A YWCA of Adelaide Public Forum

Keynote speaker Melinda Takard Reist is a Canberra based author, commentator and advocate of appearing in Adelaide to launch her new book. Getting Real. Melinda will speak about girls growing up in a toxic, sexualised environment that harms girls’ health and threatens their wellbeing.

The forum will include a panel discussion featuring Melinda, Rita Princi – child, adolescent and Family Psychologist, and Anne Bunning – International Gender Specialist and Chief Executive YWCA of Adelaide.

5.45pm for a 6.00pm start

Thursday 22 October 2009

Cynthia Poulton Hall (St Peter’s Cathedral)

RSVP 8227 0155 or Jo.DeSilva@ywca.com.au

Places limited so rsvp early to avoid disappointment

Professor Angela Davis, activist and feminist academic from the University of California, is in Australia at the moment to speak at a conference about women and prisons. The conference, in Brisbane from 2nd-4th  September is by Sisters Inside Inc. and called “Is Prison Obsolete“ (bearing the same title as  one of Angela Davis’s own books). On 2nd September she spoke about this topic on Radio National’s program, ‘Life Matters’ and this can be heard by podcast through their website for a few months after the program. 

Books that our library holds by Angela Davis are:

Women, Race and Class (1982)

Angela Davis : an Autobiography (1975)

The Black Women’s Role in the Community of Slaves (1971)

If they come in the morning : Voices of Resistance (1971)

-Jo

Back in march, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan signed and passed the Shia Family Planning Law. (Under the Afghan constitution, Shias can have family law separate from the Sunni majority). The Shia Family Planning law follows traditional Shia jurisprudence which sanctions marital rape and places Taliban-era restrictions on the women. Following international outrage, the law was amended and in July resigned, although it has not yet been ratified by parliament. The impact of this law if passed as well as other issues facing Afghan women today, is discussed by Janine di Giovanni in an article of July 24th in the Guardian. 

The Equal Opportunity (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill 2008 was passed in the South Australian Parliament July 14th 2009 and will come into effect at a date to be fixed. Among the amendments is one that makes it illegal to refuse to sell goods and services, including education, to a breastfeeding mother. Another amendment protects against discrimination on the grounds of sexuality, although religious schools are exempt. Anti-discrimination on the basis of religious dress such as burqas and head scarves is also included as well as a broadening of the scope of the sexual harassment laws.

-Jo

I think it noteworthy that it has taken till 2009 for the National Association of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (NASOG) to have a president who is a woman. Her name is Hilary Joyce and she spoke about being first woman president and other aspects of her work on Radio National’s “Life Matters” program of July 2nd.

-Jo

In case you missed it, on the 24th June 2009 Nicola Roxon (Federal Minister for Health and Ageing) introduced legislation that as part of the government’s maternity reform package includes a new government supported professional indemnity scheme for eligible midwives. This they say is one of the steps towards removing existing barriers to the provision of care, leading to better access and services for the community. ‘Homebirth Australia’ however, believes that as the insurance scheme only includes midwives in a clinical setting, it will have the effect of outlawing private practice midwives and deny access to homebirth to most women.

-Jo

Feminist Studies is enabling full text of ‘The 1970s Issue’  Volume 34 Number 3 fall 2008 online at http://www.feministstudies.org/.

It’s library and information week this week 25 – 31 May 2009 http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/liw/                                                                    the theme: ‘Libraries your passport to Discovery’

As such this Wednesday the 27th at 11.00am ’National simultaneous storytelling’ sessions will be held in public libraries all over Australia  http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/storytime/2009/

On 2nd May at age 79, prominent feminist author Marilyn French has died. Born 21st November 1929, her most famous book is her debut novel “The Women’s Room” which she wrote at age 48. This powerful book which is said to have changed women’s lives who read it, is also famous for the quote “all men are rapists”.This quote, not by Marilyn French herself but by a character in the book  has been taken out of context and misused by those opposed to  feminists at the time.

Our library holds many of her books, the titles and publication dates can be seen below:

The Women’s Room 1978 c1977 

The Bleeding Heart 1980 c1980

Shakespeare’s Division of Experience 1983 c1981

Beyond Power: on Women Men and Morals 1986

Her Mother’s Daughter 1987

The War against Women 1992

Our Father: a Novel 1994

My Summer with George 1996

- Jo

Recently I saw the film version of the autobiographical graphic novel called ‘Persepolis’. It’s about the life to adulthood of Marjane Satrapi (also the film’s writer and co-director) who is an Iranian and who was about four or five at the time of the Iranian revolution when the film begins. Because this film is an animation I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was thoroughly drawn into it and found it moving and very entertaining. I highly recommend it.

PS If any kindhearted person out there is reading this, we would love to have either the graphic novel or the DVD in our library. 

-Jo