations for

> federal judgeships, threats to Social Security, losses for women's

> reproductive rights, the continuing battle for pay equity and other

> priority matters. In addition, well-known feminist leaders such as former

> Colorado Representative Pat Schroeder (D) and Feminist Majority founder

and

> former NOW president Ellie Smeal were expected to address the summit

> attendees. A re-scheduled date for Spring, 2002, will be announced later.

>

> Instead of the two-day summit, a meeting on Tuesday, September 25th, has

> been scheduled for leaders of the NCWO-affiliated organizations and key

> staff to discuss challenges to our movement. In addition, we will examine

> how to support efforts to strengthen our national defense while assuring

> that our basic rights and freedoms are not compromised. Of equal

importance

> to feminist activists is the need to develop a strategy that protects

> domestic programs from being sacrificed in what appears to be a push to

> greatly increase military spending and provide even more tax cuts to the

> wealthy.

>

> NOW is especially concerned about the increasingly vicious attacks on

> women's rights advocates. We are determined to defend and promote the

> rights, health and safety of women and girls around the world, whether the

> threat comes from the brutal and repressive policies of Afghanistan's

> ruling Taliban or from regressive policies here at home that undermine our

> hard-won gains. The NCWO brainstorming session will address ways to

> effectively move our issues forward.

>

> NOW activists should alert chapter and state NOW leadership about the

> postponement and the intention to re-schedule the summit at a near future

> date. Persons who have registered for the summit will be offered the

option

> of donating their paid fees ($35) and having a slot held open for them for

> the re-scheduled WESCAD or they may ask for a refund. More information

will

> be posted at http://www.feminist.org/summit/ and at http://www.now.org/'>http://www.now.org/.

>

> Attendees to the September 25th session at the Communications Workers of

> America Board Room, 501 3rd St., NW in Washington, D.C. are asked to RSVP

> to (202) 393-7122 or by emailing a message to ncwog@... by Friday,

> Sept. 21.

>

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>

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