FW: [Nofreelunchserve] FW: Quotes from Helen -Trias

[Guest guest]

You may already know that Dr. Helen -Trias, a member of the

historic Lincoln Hospital Pediatric Collective, past president of the

American Public Health Association, and of the National Women's Health

Netwok, as well as a member of the advisory board of the Boston Women's

Health Book

Collective, died peacefully of cancer at 1 am on December 27th. Beginning

with sterilization abuse in the early 1970's, I worked with her on various

issues concerning the health rights of minority women and all women. It's

impossible to believe that Helen's marvelous life and great works have come

to an end. In the spirit of carrying on, I asked Agata Rumprecht, my intern,

a student at University at Stony Brook, an Emergency Medical Technician, and

also a Polish native who moved to New York at the age of 13, to pick out

some quotes from Helen that have affected her the most.

Agata selected these statements from a 1999 interview by Tania Ketenjian

that can be found in " For Women Only! Your Guide to Health Empowerment " by

Null and Barbara Seaman, and from the 1996 book " The Conversation

Begins " by Looper Baker and Baker Kline.

Helen on information:

" Be informed, read all you can, talk to others, know your rights and speak

up. We all need better health information, particularly for folks who have

lower literacy levels who are not going to read these pamphlets made for

college graduates or above. We need to have more commitment on the part of

the media that reaches Latina women - radio, television - to give

appropriate health messages, to be very proactive about the rights people

have to certain services... " (FWO p. 1051)

Helen on health insurance:

" ...The latest census tells us that there are over 44 million Americans

without health insurance. That is inexcusable! " (FWO p. 1052)

Helen on activism and organizing:

" ...I think that individuals and leadership are crucial, but we should never

deny the need for organizations and movements because they shape

individuals... " (FWO p. 1055)

Helen on compromises:

" ...I had more than a bit of a confrontational style in those days when it

wasn't always worthwhile to be confrontational. There were times you could

actually find better points of unity when you were less confrontational and

more reasonable and actually listened to people more and not just see them

as being off the deep end, or evil. That was part of what I learned that

toned me down. It is less about compromise than it is about being

effective... " (FWO p. 1057)

Helen on the women's movement:

" ...The women's movement is about survival, about finding our strength and

using it to help other women. We reach out to each other to build a

different kind of society - one where women are equal in power to men and

where children are truly prized. " (Conversation p. 72)

Helen on feminism and family:

" Being a mother has shaped my idea of feminism. I believe that the essence

of feminism is nurturing strength in ourselves in order to defend our

children. Protecting our children and allowing them to grow up with a sense

of empowerment is an essential part of feminism. For me, mothering and

feminism have been intertwined. I am optimistic about feminism's future as I

see it in my daughters... " (Conversation p. 71)

Sadly,

Barbara Seaman

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